What Colour Should I Paint My Dresser?

I was sent a photo of a dresser from a member on the East Coast and she asked me ‘what colour should I paint my dresser?” First of all, I was thrilled that she wanted to recycle and upcycle perfectly good furniture!!!

Question Time:

With just this photo, it was impossible to answer. I needed to know what else was in the room, who used the room and what their likes and dislikes were. I just knew it had to be painted since it clashed with her new colour scheme.

I was also told that she didn’t like pastel colours! They had just painted the walls gray, they needed drapes and they had just put down the new flooring. They also had one matching oak night table to put beside the bed.

This was a guest room for their daughter in her 20’s when she comes to visit so I wanted it to appeal to her as well.

Now Let’s Get Started:

She proceeded to say that these are new the linens. This showed me that she was leaning towards a contemporary but not over-the-top decor. I have never been to her house so I had no idea what her style was. I could see how it’s difficult it was to start when she only had a gray and white colour palette and nothing else.

Where Do I Start?

That’s the million dollar question. This is where everyone usually get’s stumped since they have no inspiration – no jumping off point. In this case, everything is gray and white. She did say that she didn’t want any pastel colours and she loved blues and greens. She didn’t have any artwork and didn’t know where to start so I sent her a few links of artwork to get a sense of what she liked.

Inspiration:

She liked this piece, so I’m going to show you how I coached her on how to pull this room together using my simple design principals that anyone can follow.

Pulling It All Together

1. Choose artwork – colour inspiration.
2. Pull colours in cushions and accessories.
3. Add lots of white to keep the room feeling fresh.
4. Paint the oak night stand white.
5. Add warm gold metals to keep it modern and to warm up the gray.
6. Add a white area rug for more texture and warmth in the cold months.
7. Hang floor to ceiling drapes that are the same colour as the walls to keep the room looking as large as possible. White or coloured drapes would be overpowering in a room this size. Hang them wider than the window to allow in as much light as possible when they are open. This also makes the window look wider.
8. Add some personal accessories in the accent colours to the bedside table for interest.

Back To The Original Question: What Colour Should I Paint My Dresser:

Now that we have a colour palette and ‘feel’ to the room, I can easily give my opinion.

1. I would remove the tall boy and only leave the long dresser since it’s a guest room for her daughter and they don’t need it for storage.
2. Remove the top mirror since it dates the room.
3. Add a thin gold round mirror above the long dresser for an updated look.
4. Add the second gold/white lamp on one end of the dresser. Proper lighting is so important in any room.
5. On the other end, add a tall turquoise glass vase with a low plant in a white pot beside it. It’s always nice to have live plants in a room and interesting objects with different textures to look at. Obviously it’s better if the items have sentimental value to you.
6. Finally, I suggest painting the long dresser in a deep blue that complements the artwork. It could also be painted white, but she said she liked bold rich colours so blue it is! Since it’s only the low dresser, it won’t overpower the room. The night table is white so it’s not too matchy-matchy.
7. Replace the hardware with modern gold ones that match the mirror.
8. Ideally, it would be nice to have a small turquoise chair in the corner for more texture, colour and function.

This is just the basic process that I walk my clients through. It doesn’t matter what your decor style, room size or colour scheme. This process will get you on your way and then you can fill in the remaining pieces depending on budget and how much you want to do.

Rooms come to life, when you incorporate personal items that are meaningful to you. This process just gets you started on the right track.

PLEASE ALWAYS TRY TO RECYCLE, UPCYCLE AND REPURPOSE FURNITURE THAT IS IN GOOD CONDITION. WE CAN ALL MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Feel free to give me any feedback or ask questions.