I love patchwork wood projects like this dresser makeover from Jonnie Anderson, whom you may remember from his lovely studio renovation a couple years ago. The weathered wood and pastel tones give the piece a wonderfully beachy, summertime vibe. I’ve never been lucky enough to find salvaged wood in such beautiful colors, but if I do, I’m definitely going to follow Jonnie’s lead. The vertically striped drawers look amazing, and I think he was wise to place it outside — while a big piece like this might overwhelm a room, it makes a beautiful statement outdoors. Nice work, Jonnie! — Kate
Time: 4–6 hours
Cost: $5 for supplies (wood was on hand)
Basic Steps: I collected a bunch of scrap wood already in narrow strips and with varying degrees of paint already on them (and peeling off), then just cut them to length on the mitre saw. I attached them to the vintage dresser with a brad nailer (pneumatic nailer) on the fronts of the drawers and the top of the dresser. Then I used plastic lawn bags to line the drawers so planting flowers in them would not rot out the insides. I just used a stapler to attach the bags.
You can’t really go wrong on a reclaimed wood piece. The beauty of it is that it’s not “perfect.” If I’d needed the drawers to all close, I’d have had to be more precise with the way I cut each slat, but because I knew the drawers would be left open, I knew they didn’t need to be precise. — Jonnie