That was the view from the master bedroom to the master bathroom several months ago. Our bed now lives where this photo was taken from. Besides a few renovation changes – completing the bathroom, adding baseboards, installing interior doors – this half of our bedroom looks much the same as it did then. Empty.
There’s actually a decent chunk of floor space between the end of our bed and the door to the bathroom. Which is great for all the bathroom traffic. {We’re still living with only one full bathroom until we tackle the kid/guest bathroom later this winter.} I’ve been looking for something for the wall just to the right of the bathroom doorway for a while. At first, I thought a tall wardrobe like the ones we have in the mudroom would fit the wall well. But we really don’t need extra storage and once I started visualizing a floor-to-ceiling cabinet in the room, I feared it would be too heavy and tall for the room. Everything else in the room has a low profile.
I then began hunting for a low dresser. Preferably midcentury style. But most of the ones I found were too wide for the narrow wall. Until two weeks ago.
This handsome dresser is the newest addition to our home-loving family. I found him via craigslist. An elderly woman was selling him for $225. I offered $175 and he was mine. HH was out of town and the elderly woman selling him was recovering from a double hip replacement so Layne and his muscles helped me load him up and bring him home. {Looks like Layne’s gymnastics training is finally paying off!}
It’s a vintage Willett {you can read more about Willett furniture here} and I have no idea what it’s worth but I was willing to pay $175 for the quality whether it was vintage or not. It’s a sturdy, heavy piece made of solid cherry in good condition.
The brass handles are my favorite detail. I thought about polishing them up but I’m actually liking the natural patina so I think I’ll leave them as is for now.
I cleaned up the wood with Bona – the same wood cleaner I use on my floors. It brought the dresser back to life.
The petite size is perfect for the little corner across from our bed.
It hides the plumbing access to the shower/bath but can be easily moved if necessary. You know me. I’m always leery of water leaks in the house. It’s my recurring nightmare.
I love how the wood tones pick up on the mirror in the bathroom. I’m such a sucker for room-to-room views and this one does not disappoint.
I’ve yet to figure out what the function of the dresser will be since all of our clothes are in the closet. I want to line the drawers but not sure what else will make it into them. When HH works from home and has conference calls, he retreats to our bedroom to avoid screaming kids. He mentioned it would be nice to have somewhere to sit other than the bed. So maybe I’ll add a table lamp to the top and a side chair to the perpendicular wall so the dresser can be used as a makeshift desk. Obviously, the wall could use some artwork or open shelving. Look at me! Ever since we installed open shelves in the kitchen, I want to put them everywhere.
I’m still considering repainting the bedroom and bathroom. The walls don’t look too bad in these pictures but it was late morning on a sunny day when the northeastern room’s light is at its best. I’ve decided to tackle this room from a new angle. I’ve been surprised to learn that many of my favorite designers choose paint colors last when decorating a room. Up until now, wall color has been one of the first things I consider when decorating a room. I think I’ll try finding an area rug, bedding and ceiling light then go from there. I’ll let you know how it goes.
And you know how everyone says to ‘finish’ your bedroom first so you have an inviting space to crawl to at the end of each day? Well. I’ve totally broken that rule. There is crawling involved at the end of each day but not so much ‘inviting.’
Click here to see who won this week’s Cutting Edge Stencils giveaway!
images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking
budget decor, interior design