New dresser in the foyer

July 06, 2010

Do you have spots in your house that always bug you, and you can’t put your finger on what it is, so you just keep messing with it?

I have a few, but the one that got my attention last week was our foyer. I showed you back on this post how our foyer had started out like this:
Small table foyer redo

With a very large Ballard Designs art print (bought on discount at the outlet, whoohoo!) and our hall table. (Check out this post to see how I later painted over that art!)

I never seemed right, so I took the mirror from the family room instead:
Foyer redo before

And I liked it for awhile, but lately I’ve realized what’s been bugging me really hasn’t been what’s on the wall, it’s what’s below it.

Enter Craigslist. (This is where hearts flutter out of my eyes.) I downloaded the Craigslist app on my phone a few months ago, and would play around with it every once and a while. Last week, I looked up dressers just to see what I would find.

Um, what I found was THREE pieces I thought I may just curl up and die without. What the heck? Why did I have to find three?

I ended up picking one, but after I got home with it, I realized the length of the dresser was really a foot longer than what the the seller told me it was. Meaning it was MASSIVE and there was no way it was fitting in this space. I put it in a different spot (which I love and will show you soon.)

But darn it...that meant I may have to try to get another one I loved.  ;) I decided if the one I wanted was still available a couple days later, it would be “meant to be” and I’d go get it.

Well it was meant. to. be. The piece was still there, waiting for me:



Decorating entryway with dresser

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Awww yeah, it was PERFECT! But of course, then nothing else was right. The skinny lamp that I had on the hall table was lost on there, and I was craving some COLOR against that black.

So I took this vintage lamp I had spray painted last year:

And sprayed it with a green paint I had in my stash. A new drum shade (stolen from another lamp) and I was in love:
green spray painted lamp

I am so into the look of non symmetrical wall displays right now, so I decided to try something similar using what I already had.

I spray painted the frame on some art I’ve had since college:

Then I took some gold Rub n Buff (can you believe I had never used it?) and touched up the raised parts:
rub and buff on raised detail

It was SO easy to use! I love this stuff!

I took an old frame and replaced it with part of an old art print:


The greens in the art match the new lamp color perfectly!

The round mirror was too busy for what I was going for – ideally I’d love one with a big, chunky frame, but because I had bought two pieces of furniture within days, I figured it would be best I didn’t spend any more money. My marriage is important to me.  ;)

So I took a mirror from upstairs and added some Rub n Buff to the detail:
Rub and buff on frame

And I’m pretty happy with the result, especially for only using what I had around the house:
Black painted buffet foyer redo

The piece is actually a buffet, which is exactly what I was looking for in this spot!

I did end distressing it just a tad, just to add some character:
distressed wood dresser

OK, let’s be real here folks. It will get “distressed” around here anyway, so I decided to beat the wear and tear to the punch. :)

I love love LOVE this buffet/dresser/lovely thing!:
Decorating dresser in foyer

I’m still messing around with accessories, and may be on the lookout for different art. But for only spending money on the furniture, I’m pretty happy with it!:
Black second hand dresser foyer

By the way, the buffet was $160 – way more than I wanted to spend, but I could not get it out of my head peeps! It was love at first sight. And the fact that it was still available after a couple days means it was meant to be for us, me and my Craigslist buffet.  ;)

So, my before:
foyer decor before

And my after, thanks to my latest BFF:
Black dresser foyer redo

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Comments

  1. I LOVE that dresser/buffet thingie! It looks amazing. Just like what I'm looking for for my dining room. I love the way you pulled everything together with little pops of color. :) Thanks so much for hosting the party, Sarah!

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  2. I love that buffet! And of course, it should be universally known that if something is still available after we have changed our minds about wanting it, it is a sign that it is all part of God's plan!!
    Now I must go stalk Craigs list for a while..
    Thanks so much for letting us link up! You are the Hostess with the Mostess!!

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  3. I love the buffet!!! It looks great in that space!

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  4. Thanks for the hosting the party! I linked up as quick & easy summer updates... the first one didn't link up with the right url. Sorry!

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  5. oh.my.gosh...LOVE the dresser/buffet! it looks awesome there. i would never have thought to put that in the entry way! amazing! this is my first before and after party! woohoo, finally getting some things done!

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  6. As a connoisseur of all things "quotes", (and yes, I had to look up how to spell "connoisseur") I would like to inform you that this is the best quote I've heard in weeks:

    "I figured it would be best I didn’t spend any more money. My marriage is important to me."

    And I shall try to implement it into my thoughts and actions this month. Because, let's be honest, I can only curb spending for about that long.

    (I would also like to admit that Craig's List scares my pants right off. And that I'm scared of who else it's scaring the pants off. And how I'm petrified that pantsless person might show up to buy my lamp. Creepy.)

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  7. YAY Craigslist!!! I have an item I would love to link up . . . but alas it is only in the before stage!! LOL Now I am going to see if I can get it to an "after" by the 13th.

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  8. LOVE the sideboard! I don't think $160 was an unreasonable price by any means... how perfect is that piece?! You did a great job with the lamp, placemant of the wall decor and especially the placement of the picture of your special guys. Sarah, you need to pat youself on the back.

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  9. Beautiful buffet! Great price too. Ironically I am having my first Craigs List deal tomorrow night... hoping the buyer is not a crazy person. ;)

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  10. The buffet is gorgeous! It has such presence in that space. I also love what you did with the art work, mirror and other accessories. I am a matchy-matchy person but this looks incredible. You are opening my eyes to a whole new way of decorating.

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  11. I love it! the whole look that is. It has a ton of personality. Craigslist is not so good where i live, Kijiji is my BFF

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  12. It does look fantastic! It fills up the space much better and the pop of green is lovely and refreshing. Good find Sarah!

    I joined your party as well. I hope you don't mind I'm showing the new *me* after losing 48 pounds and a new haircut. Thanks for hosting! ~Melissa :)

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  13. Lucky that I don't live anywhere near you because I would have snatched that up fast! I've been searching for something for my entry area and this would have worked great!

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  14. wow - good choice! I thought your before looked great but the after is fab!! I love your artwork grouping and the green lamp really adds some modern pop! : )

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  15. That buffet is supah-great! Craigslist is my pal too :)

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  16. ok, first off, I love, love, love the dresser/buffet! Gorgeous. And the lamp- gorgeous in green... But, more importantly, does the 'bubs' just have the same eyebrows as the 'hubs' or what? That picture is PRICELESS!!! oh my goodness, what an adorable picture! too cute.

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  17. I love Craigslist in my area. Never had any weirdos or problems. And people are unloading some GREAT stuff sometimes. I can't tell you how many times someone has come in my house and said, "I LOVE that! Where did you get it?" and my answer is "Craigslist!" Seriously, most of my furniture has been Craigslisted. I've had good luck selling some stuff on there as well.

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  18. I don't think (don't know!) if we have Craigslist in Australia?! I am obsessed with ebay and get alot of pleasure out of trawling at the flea markets and garage sales.

    I love the white frame with the gold accents on the raised pattern!! I am going to try that myself with some frames that I have in a box to give away to charity

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  19. I found the COOLEST buffet at Home Goods for about the same price many years ago. It's STILL my favorite piece of furniture in the house (other than the baby grand piano from Ebay!) Also, just saw a great chunky mirror at our Home Depot earlier this week for $25...would have bought it myself but I also like being married! I'm still saving up to buy some chunky molding to 'frame' some maps a fellow teacher game me. Sigh...wish money grew on trees!! Ps: I used your comment link to switch my identity to my "other" blog that has more crafty stuff rather than thefamilywoodman blog with the family stuff. And just got my sewing machine back so planning to use your tut for the roman shades SOON!!!

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  20. I love it! I knew you were going to say the table was a bit small for that spot. Something longer works better. The good thing about it being $160 is that it looks like you got to put it right in place with no repainting {just your bit of distressing}. I'd love to find something like this for my dining room.

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  21. love love love craigslist and I love that buffet!! I just grabbed one (not nearly as nice as yours) for $50 and plan to convert it into a double vanity in our master bath!! cannot wait! :) nichole - barillafab4.blogspot.com

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  22. Love the buffet!! Perfect and the mirrors/frames look great! Thanks for hosting! :)

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  23. I am so with you on Craigslist. I would marry it if I could. LOL!

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  24. The buffet and accessories look fantastic, love it!! I am newly addicted to Craigslist but I have yet to actually take the plunge in purchasing haha I'm just addicted to looking. Great find!

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  25. The buffet looks fabulous! Just gives everything a much grander look!

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  26. Oh my goodness, I love, love, LOVE the new buffet table! That area seems much more grown up now :-) Great job!

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  27. I just love the buffet you found. I'm actually a little jealous 'cause I've been looking for a black or dark brown one on Craigslist as well! =) $160 may have been more than you wanted to spend, but a piece (not as sturdy or nice) at Walmart would cost you almost double that. Seriously $299 is what I'm looking to pay now that I can't find anything! You've given me determination to keep looking though! =)

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  28. Love the dresser in that space...it does fill up the wall more than the smaller table and balances things out.

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  29. Oh I have been so scared to buy anything off of Craigslist. But I just might have to after seeing this beauty

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  30. i DO remember when you said it gave you the heebies! glad you're using it for such good! it all looks great.
    thanks again for hosting the party. i'll say it: it drives crazy traffic to little known blogs which may not otherwise be read. and, it's great to get inspiration from all the others who share. thanks sarah!

    ~ana

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  31. that whole space looks fantastic. you could see that you definitely needed something bigger. it works perfectly. i love that dresser! i recently bought a little hall table, and it is exactly what i needed for my space. isn't it great when something comes together?

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  32. When a piece of furniture speaks to you it's a total 'must have'. I don't think you overpaid for the piece at all. AND, buffets are always a good choice as far as I am concerned because they offer good display space on top and great storage below.

    I LOVE this piece!!

    Di

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  33. Love the new piece! Thanks for hosting another fun linky party!! :)

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  34. I don't know what makes me love you more:

    that you've finally converted to Craigslist (the way I have to fund all my projects)

    OR

    that you've come to the dark side of the asymmetrical...asymmetricallity? Asymmetricalness?

    Not as easy and no-fail, but certainly more fun.

    p.s Love the curves on your new lady buffet. Hubba hubba.

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  35. Bub looks just like you in that picture!! Too cute! Oh, and I LOVE the buffet.

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  36. Did you just say "craigslist app"? Oh my. That was something I could have gone without knowing...

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  37. Love the buffet, love Craigslist. When my daughter got her first apartment I found things for FREE on craigslist for her. I sold a disneyland ticket to a very wary woman one time (can't blame her) but when she saw our porch decorated for Christmas she said "you must be an honest person look at how cute your porch is!" cute porch=honesty -- words to live by. I think you got a great deal and the space looks awesome.

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  38. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  39. Lovely buffet and arrangement! I missed out on some chairs I so should have gotten from Craigslist...seemed too expensive at the time, but they would have been worth it! Guess it wasn't "meant to be."

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  40. The buffet fills up the space beautifully. Love the black color. You picked a winner. The mirror really pairs nicely with it also. And, can I say, I lurve the way you've decorated the top of the buffet. The greenery, books, lamp and picture your two guys is perfect. Great job! Keep up the good work :)

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  41. I love the look! I want a buffet so badly, we will have to wait for our "farm house" because we don't have the room here...sigh. Being patient is an ongoing lesson for me! :)

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  42. Ok, I went to a friends house for 4th of July and she is the Craig's List queen!!! She will buy a chandi and put it up see something better a year later, sell it on Craig's list and buy another and make money!!! Anyway I have needed a piece like THE ONE YOU FOUND!!! and I looked for hours last night and found, nothin, I mean nothin!!! except some cool shelves like I saw on funky junks blog and I'm like you thinking, does that mean I suppose to have these??? I love what you did, the table was too small for the space, muy better!!!

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  43. I haven't visited your party before, so I'm linking up. You have a really good eye for the furniture and vignettes and the green lamp is gorgeous. Of course, I am jealous of all your stuff! Lovely accessories and furniture!

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  44. It's gorgeous. I love it. I just discovered Craigslist last week, I was almost addicted. What else is new?

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  45. I like the buffet, really I do, but what I like more is that it is holding a mouse sander and tools. P.S. craiglist is an enabler for any addiction one might have, like old enamel dishes, hypothetically.

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  46. Love, love, love what you did with the space. A job well done!

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  47. I love your new sideboard/buffet. We have a vintage one I'm dying to paint. You've got me excited about the idea then. Then it will be my turn to transform. Can't wait! I love the green accents on the lamp and the new frames. It looks much more to scale now. I think the large art and mirror you had before was a bit too large for the console below it. Great job! :)

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  48. I LOVE the changes!!!! That dresser is BEAUTIFUL! Craig's List is my BFF too. Well, it would be if I had more money! There's this beautiful buffet I want and has been on there for awhile at just $55. I know that sounds so cheap but I don't have a job. :( I'm still tempted. I love the color on the lamp - what is it?

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  49. Looks great! I love the new dresser! But if I were you I would spray paint the middle frame white ... I think it would look more cohesive and pretty that way. :)

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  50. Ack! I dunno how I missed that you were doing a CL party! Right up my alley (Practically everything in my house came from CL!) I'm getting a post together so I can join in!

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  51. Fantastic, thank you for the inspiration! I am now going to check out my local Craigslist.

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  52. LOVE LOVE LOVE what you did!

    I just chose you for an award check it out here:

    http://kristensjunkdrawer.blogspot.com/2010/07/i-received-award.html

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  53. the buffet looks perfect on your foyer. wish i have a big SUV or truck to pick up something like this from craigslist. i'm addicted to craigslist ever since i got a house!

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  54. From one interior designer to another, you did such a great job! You always do! I love your blog and your personality! Looking forward to more great posts!

    LauraNicoleDesign.blogspot.com

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  55. Fantastic redo, I really like the new piece of furniture.

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  56. It looks so pretty!!! I have only used Craigslist to sell things, but I am definitely going to keep my eye out from now on. TFS!

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  57. I tried out the flag cake and it turned out really well! Thanks for posting about it- had a great time with it!
    It's on my blog www.samanthajane0208.blogspot.com
    if you want to look!

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  58. I love the white frames! And thanks for the info on the "Rub 'n' Buff" - I hadn't heard of it before, and I love that shabby chic look.

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  59. I love it and I know you're going to love all the hidden storage! The green lamp fits in perfectly too. It looks like a pretty big space, one that can handle a bigger piece than you originally had. Glad your love was still available.

    What did you do with the first one you bought that was too big? Did the seller take it back?

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  60. LOVE what you did with the buffet! And the art/mirror arrangment! Thanks for sharing, now to post my before and after.

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  61. Your new entryway looks great! Love the new buffet piece! Isn't it crazy how you can walk past something for years and then take one look and you just have to redo it?

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  62. I love it, I have been looking for one just like that since umm December on something like craigs list. Ahh I'm soo jealous, but I don't know if I could have paid $160, since I want to paint it. I LOVE black, but my house is in major need of color!Anyway Absolutly LOVE it! Oh and we just finished a room using your bored and battan instructions, i will have to link it another day though :) LOVE!

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  63. That piece has just the right heft to anchor your hall and be a showpiece. Excellent job!

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  64. Love it!! I just did the same thing with a french provincial style off of CL...so cute! I would love to know the name of your green paint on the lamp...looks perfect!

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  65. That Rub 'n Buff stuff may just have to go on my "tools I still need" list, right under the brayer and the Cricut Expression. :)

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  66. Love the buffet- Just getting my feet wet with Craigslist as well. Love it.

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  67. Wow. That buffet is beautiful. It really does add so much to that space! What a difference! It was definitely meant. to. be! I love the paint color for the lamp too -- the pop of color is great!

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  68. I adore Craigslist -- and here's a hint if you want to sell something; you can arrange to meet the buyer at a neutral, convenient spot like a parking lot, preferably outside the local police precinct. :-)

    We've done that, both buying and selling, and it's worked well.

    The buffet is fabulous. I've bought 3 buffets in 2 years on Craigslist, love them all.

    Your foyer looks lovely, and welcoming. Mine is poopy, so I need to take inspiration and go check out Craigslist on this lovely rainy (finally!) day.
    Best... Cass

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  69. Can you explain how your painted the buffet? Did you spray paint it or brush it on?
    Thank you.

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  70. I recently found your blog, I think through The Lettered Cottage? Anyway, I'm just realizing you are local (to me anyway :) -- how cool! I just happened to see you on Indy Style (I know one of the hosts from HS). Love your blog and all your ideas! Your home is beautiful! :) I totally recognize your CL find... I think the same seller has similar pieces up frequently, and they are always painted black. I always wonder if they redo the pieces or build them or what?? But they're gorgeous, whatever they do to them! LOL :)

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  71. Oh, I LOVE this piece! It looks great!

    Question... What are some "key words" that you use to search Craigslist?

    I usually do... sideboard, buffet, hutch, and dresser, but am I missing some good ones? What about all the cute little tables, stools, and chairs?

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  72. what a change I love it! I have used CL a ton this last year saves money and keeps me busy with projects.

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