I love it too! If it were mine, I would paint it a glossy black, then I'd take some steel wool to those handles to see what's underneath (they look painted). Then I would put a glass vase with white roses on it and tall silver candlesticks!!!

I love the curves, I would have bought it too and found a place for it. Jolly good for you!

Thanks for sharing your vision! The hardware is painted with the same paint. It is an oak cabinet under several layers of paint. The brown paint will have to be scraped off the entire thing cause it is peeling. Shouldn't be too labor intensive as it comes off easily with a fingernail (the big white spot on top drawer is from me running my fingernail over it)

Where would you place it?

I like that style oak bureau. That can go anywhere and hold just about anything! Good storage find! Painted black would be nice too, updated look. Either way, you SCORED!

+1 for painting it glossy black.

My folks had the same serpentine tall dresser in one of their bedrooms. Does the mirror look something like this? Sometimes you'll see them in maple but oak is more common.

Don't count on ME to intervene...lol. I'm right there with ya!

Love the lines of that piece - what are the dimensions?

There are so many ways it could be used and each would influence how you paint/finish it. It could be cute and feminine for a girls room, sophisticated and glossy for a foyer and just about everything in between.

What? intervention? you? It would have been very very bad had you let that wonderful bureau languish on CL.
Painted or stripped, your choice, have fun!! signed, Cleopatra, Queen of Denial'

I like it. Flat black is my vote and sand the hardware back to whatever it was. It could go in an entryway, dinningroom, end of a hallway....it has soooooooooooooo many uses! :0) SCORE!!!!

I think shopping for bargains is the Great American past time.....

Try Ready Strip. The paint will be off in no time with no toxic smell. I can FINAlLY buy it locally, but you can get it online too.

Please share when you get it done. I'd love to see how it turns out.

I want to know where you live, address, names and locations of all these dens of inequity that you seem to frequent regularly... because I think we ALL would agree, that you are WAY OVERDUE for an intervention, and I know the PERFECT solution to your obviously troubled existance. You need to relinguish these "cheap site" "used site" "CL" finds and let your life be less cluttered and less tied up with redoing of this and redoing of that. Think of the children!!! You tote them along with you to witness this questionable behavior? Knowing that this pattern of "behavior" might likely become familiar and repeat with them and then with their children.... Have you no shame woman?

yes, your house is well attended and you have some to die for "neat" things here and there. But what about the children? Do you really think it's all worth it?

Well, I'm glad you asked, Because I think WE can help!!!

Ok, so who's with me and who has a BIG truck? Queen CLEO? I know you are in. Jant, fillagirl, pmartin? I know your all thinking the same thing. So let's get together and "help" a sister in need. Next Thursday is good for me, cant be saturday as that is yard sale day :) and I know someone else needs wednesday's free for their senior discount at the thrifts.

I recommend stripping at least a little of it to see what you've got! Mine is very similar in style, and it's quarter-sawn oak veneer...

Oh that's a beautiful piece, bungalow!

I think I have the same dresser, and i'm in the process of painting it ivory for one of my guest rooms. The shape is so pretty.;o)

OK, I hope you know that I was joking with you right?

Whew.... I was at, well you guessed it the thrift stores this morning. Thank goodness that I can check GW when I am out! I quickly realized that I must prepare for Rjinga and all my other virtual friends who are coming over for the party! Ya, if you guys want to call it an intervention that's fine with me, party sounds like way more fun. I made a list quickly and know that I have enough chairs to seat approx. 50 people comfortably (thank goodness I have an obsession with chairs), have some pretty china tea cups but can get plenty more of where those came from, for those that drink a little wine i have crystal wine glasses (I'll blow the dust off) and many interesting platters to go along with all that yummy food your expecting. Now don't think that your coming here for all fun and games ... you have your work cut out for you. Might even be a little take home for some of you that do really well. For some of you, I might even take you with me when I go on my little treasure hunts.

My DH is making a sign for the end of our driveway that says "HOLIDAY RANCH". That's what he calls my everyday life. HA, if he only knew what it takes to run a household and raise 2 kids. Anyway, back to the party ... Firstly, I'm up here in Canada so if you can figure out which city has the highest rate of crime (or punks stealing cars) your in the right direction. Now I don't live within the city, I live in the country so your truck and trailers will be safe. Please RSVP asap to reserve your seat as I'm almost certain that it will fill up quickly.

BTW, if any of you come across a chunky round wooden coffee table (no glass please) that has potential ... bring it along with you! To date I have been unable to find one!

Thanks and I look forward to the PARTY!

We've got 2 pick up trucks AND a 14' DUMP trailer. Do you know how much STUFF we can haul???

Dusty wine glasses work for me btw. :)

Oh, my, there's a dresser like that on my local CL. I have it saved in my "thinking about it" folder. Might have to pick it up...lol. Beautiful!

I have a small trailer and will be there too so count me in. I'll bring a friend or two with me to help drive and lift anything heavy.
If you are missing the above pictured chest of drawers after the "party" is over, it wasn't me. (eyes rolling back and forth to make sure no one is looking)

Jant: does that mean that I should add you to the guest list? What the heck do you need a "DUMP" truck for? Nothing here to take to the dump or are you like the hillbillies that take grain trucks to auction sales around here to haul home all their new found treasures (my parents did it). lol The wine glasses are already sparkling and ready to be used for the first time (wedding present and we don't drink, nor do we normally serve up any form of alcohol, but for my virtual friends I'll do just about anything!)

Dawn25: It would be moved quickly to my bought list! Just curious how much they are asking for it and is it in the same kind of condition? Mine has a very poor paint job and is missing t3 of the keyholes, although it is chocolate :0)

Pattycakes: I would love to see yours when its finished, please post pics.

Bungalow House: The pattern in the wood of your dresser looks almost identical to what I can see where the drawer sits on mine. Does that mean it is good?

Keep passing along those ideas on how you'd transform it.

pmartin, well now I know why I like you :) My "mum" is Canadian, her family is all over, sister in Newfoundland (where she was born/raised til she met my dad a navy man) I have cousins in and around Tornoto, Halifax and Barrie, I spent my youth traveling every summer to Canada, was the highlight of my year. I was just in Newfoundland this past October although I dont go every year like my mom does.

I vote for sanding / stripping also. I have two similar dressers (that I had stripped) one is oak kind of like bungalow's and the other turned out to be maple, both of which I just put a water-based poly over. I personally prefer the natural wood to paint, but no matter what the dresser has nice lines.

Rjinga, we live quite aways from Newfoundland. Would like to go there one day just to see it but with two little ones our vacations are limited. It seems odd, I don't know why, to hear people from the US coming to Canada. It seems that we are usually going down there to shop! Oh, how I would love to go on a shopping spree! and I would love to go to Sherwin Williams to see their paint. We don't have that up here in my area :0( All these yummy colors you folks talk about are just a dream for me.

My DH is in the military. Served his 20 years and is ready to retire at the ripe age of 40!

I'd vote for stripping that dresser first, even if you do end up painting it. You just HAVE to know what's under the paint first! Plus, nothing looks good with LAYERS of paint on it.

Yes, quarter sawn oak is good, but most of the wood they used back in the day was good. And I'd try to get the hardware bead blasted to get the paint off, or strip that too. I might even consider different handles. Plus, you can buy new keyholes from Lee Valley.

Oh, and I can bring a couple of round coffee tables...:-) actually, they are end tables, the double decker Vilas kind. They're in my excess irresistible furniture storage!

KarinL

Get yourself a heat gun and melt that paint away. Still takes some muscle, but worth it.