I swear it was once a TRYSIL Dresser…

IKEA items used: TRYSIL Dresser

I knew what I wanted, but couldn’t afford the actual Bernhardt piece that I admired…

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Photo: Bernhardt.com

So instead, I decided to make my own version with an Ikea Trysil dresser.

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I started with purchasing some mid-century modern furniture legs on Etsy to get rid of the office vibe of the legs that came with the piece. I then primed the melamine, filled the original hardware holes and painted the outside and top in Benjamin Moore Soot high gloss. Personally, I like to use Fine Paints of Europe base that is matched to a BM color for high gloss painting. I think it looks a lot better when you are using a brush. It is more expensive ($15 a quart?)…but worth it.

trysil makeover-1

For the pearlized fronts, I first painted the fronts in Art Minds Oyster Paint. And then followed with Martha Stewart Crafts paint in Pearl. I painted about 4 coats, all in a half circle swoop with the brush to make it appear like a half shell. This was about $15 in materials.

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The final step was to purchase new hardware from Forge Hardware Studio … another shop I found on Etsy.

And the end result is this!!

trysil makeover-new

P.s. In the close up of the legs, I can see how I didn’t do the best paint job … but I hadn’t noticed it from afar!

~ by Cary Jones of Cary Jones Design