A solid-wood dresser from a second-hand shop is one of the best-value pieces you can buy. With a little patience it can look entirely new.
Prep is everything
Clean with sugar soap, sand lightly, then use a bonding primer before two thin coats of paint. Swap the handles last — it is the detail that changes everything.
“A room should breathe. Give every object enough air to be seen.”
Keep it personal
- Choose one piece you love and build around it.
- Repeat a colour at least three times across the room.
- Add slowly — live with a change for a week before the next.
The best rooms are rarely finished in a weekend. Notice what you reach for, move pieces between rooms and let the space grow with you.
