The dresser

So, now that we've moved our bedroom to the open loft area, we have the little adjoining room left in the front of the house pretty much empty, suffering from somewhat of an identity crisis. I figured we needed a focal piece in there, some sort of dresser or credenza, and I was leaning toward something with a mid-century modern vibe, like the one on the picture above (via Apartment Therapy).

So, off I went to the Goodwill and Salvation Army with that image in mind. But, after a few days of fruitless searching, I turned up empty-handed. So I decided to visit this little shop in my neighborhood called Shinola.... It's a great spot - just the right combination of antiques and junk, all towering precariously in piles that go up to the ceiling so as to overwhelm the most focused shopper. I love it.

I looked around for a little while, opening drawers, lifting statuettes, peering into vases... And then, amidst all the chaos, I spotted it, lovely and serene, a little bit on the serious side compared to its more ornate neighbors...and what can I say, friends, but that it was love at first sight?


It's clearly not as mod as the dresser I had in mind, but I actually like it better. It has these deco lines that sort of speak to the house's age, which I like. I love its rolled detail on the top,


and the curve at the bottom, and its little wheels (that work perfectly!):


Part of me wants to leave it just as it is, but another part of me wants to, oh I don't know... wallpaper the face of the drawers? Maybe. Barb Blair at knack studios does that all the time, with beautiful results:














And this all would fit nicely with the wallpaper fantasies I've been having (see here), without having to commit to an entire wall ...but the thing is, will I tire of it too? (Just like I might tire of it on a wall?) Maybe I'll just wallpaper the inside of the drawers, like so:

(The image above comes courtesy of Liz Carney of sticks and bricks; she does some pretty amazing work as well...I mean, the carvings? Just beautiful.) But back to the issue at hand...

Maybe I could just find some really big chunky vintage glass knobs (that would be a very non-committal choice, since I could swap them back and forth as I wanted), like these on this dresser from Chicago Home and Garden via Apartment Therapy:

...or I could just leave the dresser as is, since I do love its lines - why mess with something that's perfectly beautiful as it is? As usual, I'll sit on it for a while and see... I'll keep you posted!