This yellow Drexel dresser makeover was born out of my burning desire to paint something yellow. If you’re a painter, does that happen to you? You see a beautiful color on a wall or door or in home decor and all of a sudden you have the urge to paint that furniture item that’s been patiently waiting in your garage for MONTHS! I call that inspiration.

Like the time I was flipping through the Better Homes & Gardens magazine soaking in all the beautiful blush accents and home decor at like 11:00 at night. I was sooooo tempted to get up and go paint something in blush even though I was reading said magazine to wind down before going to sleep. Inspiration can hit me at odd times. Ha!

Anywho, back to the yellow dresser. I found this dresser at the flea market and I loved it’s lines and details. It was in great shape except for a couple of damaged veneer spots which I patched. But it also had that weird finish of black spotted wood that was so popular back in the day (80’s? 90’s?) You know the one I’m talking about. The furniture is solid and I’m sure the finish was more than acceptable in it’s time, but it’s sooo outdated.

I found the perfect shade of yellow from Heirloom Traditions called Squash. It’s almost a mustard yellow, but with a little more cheer. I was able to paint two coats on this entire dresser (minus the top) with an 8oz jar of paint. Score!

The top needed a little something special in my opinion. I wanted to hide the black spotted outdated finish, but still keep some of the wood grain color (even though this is veneer.) So I used Black Bean, also from Heirloom Traditions to create a black paint wash. I really love how it turned out and when I displayed this piece at a recent trade show EVERYONE was gawking and oooing and aaahhhing at this dresser, especially the top!

I mentioned before that one of the things I love about this piece is the details. Well nothing brings out the details of a piece like a little glazing! Only I used gel wax from Heirloom Traditions on this piece instead of a glaze. The color is called Jet Black. If you have followed me for long you know I am not a fan of traditional furniture wax. You can read all about that HERE.

But this gel wax product is different because it is water based. So it’s kind of like a glaze, only thicker, like a gel. You just apply to your piece and then take a damp cloth and wipe back what you don’t want. I recommend sealing your chalk paint first so you don’t wipe away your paint with the gel wax.

The hardware is original to the piece. I thought it was so cool and unique so I just painted it black to fit the look and I’m so glad I kept it.

One of the top drawers of this dresser has dividers and I think it could serve well in a multitude of functions. in addition to a dresser it would be great as an entryway piece or buffet or TV stand. It’s available for purchase HERE.

Need some inspiration or ideas to help you figure out how to incorporate this cheery yellow into your home decor? Check out my Pinterest board for decorating with yellow HERE.

I would love to know what your favorite thing is about this makeover! Drop me a line in the comments!

For your convenience, here are the products I used on this dresser. These are affiliate links so if you happen to use them to purchase these products I will receive a small referral compensation. Thanks for your support!

Pin this to save it for later! 🙂