As we PS-ed in last week’s rug post, our hunt for a new master bedroom dresser recently came to a surprise end. We’d been trying to find something to replace this old Malm dresser that we’ve had for 5+ years (we literally bought it on an Ikea stop the day we moved from NYC to Richmond in a big red minivan) which will soon go live in the guest room.
It’s clearly too small for the wall. It’s not 100% functional anymore (the middle drawer got little wonky during the move) and it has a few visible battle scars from bouncing around our last house (at various points it lived in our bedroom, our guest bedroom, and finally the sunroom).
So we wanted something bigger. And something a little curvy and ornate (for some contrast to the modern elements in the room, like Ed the Bed and our big snowball-ish light fixture). Because we don’t want our bedroom to feel like a modern furniture showroom, we want it to have that layered, collected over time look. We both liked the idea of a dresser that was up on turned legs, especially since our bed also has a leggy design, so that similarity might tie the old dresser and the modern bed together in a not too obvious way. You know for a nice marriage of old meets new. And of course we wanted something that we could rescue (who doesn’t love “saving” sad old furniture) but we’d been unsuccessfully perusing thrift stores and stalking craigslist for weeks with nada. And then it happened. A dresser miracle. The perfect piece materialized seemingly out of nowhere. And by nowhere I mean my parents’ bedroom.
My mom and dad are actually prepping to downsize to a smaller house (now that their nest is empty) so they’ve been trying to find new homes for lots of their old stuff (I’ve already inherited stacks of old photos, school papers, childhood art projects, etc). So when we spotted my dad’s dresser on a recent visit we asked if they were planning to keep it (since it was old, leggy, and pretty much the perfect width). The answer: “Nope, we’re planning to put it on craigslist. Unless you want to take the old clunker off of our hands?”
“Uh, yes please.” Cue the cartwheels by Sherry in the background.
Turns out they’d be in our neighborhood to babysit our nephew two days later so they brought it down (we assumed it might take a few weeks to mosey over). Best dresser surprise ever. And that’s how we ended up with this beauty pretty much out of nowhere:
It’s bigger than our old Ikea dresser, so it fills up that wall properly. It’s also more traditional looking, so it balances out the modern pieces like Ed the Bed and the light fixture (just as we hoped). It also makes us really excited to get some old night tables in a similar tone and shape to further tie our whole old meets new thing together. Possibly with the same cool ring-pulls (we could also order those online and add them later) and a few drawers for concealed bedside storage, which we’ve always wanted.
And just as we hoped, it could use a little love (one of the drawers was busted when we got it, so I whipped out my screwdriver and whistled while I worked to get it secure again). Took about ten minutes. But (spoiler alert) that’s pretty much the extent of our “work” on the dresser for now. We’re not planning to paint or stain it. Even though we were excited at the idea of re-staining or painting an old seen-better-days piece, we just can’t justify that whole dog and pony show this time around. And this isn’t the polite way of saying that my parents wouldn’t let us touch it (in fact, they were dying to see what we’d do). We actually think the warm wood color works really well with the cool tones on the walls and in the bedding (while bringing out the honey tones in the curtains, the jute rug, and the gold leaves in the duvet). Plus as you can see from this shot…
… the rustic wide plank floors in the bedroom need more than just a little work (they’re discolored, stained, and splintering in a number of places). So we plan to refinish them in a darker mocha tone, along with the rest of the hardwoods in the house for a nice cohesive effect. So that should make the warm wood dresser feel even more special once it doesn’t blend into the floor quite as much. Especially if we have two antique-looking nightstand friends going on the other side of the room in the same warm wood tone (maybe we’ll get to refinish some old dark craigslist/thrift store finds with some lighter stain to get a not-perfect-but-good-enough “match”).
We’re totally charmed by our hand-me-down dresser’s imperfections, and love how they preserve the history of the piece. Maybe we’re being overly nostalgic since this is our first item of inherited “antique” furniture, but there’s something special about knowing the back story. My dad bought it from his cousin back in the ’60s for $100 and has used it ever since. It still boasts a scratch on the front of one of the drawers from when he transported it in his car’s trunk over forty years ago.
We don’t know exactly how old the piece is, but it has a stamp in the back of one of the drawers that says it was made by the “Abernathy Furniture Co” and they appear to have started operations in the 1850’s in Kansas (thanks Google).
After a couple days of using it I realized it possesses some weird auditory memories for me. When I heard Sherry opening and closing the drawers from the other room, the sound of the metal pulls clanging against the wood gave me distinct flashbacks to hearing the same noise coming from down the hall growing up. Weird how sounds can do that to you, right?
The only other “work” it really needed (besides a few screws to secure that broken drawer rail) was some help getting the drawers to slide more easily (each one of them stuck and dragged a little bit). Sherry had heard the old “rub soap on them” tip a few times, so she broke out a bar of Dove that we had leftover from her mom and stepdad’s visit (we use Dr. Bronner’s soap, but she worried “eco soap” might not be the same).
Off she went rubbing the dry bar of soap on each of the rails. Both on the bottom of the drawers…
…and even on the tracks inside the dresser itself, in an attempt to “wax” them so they’d slide more easily without catching.
The verdict on this little trick? It made a noticeable difference, but it didn’t solve things 100%.
For being a totally free solution, we’re happy we gave it a try. But if you guys have any other suggestions for helping this baby slide a bit better, please share ’em. We’re thinking we might try wax or something.
As for what’s on the dresser, the big white lacquered box is a charging station that we got at Pottery Barn Outlet a while back (as seen in this road trip video), the ceramic egg crate is full of Sherry’s jewelry, the table fan is for the summer, the two white bowls are full of Sherry’s bracelets/necklaces/glasses, and the three frames are pics that Sherry and I snapped on each of our wedding anniversaries. And yes, there’s a ceramic animal friend worked in there too thanks to my weird wife (a bronze ceramic pig that she found at HomeGoods for $6 a few weeks ago). I actually think the dark bronze twist is kind of cool, but don’t tell her I said that or it’ll feed her strange addiction.
Now for the bigger picture. Here are some more bedroom photos, just so you can see how the new dresser plays with the other things in the room (which is most definitely still “in progress” and in need of some art, a nice long bench, a big white built-in or cabinet to the left of the bed to balance the door, those aforementioned leggy honey-colored night stands, and maybe even some new table lamps among other things).
Should be a good time (or not, depending on what we find and how many places we have to go- haha, there’s the husband perspective on shopping). In the end, as exciting as resolving our dresser dilemma is – one of the best parts is that we’re finally able to move some of our clothes out of piles in the closet and into proper storage (four full drawers of it). Which means after 3+ months of living here with mountains of shirts and pajamas on the floor of the closet thanks to a smaller dresser with one inoperable drawer, we officially have no more excuses for not organizing things. Uh oh.
So that’s our first antique hand-me-down adventure. Or “furniture inheritance experience” if you’re fancy. And I’m not gonna lie. It does feel kind of fancy. The idea that we own something older than my dad is, in the words of Miley Cyrus, “pretty cool” (anyone else watching SNL lately?). Even if it’s a little beat up and didn’t come from an auction house. Have you guys ever gotten something especially awesome or particularly sentimental handed down from a family member? Anyone run into the moral dilemma of whether or not to make changes to it? We got lucky in this instance (since my mom and dad were more eager to refinish it than we were) but we know that might not always be the case. Sticky.
Pssst- Wanna see how we completely refinished an old craigslist dresser with stain and paint for Clara’s nursery? Click here.
Brittany says
Congrats on the free dresser, and I especially LOVE the dresser that you made for Clara back in the day :) By the way…it is too funny that you mentioned Miley Cyrus and “pretty cool” because this weekend my sister has some sort of cold going on so her voice sounded exactly like Miley Cyrus and we made her say “and that’s pretty cool!!!” She had no idea what we were talking about, but my husband and I got a great laugh out of it.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, love it so much. Wish we were there.
xo,
s
Erin C. says
Ooh that dresser looks beautiful there! I’m jealous-I wish my parents had some cool hand-me-down furniture I could claim. My mom actually is giving my a couple of oriental rugs though for our living and dining rooms, so I’m pretty happy about that.
debbie c says
Love the look of the dresser and glad to see it won’t be painted. Like the contrast of it with the white bed. Are you thinking of adding a mirror over it?
YoungHouseLove says
We’re actually thinking of bringing in some art for above the dresser and the chair (since we have a mirror over the sink, which is on the same wall, we don’t want it to be too mirror heavy).
xo,
s
Ali says
I love the new dresser! So fun that it was exactly what you wanted for such a great price = FREE! Love that when it happens!
Your house is really becoming a home!
~ Ali
Kaylee says
Looks great!!!
We had about that same orangey weird color on our floors too and refinished them darker (in minwax’s Jacobean to be exact) and we LOOOOVE them! Here’s our post showing the before and afters http://bluemittengreenhouse.blogspot.com/2011/02/ptl-for-hardwood-floor.html
Can’t wait to see y’alls!
YoungHouseLove says
Wow- gorgeous! That looks like the perfect color!
xo,
s
Laura says
I just have to say I love the creativity, thoughtfulness and thriftiness of your home decor. I am inspired every time I check out your website.
Elizabeth U says
Hot glue! Put a line of hot glue on the wooden runner on the undersides of the drawer and the edges, it’ll glide across the base now without sticking 100%.
YoungHouseLove says
Never heard of that one!
xo,
s
liz @ btb says
I have auditory memories all. the. time. I thought I was the only one. I’m glad y’all arent painting it just yet. I was on the search for a 2nd (or 3rd or 4th) hand dresser for our entryway. We originally had an Ikea 2×2 expedit that just wasn’t working well for us. And then I found this bad boy (girl? she’s got good legs) at a thrift store for $43!
http://bontempsbeignet.blogspot.com/2011/01/every-woman-should-have-good-piece-of.html
YoungHouseLove says
Love it! What amazing curves!
xo,
s
annabelvita says
I love the look of this dresser in this room. It fits that space so well!
I have tons of hand me downs – including stuff from my mum’s childhood bedroom in a big old vicarage and stuff that was her mother’s. My favourite piece is a big old trunk.
Anything old or precious I leave as is (although luckily I have some nice bits that have already been painted).
For the smoothness of your drawers, I’m adding my recommendation to the candle wax rubbing trick. And maybe a tiny bit of sanding.
Maggie says
hey guys!
love the dresser but also wanted to ask if you knew that you were mentioned in the March issues of Babytalk magazine? Page 57 in the “Meet the New At-Home Mom” article. congrats! (found the mag for free in the mother’s room at Babies-R-Us) :)
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much for the heads up! We’ll have to check it out!
xo,
s
Danielle @ The Sunshine Girl says
You should have seen my face when I scrolled down and saw the new dresser. My jaw literally dropped and I just about had to pick it up off of my desk. That is GORGEOUS! Why can’t someone give me one! Love it. It looks great! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Isn’t it so funny that John’s parents didn’t want it? His mom even admitted that she never liked it!
xo,
s
Danielle @ The Sunshine Girl says
That’s just crazy to me. I wish my relatives didn’t like their furniture! LOL
Lori says
“The Miley Cyrus Show” has definitely made it into the vernacular at our house. My husband and I constantly find ourselves singing the theme song, and walking around saying “It’s like, pretty cool and stuff.”
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, us too. Sometimes I’ll sing “I’ve got guests, and a show, and we’re ready to goooo” as we hop into the car to go somewhere. Nerdy! But hilarious.
xo,
s
Melissa S says
I just recently inherited my Grandmother’s Dining Room Set. I am not particularly close with her but I am still excited to have something that has been in my family for such a long time (It was also her mothers). It is a buffet, table, chairs, and a china cabinet. It is a very dark wood. I have to admit it is in great shape for the amount of times it has been moved, but with any older furniture it needs some TLC. My fiance and I are still in an apartment so it is currently sitting in my parents basement, but I can not wait to get my hands on it. I am a little nervous though about doing anyting to it. As you said, it could become a very sticky situation. Sure it belongs to me now but will my family be upset if I make changes to it or paint it? You are lucky your parents were okay with you doing what you wanted with the piece. It is a beautiful piece too!
Gavin says
When I moved into my first place a few years ago, my parents were great about helping me fill it up with family-collected antiques. My dad’s a museum curator so there are lots of beautiful early-American pieces in the bunch. My favorite thing, though, is my grandmother’s old kitchen table. It’s honey-colored with turned legs (much like your dresser), but is fairly simple other than that. One one of the leaves, though, there are two drips of pink nail polish. My grandma used to always paint her nails while sitting at the kitchen table and chatting with the maid (it was Louisiana in the 50s…). My dad offered to remove the spots, but I said no thanks. They’re my favorite part!
Keep up the great work. I love that y’all are mixing old and new and showing even more of who you are! Thanks for always keeping us in the loop.
Kate B says
Abernathy Furniture was in Leavenworth (my hometown)! I see the building every day as I drive to work- Leavenworth is all about preserving historical buildings.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s awesome! What a small world.
xo,
s
Sal says
So…you didn’t name the dresser? Why?
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, how about January? She feels leggy and vintage-inspired like January Jones on Mad Men.
xo,
s
Lindsay says
I recently purchased a dresser on craigslist and the woman I bought it from suggested car wax to help it slide…I haven’t tried it yet, but definitely will.
We have inherited two beautiful antiques. A dining room talbe and a china cabinet. Love them both. I would love to paint the china cabinet, but I think my soon to be mother in law might kill me if I do…
Natalie says
Antique is generally considered something 100 years or older but as vintage and “antique” items become more and more popular the terms seem to be used more and more loosely.
I inherited a dining table that belonged to my great-grandparents (I think it was a wedding gift to them) and was passed down to my grandparents and then my great-uncle and then my parents and then me. I should mention that my great-uncle used it as a sawhorse in his latter (crazier) years so it’s definitely farmhouse chic but I love it!
Rachel says
LOVE that dresser. Wish I could find one about half that size for my front entry.
We have several “inherited pieces” but my favorite is the antique iron bed from when I was a little girl. My mom got it at a flea market and had it sandblasted and then my dad painted it white. I was just six when I started sleeping in it – it’s a full-size and it felt huge! Now, the bed is the focal point of our guest bedroom.
We were recently given another piece, a small cabinet made by friends of my parents, with strict instructions not to paint it. The finish is worn where glasses were set on the top. Do you think some Old English would be enough to spiff it up?
YoungHouseLove says
Sure! Definitely read the directions first to be sure. Or maybe try Murphy’s Oil Soap? My bff used that on her kitchen cabinets and they look amazing!
xo,
s
Kristin says
I had that problem too with a teak dresser I got from my grandmother. Happy days when I saw this site: http://www.finishing.com/85/75.shtml
The tip with the dry tea towel and an iron set on medium. It says to go over area a few times, but it required about 20 minutes (in short bursts for me). I really works! Even I can’t tell where the marks were :)
YoungHouseLove says
Love it! Thanks so much for sharing!
xo,
s
Jen says
Don’t you love it when a plan comes together? I’m so happy for you & this inherited piece for your bedroom. The wood stain really could not look any more perfect with your floors and your wall color. Beautiful! Good luck with the waxing.
Happy Creating!
Jen @ Bella Grace Home
Christina says
I completely know what sound you are talking about. My parents had a similiar dresser. I can still here that sound of the ring hitting the drawer in my head. Ahhh memories! And, yes in the words of Miley “that’s pretty cool!”
Corinne says
If you have wax paper around, try using that on the drawers. It’ll give the rails just enough of a slick coating to make the drawers move easier, but they won’t come flying out all the way like using regular wax would do. Also works great on the bars for hanging clothes in a closet!
I’ve inherited some interesting furniture over the years. My grandma gave me my aunt’s old black and gold Oriental-themed dresser, trunk, AND table along with a lamp and painting that were purchased to go with the whole room. She also gave me a really stinky, water-logged desk and a hideous brass daybed. My grandma, sadly, is a hoarder, and didn’t tell me until after she arrived that the desk had been thoroughly soaked through after the wall it was against in the basement collapsed. It’s salvageable, but a little smelly! I would love to spray paint the day bed as it’s old and tarnished and the finials look like bad Christmas ornaments, but I know that my grandma will freak out if I do that. She keeps everything because of the memories, and that bed apparently has some serious ones attached to it!
YoungHouseLove says
Another suggestion I’ve never heard! Love it!
xo,
s
Amy says
I love your new dresser..but ion a totally unrelated (well kinda related) side note, I thought I’d let you know that Emily Henderson used your light fixture on her new show Secrets from a Stylist on Saturday. It was in the first layer that she used it, so I am not 100% that it ended up in the final layer but when I saw it I screamed “John and Sherry have that same light fixture!!”…my husband and kids probably thought I was crazy…but I was so excited to see someone else use “your” light fixture.
Amy says
better yet… here is a link to her website and you can see the light fixture in her mood board
http://www.stylebyemilyhenderson.com/
YoungHouseLove says
Yes we saw that episode! And were so glad it stayed, even in the final reveal! There were some high fives over here. Haha.
xo,
s
Christine says
I really love how this dresser works in the room! The color looks amazing with the walls and drapes, and I really like the legs on it as well. I agree with the candle recommendations above- it’s worked well for me in the past. The cheaper candles work better, by the way. I’m not sure why.
Do you two still do mood boards? I have this crazy huge bedroom that I don’t know what to do with! Literally, my master suite is a good 100 sq ft bigger than our previous house. (This is what happens when you move to the midwest from Southern California.) My husband and I don’t quite agree on what we want to do with the room, but we’ll be working on it starting in the next 6 months or so. We just know it needs more furniture and we want it to feel special. I’d love to see what you think!
YoungHouseLove says
I wish I could still do mood boards but there aren’t enough hours in the day. We do have a ton of them that you can check out for ideas in our archives (see that “mood boards” tab up under our header) and you can also try your hand at making your own using polyvore.com or mydeco.com. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Marcy says
I come from a family of well, I wouldn’t say furniture hoarders but we generally don’t let furniture go without seeing if someone else in the family wants/needs it. The rules are more lax when it comes to cheap stuff from Target or Ikea but other pieces really make the rounds. We currently are using a dining room table and buffet which I painted green (table) and white (buffet), that my sister used before me (she painted them black with gold trim), that my parents had used before her (in its original state though no one quite remembers what that is at this point) which they had gotten from my mom’s sister’s in-laws. Did you follow all of that? And now, when we move out of our place, my niece has dibs on it and plans to repaint it black. We think the pieces are from the 40s but we’re not positive.
But better than that is the fact that when we buy a house, we’re inheriting real antiques (as opposed to things that you might be more inclined to say are just hand-me-downs) in the form of a GORGEOUS formal dining room set (table w/ 4 leaves, 6 chairs, buffet and china cabinet). I can’t wait! Oh but we’re not touching it. My mom had the pieces refinished about 15-20 years ago and the refinisher kept having to turn away people who wanted to buy the set.
Kat@Withywindle says
Just lovely!! I love the warm contrast of the piece with your more modern, clean elements.
Please post if you find a better solutions than soap. My husband did this on our wonky old kitchen drawers, and I still have soap bits covering all our utensils. Have to re-wash them everytime – grrr! I would see if you can find a pad of the surfboard wax and give that a shot.(hmm, would they have that in VA?)
I will shortly be inheriting my Great Aunt’s dining room table! It really needs to be refinished, but it’s a large round table with a pedestal (similar to yours, but more honey colored), but it pulls apart in the middle to add in a leaf for a oval table. It will be my labor of love as soon as it’s nice outside!
Jen @ The Decor Scene says
Love the new piece. My grandmother had the same pulls and I completely remember that sound John. I love when a sound brings you back to your childhood….it’s awesome!!!
Definitely try the candle wax. Something you don’t want to use anymore after you are done with it. I used to use candle wax on my jeans or pants zippers that didn’t zipper easy….worked every time. ;)
When you said something about a white built-in to the left of the door, which door? The bathroom door or the bedroom door? If the bathroom door, then where will the chair go? Maybe you are talking about the bump out next to the bed? Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Yup the bump to the left of the bed as you face it. We figure adding a large white cabinet or built-ins there will balance out the big white door that’s always open on the other side of the bed (and create more storage function, etc).
xo,
s
Jen @ The Decor Scene says
Love that idea. Have you seen the post over on http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/2011/03/built-in-beauty.html
They made built-ins for their LR out of Ikea billy bookcases. Love how it came out. You could maybe do something like this in your Bedroom and/or Living Room. Awesome Ikea hack!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Gorgeous! Thanks so much for sharing!
xo,
s
Jen @ The Decor Scene says
Your welcome!
Vivi says
Ever since I was a child I always thought it would be cool to have a grandfather clock (now that I thought about it, it’s weird that I didn’t dream of owning a designer bag/shoes, but a grandfather clock. hm. )
I had never mentioned it to anyone, but after I got married and moved to our new house, I was surprised to find a grandfather clock right there in the corner of our living room.
It’s a gift from my parents in law. But what makes it very special is that they had received it as a wedding gift from my mom in law’s dad more than forty years ago.
YoungHouseLove says
Wow- that’s amazing!
xo,
s
Tonya says
The bedroom is looking great! I’m a sucker for sentimental keepsakes. My favorites are some mismatched teacups from my paternal grandma who always had a rack holding her collection in her kitchen, an old crock that my maternal grandma used to make saurkraut that now holds my kitchen utensils (she raised 13 kiddos and put up alot of their food), and a beautiful hand-tinted photo of Watkins Glen in New York that my husband’s grandparents bought on their honeymoon. Every time a see these precious items I think of people I dearly love.
Muriel says
WD-40 is what we used at the furniture showroom I interned in during college. Works like a charm! Good luck.
YoungHouseLove says
Never heard of that one either!
xo,
s
Andrea says
WD-40 is not meant to be used on wood (I think)….
Kristin says
WD-40 should be a good suggestion. I love this saying: “WD-40 and gaffa tape fixes everything! If it moves and shouldn’t, use gaffa tape. If it doesn’t move and should use WD-40.”
Haha.
We haven’t inherited any large furniture, but some smaller items – For example, 6 beautiful 70’s shotglasses I always admired in my grandma’s glass cabinet when I was little (“Grandma, what are these tiny glasses for?”), but I never saw her drinking from them, hehe.
Andrea says
I looked it up and you guys are right… I learn something new everyday! ;) WD-40=Awesome
Jessica Z says
Love the use of the family dresser! My dad refinished one for my baby girl’s nursery, and it is one of my favorite things in there. I think he used beeswax to smooth the drawers. They open and close like buttah! Hope that helps.
Laura says
Sherry-
I see you recently inherited some “memories” from your parents (i.e., boxes of school papers, pictures, etc.)… I’ve gotten a few of those boxes recently as my husband and I are about to move into a new place and my parents are anxious to get them out of their basement! Anyway, thoughts on how to make use of some of these things? I refuse to be a pack-rat when it comes to this stuff, but I like the idea of creatively saving/displaying some fun memories from my childhood…. I’d love to hear what you end up doing with them!
And btw, LOVE this blog! I’ve gotten a ton of ideas from you all for our new townhouse and can’t wait to get to work next month!
Laura
YoungHouseLove says
This post was actually by John, so he’s the one who inherited those items! Luckily he’s as minimalistic as I am so he went through things and said “if my parents don’t want these things I’m not going to keep them all either” and just selected a few favorite items to put in a keepsake box that he has in one of our closets (we each have one so we force ourselves to keep only the items that mean the most instead of shoving thirty boxes of stuff in the closet that we’ll never look at or “honor” in that way). We also plan to frame a few favorite drawings from his childhood in our hallway frame gallery. Should be fun!
xo,
s
Noel says
Hi Laura (& John & Sherry!),
I spent this past weekend going through old childhood stuff. My parents are doing the same thing, and my mother is very willing to pass along the “memories” (in other words, she shows up at my door with boxes and totes). I stored stuff downstairs for a while, but we’re moving soon, so I figured it was time to go through it. I had quite a few “fail” moments, so I’m hoping that something from my adventure might help you!
I started off trying to consolidate everything into one cardboard box. Bad idea. So I got a $2 plastic filer from Target thinking I could use it to at least organize the old pictures. Worse idea! I decided to use the filer for old schoolwork and stuff (which would have worked well if I had less of it), and went back to Target and bought a $5 photo box. In the same aisle, they had file boxes with hanging folders at a decent price (I think it was $13-14), so I decided to try that too. Sure enough, the photo box fit all the pictures (with plenty of room for more), and the filer was perfect for the schoolwork. As an added bonus, when I pushed the folders to one side, I was able to use the other half as a keepsake box, and everything is loads more organized. And I decided to use that cheap plastic filer to organize and store recipes, instead.
As for deciding what to get rid of, what worked for me was to take a day to go through it all and make piles of what to keep, recycle, and toss (I also had a garage sale pile). Keep what is special or meaningful, but get rid of what you don’t really care about. For me, I saved all of my writing (it’s the teacher in me) but recycled all the worksheets and busywork. I also went through my college stuff and dumped anything that didn’t pertain to my career. Oh, and anything that I didn’t want but couldn’t find the guts to throw away I put in a nice small box to send back to Mom to figure out!
I love Sherry’s idea of framing favorite drawings, that’s a great way to display the “special” pieces. You could also make a scrapbook to place on a coffee table, entryway, ect. That’s something I’d like to do at some point in the future.
I hope that helps in some way, and I apologize for the wordy post! Good luck with everything!
YoungHouseLove says
Love it Noel! Thanks so much for chiming in!
xo,
s
Laura says
Sherry- I realized after I posted that it was written by John… sorry about that! I think I need to post your reply on my closet door to force myself to get rid of some of these “memories”… I mean, do I really need the program from my middle school band concert? Probably not.
Noel- thanks for your input. This is REALLY helpful! I’ve been thinking about the scrapbook idea for a while. I think the goal at this point is to widdle down what will go into the scrapbook :-)
Christie says
I love the dresser! It looks perfect in your room. I’m also a fan of familydowns (hand me downs from family). My parents gave my husband and I two amazingly beautiful and curvy cane back chairs that we are going to put in our guest room. At first I felt weird about painting them but after I did it my mom was super impressed with how they looked. Now I have to reupholster them and then they will live in my home just like they did in my childhood home. :)
Colleen P. says
My sons school desk is inherited-my husband used it when he was a kid, and I’m not sure where it came from before that. I’m fairly sure it’s at least 50 years old, the hardware definitely has a midcentury modern feel.
This thing is SO sturdy! Since my husband got it, it has lived in various cities in Ohio, Oklahoma, and Texas, and has also traveled with us to England and back, including one house move there (my husband was in the military for 20 years, and this desk has always been in our home). It needed refinishing before we had our son, and because it became his desk it spent a few embarassed elementary school years covered with stickers, but I think this summer we may give it some love and stain and varnish.
The rest of our furniture has definitely not fared as well, we’ve replaced absolutely everything else except this desk. I really wish I could figure out who made it because I would buy from this company again, without a doubt!
Two Dogs & A House says
I’ve been scouring craigslist looking for an antique dresser I can turn into a buffet/bar type deal for my dining room. I love the look of this! How awesome that it has fallen into your laps!
Lori @ Richmond, BABY! says
The dresser looks great and I love those ring pulls. I’m with you…I wouldn’t do a thing to it.
We inherited our entire master bedroom set from my parents. Believe it or not, the bed is an exact replica of George Washington’s bed (weird I know but it was some colonial furniture company that made it.) Anyway, the bed is really high off the ground (I guess that was the thing to do back then or maybe because George was so tall?)…but being 5’3 I literally have to get a running start to jump into it each night. I am dying to saw off about 3 inches from the bottom posts, but can’t bring myself to do it. My parents (and probably George) would be so heartbroken. I figure I probably a few extra calories with my jumps each night, so for now I will live with it!
Abby C. says
Get a nice wooden stepstool for the side. My parents have a super huge bed like that, and it actually came with matching wooden steps for each side.
Lori @ Richmond, BABY! says
I need to find one! Great idea, thanks Abby!
Jessica says
My parents have had these bedside tables that my mom let me take when I moved into my house two years ago. It was her idea to change their appearance (Read: paint them black) to match my design scheme. Well when I was sanding them and prepping them for spray paint, I discovered a “brand label” of sorts. Written in pencil on the underside of the table top was a note “To: Lloyd and Darlene for their first house. From: Papa” I had no idea that my grandfather had built these tables, and suddenly they were so special to me, and they will be something that I will have forever.
I preserved the little message with a piece of clear acrylic hot glued around the edges, so the sentiment is still there. It is so cool thinking that my grandfather and I both worked on the same tables, each in turn getting them ready for their owners’ first home.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s amazing! Love it.
xo,
s
Sara says
Love the dresser, and I have sensory deja vu from the pulls on my mom’s antique secretary.
I inherited an Eames replica made by plycraft from my grandfather. Since it wasn’t an original Eames and the leather was an awful faded brown, I decided to have it recovered for my daughter’s nursery…..in white leather. It was risky and the only money I spent on the nursery, but it’s awesome. I mixed it with a jenny lind spindle crib to balance modern and traditional. And now it’s my special place for nursing (and sleeping) that I will use with all my kiddos.
Katy B says
I love that dresser! This is a turn I am taking in my home. I could go buy something cheap from a big box store and like it for awhile, then either it will fall apart or be too stylized, and I will get sick of it. I have been spending my hard earned cash on vintage pieces….seems pretty “green” as well.
I remember Martha Stewart using candlesticks to help old stuck drawers. It was a “good thing”.
Please, please don’t stain those floors dark. They are stunning I think in an older home not all the floors have to match. Also, dark wood floors have been in for awhile now. The trend will surely swing back soon. Those floors are amazing and a real standout. It would be sad to make them look like everyone elses. Seriously, is my plea pathetic enough to stop the staining…I sure hope so!
YoungHouseLove says
The floors are actually stained and discolored. See this pic? How there’s just a rectangle of lighter color and then a darker area in front of that? They’re just all sorts of crazy looking in person from certain angles (and very splintered in some areas), so we’re definitely going to refinish them (although we’re not 100% sure we’ll go super dark) just to get them back to their original glory!
xo,
s
Dawn S says
I will soon be picking up my inherited china cabjnet from my Mimi (Dad’s mom). I have so many memories of the glass doors clanging when my cousins and I would jump around on the floors in the living room next to where the cabinet sat in their old house. I can’t break my family’s heart and paint it, but I am considering some wallpaper inside the back panel of a large tone on tone print so that my dishes will really be featured against a fun background!
Hanna says
I love the auditory memory. :)
My dad was a landscaper and drove big diesel trucks with air brakes. Apparently the sound became embedded in my subconscious because when I went to college I would bolt awake every Wednesday at 6am with the bright, hopeful certainty that Papa was dropping by for a surprise visit. Sadly, it was only the garbage truck outside our window. :P
Even now, 20 years later, I still find the deep rumble of a ddiesel comforting. And the smell of WD40. Heh. Messed up.
Elizabeth says
Not sure if someone has suggested it already above, but have you tried switching the drawers on your dressers? I’ve had it happen twice where same-sized drawers swapped spaces and a simple switch back alleviated all wonky-, sticky-, screechy-ness.
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh good suggestion! Didn’t even try that!
xo,
s
Laura says
The dresser is beautiful. Love the circular pulls! I inherited a dining room china cabinet that belonged to my grandparents, passed down to my parents,and then passed down to me. It’s so funny that you mentioned the sound of your dresser pulls bringing back memories. I feel the same way when I open my cabinet drawers, except it’s always the smell of the wood that reminds me of holidays and special occasions with family. Congrats on your new piece! I agree, totally loving the marriage of the traditional lines with your modern pieces! Hooray for hand-me-downs!
Isabel says
I´ll join the “wax! wax!” suggestion. We have a really big dresser the previous owners left in the house, and the huge heavy drawers have worked much-much-MUCH better since we followed my mom´s advice to rub them with creamy wax (the type used to freshen old wood tables and such=
Lindsey says
At first glance, I thought the picture of Sherry holding the bar of soap was actually an egg. I was like, “Oh dear, what amazing thing are they going to show me how to do to their dresser with an egg!!”
Thanks for the unintentional laugh this morning!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I wish we had some magical egg project! That would be hilarious.
xo,
s
Amanda says
I honestly thought it was an egg as well. I was a little worried, then I kept reading. Haha
Sarah says
Most of our wood furniture is used. To give it a little pick-me-up I usually clean it with wood cleaner and extra-fine steal wool. It’s always amazing the gunk that comes off even when the piece looked clean to start with. Then I fill in any scratches or nicks with a stain pen. It works miracles!
laxsupermom says
Love the look of the new to you dresser! Have you tried rubbing a candle on the runners? The wax should help a lot. Can’t wait to see your floors done, that’ll really show off the new dresser and soon to come nightstands. I have plans on sanding our floors and staining them slightly darker sometime after the boys are through the riding on scooters through the house stage of life. We have long winters, and if roller blading or riding scooters in the house will keep them moving, I’m ok with beat up floors.
We received CG’s great aunt’s Dining Room Furniture, and I struggled with whether or not we would change any of it. The seats needed recovering, but I wanted to pick a fabric that both CG’s great aunt would have liked, and that would work in our home. I ended up saving what I could from the needlepointed seats(she did the needlepoint herself,) and framed them up to display over the sideboard.
Your bedroom is really coming along, and I love the bronze pig! I’ve been looking for one just like it. Thanks for sharing.
Andrea says
I like the dresser, but as you said, it blends into the floor right now. It should look great when you guys tackle the floor… ;)
Heather says
I inherited an iron bed that my great grandmother actually died in (she died in the 1940’s). I’m not sure how old it is, but she also had her children in it. 13 total, the last being born in 1925. So this bed is super old, and once I got it through my head that she died on the mattress, not the bed itself, the history buff in me was thrilled to have it. It was black iron, but I had it refinished in white and it’s going to look SO pretty in our pale aqua guest room!
Amy E. says
i’m SO glad you’re not going to refinish the dresser (at least not yet). the color works with your walls SO well!! i love the warmth of that wood tone… just beautiful!