Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint Dresser Makeover in Marzipan

We’ve been making a lot of progress on our home office which is why we’re excited to share this Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint Dresser Makeover in Marzipan with you today!

Shopping the House

I’m a big believer in moving things around and shopping your house before buying anything new.  It’s a simple way to give your spaces a fresh feel without much effort.  That way, you can save your budget to buy the pieces that will make a big impact when you’re working on room makeovers.

We’ve been steadily using this concept to create changes in our home for years.  I can’t even tell how you much it’s helped free up our budget up. It allows us to buy the things we really want from wall treatments and molding to rugs, lighting and accessories.

Most of the time a fresh coat of paint or stain is really all you need to give new life to an old piece of furniture. That was definitely the case of the dresser we’ve been using in the office as storage for files and craft supplies.

Plans for the Dresser Makeover

This dresser makeover started out like they frequently do, with a thrifted dresser that had pretty lines and plenty of drawers for organization.  I had previously painted it in layers of grays and pure whites. Which at the time, was the perfect combination for my original office.

But once we decided to change the office into a bedroom and the bedroom into an office, I knew the color of the dresser would get lost on the walls which are painted in Valspar’s Bistro White.

Steps for Completing the Dresser Makeover

I love neutrals so I wanted the color to be something that would seamlessly fit with the rest of the office. And also allow me to move the dresser to another room if I ever decided to replace it with something else.  The color also had to complement the huge gray barn door on top too.  Ultimately chose Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint in Marzipan. It’s a neutral that can go dark or light depending on how you seal it.

After I had allowed two coats of milk paint to fully dry, I lightly distressed the dresser with a fine grit sandpaper.

Then I applied one coat of Miss Mustard Seed Hemp Oil with a brush and after about 30 minutes I wiped the excess hemp oil off with a lint free cloth.

As you can see here, the hemp oil gives the Marzipan milk paint a richer color tone.

Repurposing the Dresser Hardware

I’ll probably change out the hardware down the road. Until then, I decided to use a bit of Rub n’ Buff and dark wax to add the feel of aged antique gold to the original hardware.  The back row is the original finish, the middle row is with the Rub n Buff only and the front shows the hardware with the Rub n Buff plus the dark wax.

Adding the Finishing Touches

While I had the dark furniture paste wax out, I decided to highlight the curves of the dresser

and use an art brush to layer a bit of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in French Linen in between some of the curved details.

At this point, I thought I was good to go! I closed the door to my office and let the dresser dry and cure over the weekend.

But Monday morning, I decided the color was a little more khaki than linen.  So, I decided to add a layer of white wax with a brush to the entire dresser. The key to white waxing is to blend, blend, blend! In addition, you can find out how to clean wax brushes with ease here.

Thankfully, the white wax was just enough to lighten up the color from khaki to linen without having to repaint the entire dresser.

The lighter color still goes well with the gray horse barn door

and is so neutral I know I’ll be able to move the dresser into any room of the house without a lot of fuss.

I still need to organize the dresser better for storage. And eventually I’m probably going to replace the horse barn door with a pretty mirror to help reflect more natural light. You may have heard me share before, there is only one window in the room and the sunlight is not always consistent throughout the day.

For now, though, I’m excited about the way we’ve given the old pieces of furniture in the office a fresh feel with just a simple coat of milk paint and wax.  It really feels like things are coming together with the entire makeover now!

Have you guys painted anything with milk paint lately? I’m always curious to know what you really think about the paint.  Until next time, I’ll see you on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.

Many blessings,

CoCo