Modern Cabin “Dixie” Dresser

I wouldn’t have painted this piece if it weren’t for the hacked up top – see photo scroll down below. Knotty pine is one of my favorite looks. It has that cabin feel. An extra bonus is the shape of the drawers. Bombay style is super hot right now. The bottom drawers, with their curves, give it lots of appeal! The hard part is deciding on paint color to highlight her curves.

As Purchased from Thrift Shop
Not sure what happened here but it almost ruins the entire piece. The gouges are so deep that sanding it not an option. Besides, it is impossible to match the color. Painting is the only option to save ol’ Dixie girl.
Wood Filler Fix

A skim coat of wood filler and a good sanding took care of the problem. Also, I removed the ‘picket fence’ railing on the glove box cabinet, just under the mirror. Yuck, so 80’s!
The Color Puzzle: My Thought Process
There are many techniques to choose for highlighting detail and curves. My go to option for highlighting detail is to use a dark glaze topped off with white dry brushing. It is a great choice for antiques but Dixie here isn’t an antique and doesn’t feel like one. So, how to enhance her curves became an easier choice to paint the body darker and the drawers lighter. That way, they would stand out.
Considering The Style of the Piece
She should be flexible for modern color schemes and not tied down into a color category. She’s kind of rustic and robust, not girly. I have this gorgeous blue-gray, kind of stormy sky, color in my inventory but . . . I don’t always get my way. That color just isn’t flexible enough.
Gray is the most flexible color but with so many, what kind of gray would fit? In my inventory I have Seagull Gray, which is very light, but it’s kind of whimpy for Dixie. The drawers would have to be white white to stand out. Seagull is out. Then there’s Rocky Road Gray which is dark but . . . she’s a happy piece that shouldn’t be dark.
That narrows it . . . medium gray with lighter drawers. Willow Gray is a rich medium gray. I love painting with it. But I had made a color choice mistake on the drawers. I had painted the drawers white but there was too much contrast. I repainted them to have less contrast (mixed up a batch of light Willow Gray) and oh did that make a difference!
The center fan feature is enhanced with some hand painting dark and light just enough to say ‘hello lover’ but not scream ‘hey you!”.


Go to my “For Sale” page to check on her availability.