Dresser to Desk...really?


Dresser to desk makeover via Thrifty and Chic
Hey! Hope you all had a great weekend! I couldn’t ask for better weather for our spring street fair on Saturday! So, I’m thanking the universe right now :) but of course it didn’t last long. I’m looking out my window right now to rain and gloom. Oh well, at least my flowers are getting watered!
So, I mentioned that I just finished my mom's office last weekend. I think it turned out beautiful (of course I’m biased though) but one of the most show stopping pieces in it came from this:
Yep. I put a dresser in her office. It’s a dresser from Broyhill made in the 70s. Personally, I'm stunned that this dresser has kept up in decent condition for that long! It did have its bumps and bruises though and a few broken drawers. It was headed to the thrift store when I came in to do her office. I knew I could use it somehow and in someway so I had her keep it. And with a little careful thought and planning, it didn’t stay a dresser for long:
dresser to desk
Can you believe that’s the same thing?! I still can’t and I made it!

Okay, so here’s the process. Of course, in order to make it a desk, I needed to get rid of some drawers. So, I pulled them all out. I knew I wanted to keep the left column of drawers. So, with my jigsaw I took out the framing of the other two columns.


Then, with the three drawers that were going to be kept, I pried off the handles with a hammer and then took my Dremel and cut off the staples that connected the two and of course sanded it:
After painting the base I attached some particle board to the top of the dresser. I countersunk some screws in from the top and into the frame of the dresser below it and filled the wholes with wood filler.
I then added some spindles to the two ends of the overhanging board to better the balance the 'desk'.
Next, I added some molding and baseboards.
Painted the piece. Then took some sandpaper and distressed it a little bit so it wasn't so stark white. I then rubbed some dark walnut stain on the distressed places.
To finish up, I put two coats of polycrylic to the whole thing.

dresser to desk

Okay, so all of that made the outside look fantastic! But what about where I took the framing out???
dresser to desk

Easy. I took some foam board and measured it to size to fit each side. Covered them with fabric, and stapled the little buggers in place.
Just for finishing touches, I added some corbels to the bottom of the overhang….

paint finishing techniques
And put some spiffy new pulls on the drawers. (don't mind the unpainted end of the molding...that was fixed. lol)

Total cost for the desk was roughly $50! It would have been a lot cheaper without the corbels :) But had to do it! lol.
Here’s a before and after::

dresser to desk

This took a lot of patience, but it was totally worth it in the long run!
dresser to desk

94 comments

  1. $50??? Incredible! And it's gorgeous! Fabulous job!

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  2. Absolutely gorgeous! What a transformation!!

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  3. Fantastic job...gives me hope for some of my unfinished projects!

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  4. oh my....this is awesome!!! I never considered that before :)

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  5. omg!! This is simply ammaaazing!!!

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  6. This is really great!! I submitted this entry to the best of the blog world via http://www.centsationalgirl.com/

    Her website is fabulous and so is your project!!!Hope she features you

    Ranin Z
    freshfete.blogspot.com

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  7. This looks fantastic! you did such a great job! Did you happen to paint the bookshelf too?

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  8. this is awesome! I love the idea and it turned out really nice! great job.

    new follower!
    kathryn
    www.thedragonsfairytail.blogspot.com

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  10. what you've created with a 70's dresser is amazing! who would have ever thought of that?! wow!

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  11. Amazing, this will make me rethink some of that yard sale stuff in the future!

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  12. OMGosh! This is pure brilliance! I LOVE it! I so wish I had the mind set to transform one thing into another! Great job! Found you over on Tip Junkie! Can't wait to check out more of your blog. :o)

    Jeana
    inplaceofhercrown.blogspot.com

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  13. That's beyond amazing! I have a dresser like that and have been wondering what I could do with it!

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  14. wow,, that does not even look like that same piece of furniture. Love how you added the overhang in front. Now I wish I hadnt thrown that dresser in the trash.

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  15. Well I'm completely inspired to dismantle a dresser now!! Awesome project - it looks fantastic!

    http://megschmitt-neveradullday.blogspot.com/

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  16. a.ma.zing. i'm in search to do the same thing right now! this is genious!

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  17. beyond inspiring. So happy I found your blog. I'm a new follower, I hope you will as well. I started my blog a little over a month ago. It's all about celebrity fashion from the point of view of an LA stylist. Stop by to see multiple post a day on all the latest celebrity fashion news and check out pictures from the fall/winter preview I attended yesterday in Beverly Hills. xoxo. Would love your support. xoxo

    www.fashboulevard.blogspot.com

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  18. Ingenious! I love the way it turned out!

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  19. Dude. Do you know what an awesome thing you have done here? This is SOOOOOO jaw droppingly AWESOME! I am freaking DYYYYYING right now.

    Love your guts
    Mandi

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  20. This is fabulous! Great job and GREAT vision!

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  21. LOVE it! It looks fantastic! You are seriously creative in a crazy way.

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  22. I am awestruck, you have serious talent!!

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  23. You have a good eye! I didn't see that coming. Very imaginative re-do.

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  24. I saw your post on House of Hepworths and this is a crazy cool transformation, I'm now hooked on your blog! and your newest FOLLOWER :)

    http://itsacowgirlthing.blogspot.com/

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  25. That's amazing! Beautiful job. You made it look so easy!

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  26. You have a great eye for potentia,I would have chucked it a long time ago. Fantastic!!!

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  27. What a visionary you are! This is SUCH an amazing project!

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  28. Now that's a transformation!! It turned out beautifully.
    mickey

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  29. I found this desk through the 'Somewhat Simple' link party. This is truly amazing. I've seen some of your work before but this is over the top, good. I'm a new follower and fan.

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  30. Wow...I'm with everyone else, what a transformation! You should have your own crafty/decor show thingy! Jenny :)

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  31. EXCELLENT JOB!
    Kristy @ 4 the love of WOOD

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  32. So creative and looks incredible! Great Job! CeCe

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  33. This is amazing! You did a wonderful job... and for $50?! Wow! I want one for my home office now!

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  34. This is AWESOME!!! I'm in shock! LOVE IT! I am featuring this at somedaycrafts.blogspot.com with a major shout out about your freakin' amazing blog!

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  35. One of the best transformations ever. Great great job.

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  36. amazing!! I saw this at Someday Crafts and had to click on it! You are inspiring. Now I am thinking of which dresser to get rid of to make me a desk!! :)

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  37. Wow I am loving this desk!! The idea is just amazing!

    I would love to show this lovely off with a link back to this page if it is ok.

    bee blessed
    mary

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  38. i'm am just like..what? this is beyond amazing and clever and awesome and I will be here at your blog for the next...hmmmm maybe 2-3 hours.

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  39. Just found your blog and this GREAT project in which you did a FAB transformation!! I couldn't even believe what it started out as...you ROCK!!

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  40. I have been thinking of doing the same thing but was hesitant to try it.
    Thanks for the great tutorial!
    It turned out beautiful!!!

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  41. This project is amazing! I'm your newest follower and I'm in awe of all of the projects you have! I've been clicking all over your blog this morning :)

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  42. Holy cow! What an incredible transformation. I am impressed with your forethought.

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  43. Holy cow!!! Now that is impressive!

    Found you on Just a Girl :D

    Shelley
    www.westermanfam.blogspot.com

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  44. That is incredibly creative! Love. It.

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  45. Um, WOW. Pure, delicious, awesomeness. I bow before your amazing DIY-ness.

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  46. That is so freakin' cool! Wow I am impressed!

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  47. Love seeing how you took something so ordinary and with your creativity imagined it as it could be with a little bit of elbow grease. This is one fantastic DIY decorating project.

    My best- Diane

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  48. That is unbelievable!! Those dressers are always at Goodwill. Great job!

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  49. Beeeautiful! I find it amazing that you looked at that ugly dresser and saw such potential!!

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  50. This is crazy awesome!! I love everything about it! Great idea!

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  51. that is incredible! I'm shocked!

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  52. OMG! I can do that with an old dresser of mine. Thanks for the idea!

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  53. Are you kidding me?!? That is AWESOME!!! I am SOOOOOO stealing your tutorial! Seriously, that is some creativity! What a gift!!

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  54. I featured this on my blog today

    http://kimboscrafts.blogspot.com/2011/05/shout-outs.html

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  55. I love how someone can sit on the back side of the desk without banging their knees. It turned out beautifully.

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  56. Wow... you are so creative, I love it!

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  57. OMG that is my parents' dresser!!!! Too funny :) It looks much better painted white and converted to a desk-- good job!

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  58. Just when I think there are too many surprises left for making over a dresser, you certainly did surprise! This is great. Love it.

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  59. Alicia, this is just the coolest!!!

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  60. What a great vision you have! Excellent work!
    Liz

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  61. I am in LOVE with this project. I work from home and have been trying to decide on an office desk. I think I just found one. I need to head out and find and ugly old desk now! Thanks!!

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  62. Old drawer can be reinvent and made a new desk. This idea is very creative.

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  63. Stopping by to see this makeover again! I've included it in my roundup of 12 ways to repurpose a dresser.

    http://www.addicted2decorating.com/twelve-ways-to-repurpose-a-dresser-dresser-transformations.html

    Thanks for the inspiration!!

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  64. You are so very talented!!!

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  67. I absolutely love this idea. Makes the mind start rolling on other things I can do with that dresser.

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  68. I LOVE this (and everything else on your blog)!Can you tell me what the tan colored paint on the wall in this room is called? You are amazing!

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  69. It looks amazing! Great job!!
    I am so impressed with these building repurpose projects :)
    Lindsay
    www.craftyladylindsay.blogspot.com

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  70. I found your blog via Roadkill Rescue. Looooooove this makeover!

    ~Aubrey
    Project Lovegood

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  71. Great idea. Do the corbels serve a purpose ? I wouldn't think they'd be needed since you added spindles, and I'm not sure the corbels look right. I'll be watching yard sales for old dressers though !

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    1. ..I was thinking that , also about the corbels. ..looked really nice without them, and if wanted as an embellishment, I would have used a bit larger ones, ( painted same as desk) and placed nearer the end of the desk area. Alicia did a great job on this , despite the corbel thing.

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  72. I love this project! I am featuring it on my site here: http://www.somewhatsimple.com/what-to-do-with-an-old-dresser/
    Thanks for linking the fun inspiration!

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  73. Wow, I went searching for a way to turn my dresser into a desk and not only did I find great instructions for how to do so, but you started with literally the EXACT same dresser I have, so now I know it's 100% possible to get what I want. I'm curious how much this project cost you. I'd like to get a ballpark of what I'm in for if I try to make this a reality.

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  74. Really unique. Wondering though how does the particleboard work as a writing surface,,,,,seems like it might be too rough?

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    1. Incredible transformation Alicia! Your mom must be pretty happy with her new office!

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  75. I just did this for my at home office! I am in love with my new desk!

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  76. I LOVE this (and everything else on your blog)!Can you tell me what the tan colored paint on the wall in this room is called? You are amazing! download mp3 full | ost drakor | Album lagu lengkap

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happy DIYing! Alicia