Painted Dresser Makeover Ideas
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Looking to refresh your home decor? A painted dresser might be just the thing! Whether you’re transforming a piece for your own space or refinishing furniture to sell, dressers are a versatile and popular choice—they’re my best sellers for a reason! And they’re not just for bedrooms—use them to add storage and a pop of color to living rooms, offices, mudrooms, or even dining rooms. Below, I’m sharing some of my favorite dresser makeovers to inspire your next project.
1. MCM Lowboy Dresser
Talk about a glow-up! This MCM Kent Coffey nine-drawer dresser had some significant veneer damage on the top and drawers. Pairing the natural wood base with a beautiful dark neutral, Fiddle by Firelight by Melange Paints, gave it a whole new life. All the details on this makeover can be found here.
2. Light Blue Lowboy Dresser
This is one of my all-time favorite colors – Traveler Blue by Melange Paints. It is the perfect coastal-inspired color that adds a touch of elegance to any space. And, if you look closely, you can see the bottom of the legs painted in gold to match the original brass hardware.
3. Yellow Hepplewhite Dresser
This is one of my all-time favorite makeovers! Don’t be afraid to go bold – this beautiful yellow tallboy was fun to paint and sold quickly to someone looking to add a pop of color to their navy and white guestroom. Painted in Golden Hour by Melange Paints – hopefully this makeover will inspire you to paint yellow!
4. The Perfect Neutral Dresser
Looking for a classic mid-toned neutral with no undertones? Look no further than the color Stone by Melange Paints. I just love how it brought this vintage dresser back to life!
5. Dated Pine Dresser
I wish I had a better before photo of this one so you could get the full effect of how dated and farmhouse country this knotty pine dresser was. But with some love, paint, and new hardware, she is sleek and modern now! Painted in Silky Blue by Melange Paints, and this makeover is featured in my article on painting pine furniture.
6. Classic White Dresser
To be honest, I don’t paint a lot of white, but when I do, I always love how clean and crisp it looks. Add the contrasting black hardware, and it’s a perfect update! Painted in Sonnet White by Melange Paints, it’s a pure white with no undertones.
7. Painted Brown Dresser
When I first heard of someone painting a dresser dark brown I thought that was crazy! I mean, the furniture is already brown, aren’t we looking to do something new? But I tried it and am in love! Painted in Maduro Brown by Melange Paints (a discontinued color), this makeover gives me all the feels.
8. Dark Blue Tallboy
Another beautiful makeover in Silky Blue! I pulled some vintage hardware out of my stash (my hardware hoarding paid off) to complete this classic transformation.
9. Antique Black Dresser
Another pine dresser, but instead of changing the piece’s character, I wanted to highlight it. This makeover is timeless and classic in Jett Black by Melange Paints, with a simple hardware update.
10. Light Blue Campaign Dresser
Any time I see these Campaign-style pieces for a decent price I grab them. They make the best painted furniture makeovers and look good in any color! I especially love this light blue custom mix of Traveler Blue and Sonnet White (both by Melange Paints). More details on this makeover, including how to paint the laminate top, can be found here.
11. Paint Washed Dresser
While this dresser has a raw wood finish, I still had to use paint to get there. This solid maple dresser was stripped, sanded, and paint-washed to achieve this look.
12. Classic Light Green Lowboy
From dark and dated to light and modern! The power of paint is real with this light green dresser makeover! (And new hardware helps too). Painted in Gingko Green by Melange Paints.
13. Vintage Neutral Dresser with Bun Feet
Here’s another dresser where I wanted to highlight those beautiful vintage vibes. A toasted almond neutral called Saturday White by Melange Paints complements the bun feet (which were kept looking natural with a paint wash). Full makeover details can be found here.
14. Dark Green Hepplewhite Dresser
There’s just something about green furniture – it acts like a neutral without being a neutral! This Hepplewhite dresser (can you tell I like this style?) is painted in the color Eventide Green by Melange Paints. Get the rest of the makeover details here.
15. Classic Coastal-Inspired Dresser
Is it blue? Is it green? Well, it depends! This chameleon color, Artemesia Green, can look more blue or green depending on your lighting. It reminds me of sea glass and is simply gorgeous!
16. Paint Dipped Dresser
How fun is this one? Taking this MCM dresser and adding some character with a paint-dipped look. The top is painted in Toile Gray (a discontinued color) by Melange Paints, and the bottom paint-washed with Turtledove by Melange Paints.
17. Paint Dipped Maple Dresser
Here’s another paint dipped dresser, this time on a vintage maple traditional style dresser. The top portion was paint washed with Turtledove and the bottom painted in Devotee, both colors by Melange Paints.
18. Aloe Green Dresser
Again, apologies for the poor before photo. It is hard to see, but this maple dresser had a dated base which was cut to give it a more modern feel. Paired with this beautiful green, Aloe Green by Melange Paints, and some new hardware, this one is ready for its next life.
19. Neutral Kent Coffey Lowboy
This is one of my favorite neutral colors – Mink Brown, by Melange Paints. It is a warm, putty colored brown with just a hint of a purple undertone to it in certain lighting. This color has so much depth to it.
20. Navy Bedroom Dresser Set
I don’t paint sets all that often, but when my client came to me wanting to fix and update this dresser set, I couldn’t say no. We have all seen furniture like this lying around, and may even have some sitting in our garage or basement. Paint and hardware can totally transform it into something worthy of your main living space! Painted in Classic Navy by Melange paints – find the rest of the makeover details here.
21. Floral Appliquéd Dresser
Sometimes a piece needs a little more than a coat of paint. This vintage maple dresser was screaming for something extra, so I added some appliqués made from decor moulds and painted it a soft off white (with just a touch of a green undertone), Anemone Pearl by Melange Paints. Get all of the details on this appliquéd dresser here.
22. Dark Gray Tallboy Dresser
This warm-toned gray dresser is stunning with its stained wood top! And the modern cup pulls complete the look! Painted in Apothecary Gray by Melange Paints.
23. Light Tan Dresser
Last, but certainly not least, is this classic light tan painted dresser. This color, Knapsack Khaki by Melange Paints, has just a touch of a green undertone to it.
Summary
Whether you are looking to update your own home or looking for inspiration in your refinishing business, I hope these painted dresser makeover ideas have inspired you! I’d love to know which is your favorite! Let me know in the comments. And as always, I’m happy to answer any questions you have about painting furniture.
Want some more color ideas?
- Best Green Furniture Makeovers
- Best Blue Furniture Makeovers
- Best Black Furniture Makeovers
- Fall Inspired Furniture Makeovers
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Hi Katy,
I have a vintage dresser similar to the ones you show in (4) and (21). I had a few questions –
1. How do you identify the wood lying beneath?
2. What do you do for the small blackened dings and dents on wood dressers like this – do you fill them in with bondo or wood filler?
3. What do you do for the insides of the dresser once you have all the drawers removed?
4. Last, how do you refresh the insides of the drawers apart from the drawer liners?
Hi Gigi! Happy to try and help 🙂 If you have further questions feel free to reach out via email on the contact me page or just by joining my newsletter and replying to any email I send. But here is a quick response to your questions!
1. I am by no means a wood expert but over time I’ve learned how to spot certain types (often by asking others). In this article 4 is mahogany veneer (you can see if it’s veneer by looking at the back of the top) and 21 is maple I believe (solid, not veneered).
2. My favorite product for this is Bondo glazing and spot putty – it’s thinner than traditional bondo or fillers and works really well for small dings and cracks.
3. The inside I simply clean with dish soap and water and leave it be (if it has a smell there are a few different things I may try
4. It depends! If they are in good shape all I will do is clean them. If needed, I may sand them and/or use a wood conditioner if they are really dry