My new TV stand/Media Center

I recently (finally!) got a new couch and chair/ottoman for my living room.  They were a long time coming.  We were using my mom's old loveseat and chair for the past few years.  They did the job, but I just wanted to actually be able to LAY down on the couch if I wanted to.  Since then, I've been on a mission to redecorate the whole room. 

So, I went to a local decorater tag/barn sale and, of course, found tons o' stuff I wanted.  I ended up getting a really good deal on an old dresser and 2 other pieces that I'll write about later.  I knew from the beginning I wanted to turn the dresser into a TV stand.  So, in my true fashion, I had to get started RIGHT AWAY!  Ahhhh, when will I ever learn the art of relaxation and taking my time??

I almost forgot my before shot, so here she is, not the best angle, but hey, it's something...

It's actually in good shape for as old as it is.  It does have a pretty bad paint job though.  Although you can't really tell from this picture, the paint is chipping and peeling.  That pink tinge you see on top is the paint stripper.  Like I said, I "almost" forgot my before pic!  I'm in love with the wood top/painted body look so that is the route I took.  Well, I have to be honest.  Stripping is messy.  Stripping is a pain in the a$$.  OK?  So, as far as I'm willing to go anymore is a nice straight top, not the full thing!  It had several layers of white paint, this is the best I could get with 2 rounds of Citristrip:

The edges came out nicely, but I had to enlist the help of my orbital sander for the top.  It worked great.  It's not perfect though, it has marks and dings and isn't a shiny piece of new looking wood.  But, then again, I don't want it that way anyway, right?!

I painted it Louis Blue in ASCP, heavily distressed it, then topped with clear wax and dark wax.  The very small amount of dark wax I used really gives it an aged look.  A lot of the white came through also, I originally didn't expect that, but it looks like I meant it that way.  One thing I did do purposely was to paint very lightly over the inlay design on the drawers so the white outlines it and gives it a pop.

I didn't put the top two drawers back in to allow a space for the DVD player and the DirecTV receiver.  I originally wanted to cut the drawer tops off, then replace them with a hinge to be able to pull them down and click back in place when the TV wasn't in use, but the drawers are dovetailed and I didn't think that would work.  So, I removed the big piece of wood running down the middle of the inside and opted to not paint in there.  You can see some of the wood, but that adds to the rustic feel, well, at least I think so!  I made holes in the back to allow the cords to go through:

Finally, I had to find knobs or pulls.  The dresser didn't come with any so I couldn't reuse or repaint.  I had always had in my mind that I would put some pretty glass knobs on the drawers.  There is a store downtown where I live that sells bigger sized ones which I thought would be perfect on these big bottom drawers.  When I went there, I came across a basket with a bunch of old pulls.  Would you believe there were only 4 of these in the whole basket?  Would you believe that I only needed 4??  I never have that much luck!  I did pay more for these than I normally would, but I'm not selling this, so I don't need to worry about profit margin, just what I like!  Aren't they just beautiful:

My flash must have been on crack when I took this pic because they really don't look this gold colored.  Look how pale this Louis Blue looks also.  Photography is just not my thing I guess.  They've aged well, so I didn't do anything to them. 

I've decided it's my mission to convince the world that everyone needs a pop of blue to brighten up a room.  It's just so happy. 

We were going to mount the TV on the wall and have this directly below, but I think it looks fine the way it is.  No point in spending more money and drilling more holes in my wall, huh? 

Just look at that dark walnut top.  I'm so pleased. 

The only issue we are having is with the wheels.  I believe it would be a crime against the furniture Gods to take those rustic, pretty, vintagey (now I'm just making up words)wheels off.  My husband wants them off.  Because of the age of this dresser, the drawers are not super easy to open and with the wheels, the dresser does move when yanking at them.  He is afraid that Emma will yank one of the drawers, the dresser will jerk around on the wheels and the TV will fall.  I'm still not sure if it's the TV or Emma he is trying to protect, but whatever.  I suppose it may be a legit complaint.  So, I'm going to try and sand the edges and wax them down in hopes that the drawers will open smoothly and I can keep the wheels.  Any other suggestions if that doesn't work??

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Primitive and Proper

Miss Mustard Seed