When I was a kid teen rooms all looked the same…posters yanked from the latest Teen Beat magazine papered the walls. Something was fluorescent colored and if you were lucky you had your own phone complete with your very own phone line. Mine was pink and sat next to my jam box. These days kids actually have decorated rooms that feel way more grown up. Forget a land line they have iPhones and tablets.
My daughter’s room has gone through changes over the years and I can happily say we aren’t officially in the teen years yet, just knocking on the door. As we move forward evolving the look of her room I have tried to guide her into something she can grow into gracefully. This glam nightstand makeover is the perfect example of a piece she can live with for a while.
This month I am joining my DIY furniture girls for a glitz and glam makeover session. Stick around and you are sure to find some fun ways to jazz up your own furniture.
Our makeover subject today was rescued from the side of the road. The top was in bad shape and it was wobbly, but the piece was solid wood. Solid wood is always a good sign when determining if a piece of furniture is worth the effort of a makeover! The carved swirls and flowers paired with teardrop handles instantly brought to mind my daughter’s room. Sweet and delicate but strong and capable all at once, just like her. Perfect for an almost teenage girl’s bedroom.
The top of the nightstand got a good sanding. Often these rough spots look worse than they are and this one buffed out easily to a nice smooth surface. To remedy the wobble problem we added a piece of wood to the bottom where part of the base had broken off. After a good clean this curbside find was good to go!
When painting furniture it’s a good idea to take apart ALL the pieces possible…hinges, knobs, pulls, etc. It’s easier to paint and looks more professional once complete. The dresser got a fresh coat of homemade chalky paint using some leftover grey paint I had on hand. A small brush helped me paint in the grooves of the carved doors. 
The hardware on this piece was one of my favorite things about it, but the color was to dated and dull for a teen room. You don’t have to replace hardware when the color is bad! Simply paint it! This is an insanely easy way to update an old piece of furniture, not to mention cost effective. While the dresser was drying I gave a metallic coat to ALL the hardware pieces, including the hinges. Once the dresser was dry I reassembled it and painted the screws to blend.
Now this almost teen girls has a dresser to grow into and a place to someday store her copies of Seventeen magazine and whatever electronic trend is hot. Until then she has a place to put away the dolls she’s not quite ready to let go of. And that makes my heart smile.
Please be sure to share this almost teen room before you head over and see what my friends glammed up for you…
What a great nightstand for your daughter. It’s totally grown up, but perfect for the dolls, too. And I truly love the hardware refinished in Deco Metallics. I need to try this product. It provides a beautiful finish. Great job, my friend. XOXO Susie from The Chelsea Project
I really love their products. I won a bunch of colors and have used them all over!
WOW! Looks like a totally different piece! Love the storage for the dolls. My daughter has way too many and this would be great for her!
Storage is ALWAYS good!
Another great roadside rescue. Who would have thought that it could look so amazing! Your daughter must love it!
Thanks Lucy – she does and roadside is the best!!!
Wow! What a difference! It is BEAUTIFUL! Nice Job!
Hugs,
Karin
Thank you, it turned out so elegant from the way it looked before 🙂
I super love it!!
Thank you Friend!
Such a huge improvement! You did a beautiful job and it looks great in your daughter’s room.
It definitely looks better 😉
This piece looks so pretty now and I love the metallic finish you gave the hardware. Having storage for a preteen or teen is super important. I loved seeing her American Girl dolls peeping out!
She rarely plays with those dolls anymore, but I love that she can’t let them go just yet!
LOVE this Glam nightstand! I now know what my next project will be!! And I Will pick up some of the American Decor metallics to play with, too!!
Great job, Kim!!
Those metallic have so much potential
Absolutely love it! I actually have the hardware off my front door to redo. I’m going to be painting it with metallic deco art too 🙂 Great job!
I love their metallic line, I bet your hardware will be fabulous!
I would have driven right on by that roadside find, but you weren’t afraid to take a chance on it and it’s good thing…it is gorgeous now!! How perfect that it also has a great storage area! Love the metallic accents. And yes we were so cool with our own landline as well. 😀
Landlines…I mean, our kids have no idea!!! thanks friend!
I haven’t tried the DecoArt Metallics yet but love the way yours looks with it! Awesome color. I’m sure your daughter is loving her grown up nightstand. Especially with the storage, what teen doesn’t love storage?
All girl’s need extra storage right!? Thanks and you will love those metallics
Kim, what a great curbside find! I bet you daughter is thrilled with her new glam nightstand. LOVE the metallic finish but especially the color you used on the teardrop hardware – it’s the pearls on the little black dress! Pinning to share 🙂
The hardware got me too, thanks for sharing Marie!
Love how you described this piece by how it reminded you of your daughter: “Sweet and delicate but strong and capable” It will definitely be perfect to help her slowly transition into her teenage years. 🙂
I think she can use it for a while and thank you Tami, she is a great girl
What a great transformation!! I love the hardware paint and the color of the furniture. What color paint is on the furniture? I thought I read you made your own chalk paint. That is such a pretty color!
thanks, I can’t remember the paint color, I used some old gray I had, and I make it chalk paint by adding plaster of paris!
LOVE this. Did you have to coat the hardware with anything after painting?
no – the metallic paint has a nice finish and it is not a high traffic piece of hardware so it has been fine as is!
Wonderful transformation! Glad to know about the metallic paint. Also wondering about the chalk paint that you mentioned making – what is the proportion of Plaster of Paris to the paint? Do you use regular paint? I’m very interested in trying this…
thanks MArtha – here is the recipe I use, but there are tons of great paints on the market if you don’t want to make your own! Homemade Chalky Paint Recipe Video Tutorial