Giving this vintage vanity a makeover was a project that I put off for a couple of months after I brought it home with me. I debated on how I wanted to give it a new look. It had previously been painted a drab brown color, so I knew that had to go.
In trying to decide between giving it a new paint color or stripping it down to the bare wood and staining it, I weighed the pros and cons of each. Ultimately, I decided to paint it using a color that would go well in our master bedroom. If you’re on team never paint, no doubt you’ll think I made the wrong choice, but I’ve always thought as long as you a love how a piece looks, it’s not the wrong choice.
This vanity is part of a set of bedroom furniture that I recently brought home from my mother’s house. We moved our mother into my oldest sister’s home in April. Sadly, she’s reached a point at which she could no longer live alone. She didn’t want her furniture to be sold, so she encouraged family members to take what we could use. There were no takers for this bedroom set, other than the bed. It consisted of the vanity, a large chest of drawers, and a small night table.
My mother wasn’t the original owner of the set. She purchased it from an estate sell of a distant family member. I did some research on the vanity and found one that was very similar online. It dates to the late 1940s. It has the legs of a mid century modern piece, but the round mirror is found in a lot of late 40s art deco pieces. Here’s how it looked at my mother’s home. With it looking like this, it wasn’t something that anyone else wanted to take home. But, it wasn’t something I could pass up! I just had to decide what to do with it.
I decided to start with the small night table. I used CitriStrip paint and varnish stripping gel to remove the paint. I’ll do a post about using that soon and show you the makeover that the night table got. What I learned from doing that small piece was that I didn’t want to strip the vanity down to bare wood to stain it. That’s how I came to the decision to paint the vanity.
We removed the mirror before transporting the piece to our house.
In this photo, you can see that the previous paint job this piece had wasn’t a very good one.
After removing the hardware, I used my palm sander to smooth away the ridges and the brush lines. I didn’t try to remove the paint, just smooth it out. I cleaned the entire piece with TSP before starting to paint.
The glass shelf can only be removed if you remove the entire back panel of the vanity. That wasn’t going to happen! Before painting, I used painter’s tape to tape the glass surface on the top and bottom of the glass.
Since I knew I was not going to be painting anything else this shade, I didn’t want to buy a lot of extra paint. Most chalky paint comes in at least a quart size can. That was way more than I needed to for this piece. I used Craft Smart Multi-Surface Premium Chalky Acrylic Paint in Deep Peach. It didn’t turn out as deeply peach as I would have liked, but I was happy with it.
Look at these drawer pulls! Apparently the last time this piece was painted, the pulls were not removed. They were covered in brown paint. I used paint stripper to remove the paint and then painted them using the same Krylon Metallic Paint in copper that I used for the bench makeover.
The final step was to apply MinWax clear protective finish.
With the sunshine pouring in from the window, the piece looks more pink than peach, but it does have a peach hue to it.
I paired it with the small folding bench that I recently purchased at Goodwill. The makeover for the bench looks great next to the soft color of the vanity.
This vintage vanity makeover turned out to be a nice addition to our bedroom. It’s a great piece for holding my nail polish and accessories, perfumes, and the triple bar bracelet holder. The drawers are large and who doesn’t need more storage? I always do, so these will be full in no time.
I’m glad that I found a way to update the old piece of furniture from my mother’s house that works with our decor.
A vintage vanity gets a pretty makeover with paint. #furnitureflip #furnituremakeover #vintagefurnituremakeover #chalkpaint Click To TweetPin Me, Please!
Debbee says
Wow, what a nice job you did! LoVe the retro look you created. And, how fabulous this was a piece of your mom’s.
Beverly says
Thanks so much, Debbee! I’m pleased with how it turned out and happy that I could give it new life.
Theresa @ Shoestring Elegance says
Beverly, your vanity turned out absolutely beautiful! I love the coloR you chose Too. So perfectly feminine. Thank you so much for sharing it with us at the TFT party. Happy weekend wishes to you beautiful lady!
Theresa
Beverly says
Thanks so much, Theresa! I’m really happy with how it turned out. Thanks for the party! Hope you have a lovely Sunday.
Marie says
Oh my goodness Beverly, I’m loving the color you wanted this vintage vanity – what a difference! Pinned 🙂
Beverly says
Thanks, Marie! I love the color, too. It was definitely drab before. Thanks so much for pinning!
Laurie says
Beverly, The vanity is gorgeous! I know there is a lot of debate about stain vs paint, but I agree with you. The finish should be something that the owner/user enjoys. I love the soft peach with the copper accent pulls and the stool sets it off nicely. I think you did a wonderful job in giving this piece new life and I hope you enjoy it for years to come! Pinning & Sharing
Beverly says
I wouldn’t paint an antique piece, but anything else is a big yes from me. Thank you, Laurie! I’m enjoying the new look of the vanity along with the stool. Thank you or pinning!
Grammy Dee | Grammy's Grid says
Oh my goodness, I love it! It now looks like retro Hollywood, something a star of the 50s might have in her home or dressing room ♥
Beverly says
Thank you, Dee! I love that description! I’m enjoying having the vanity in our bedroom with its new look.
Angelina says
I love the fun color you chose to paint your vanity! Thanks for sharing with Thursday Favorite Things. We are so happy you joined us! Angelina @ Petite Haus
Beverly says
I’m loving the shade of peach, too. Thank you and thanks for the party, Angelina!
Janet Trieschman says
I am typically not a fan of painted furniture but this color is fantastic!. Thanks for sharing with #CCBG
Beverly says
I’m not a fan of painting antique furniture, but for pieces that are just old, I’m usually fond of painting. Thank you, Janet and thanks for the party.
Karren Haller says
Sorry to hear your mom is not doing as well to be independent. Im glad you have taken ownership of the lowboy vanity, this is amazing and turned out beautiful. I inherited one with a round mirror it had veneer covering. UNFORTUNATELY it was accidently sold in a yard sale (I could not be there) so I lost it, they paid cash so I could not even try and recover it.thank you for sharing on #omhgff this week. I have Pinned to share!!
Have a WONDERFUL weekend!
Beverly says
Thank you, Karren. It’s a difficult situation, but she’s coping with the move pretty well. I appreciate the pin! I was happy that I could give this old piece a new, fresh look. Thanks for the party!
Michelle James says
I wanted to let you know I am featuring this great project at #merrymonday this week. I hope you will check it out when you have a chance and will link up with us again! https://ourcraftymom.com/merry-monday-link-party-213/
Beverly says
Thanks so much, Michelle! I appreciate the feature. Merry Monday is always a great party!
Marissa | Squirrels of a Feather says
You are kIlling me with this! I literally just found one almost exactly the same, but husband is not on board bringing it home…he says it’s too ugly lol! I love everything about it, the shape and the color you picked are awesome! So glad I got to see this…I can live vicariously through you ;_;
Beverly says
This one was pretty ugly, too. That drab brown was horrible, plus the paint job was terrible. Sometimes it’s hard to see the vision when the piece is so ugly! Thank you, Marissa!
Michele says
The vanity came out beautiful! I love that you painted it pink, my favorite color. 😀 Thank you for sharing with us at the Whimsical Wednesdays Link Party!
Beverly says
Thank you. I’m enjoying its new look. Thanks for the party!
Cherie says
Love this peachy DREAM.So pretty. Curious what is the bottom shelf for, have always wonderd. Is it a shelf for your feet or a place to store the original bench? It could be used to put a pretty decorative pillow or You could put some type of hooks and hang some scarves in that area maybe some decorative feminine CANDLESTICKS.
Beverly says
Thank you, Cherie. I think the bottom shelf could have multiple uses. It’s a convenient spot for storage or decorative items. That’s a great idea about adding hooks for scarves.
Mariele says
I love it! THIS IS SO BEAUTIFUL, you did a great job. So inviting! And I fully agree that as long as you love it, stained or painted, there’s no wrong choice… I love both. Sometimes you want the WARMTH of wood and sometimes you want the fun of paint. 🙂