Our youngest son is going to be 3 this summer and he’s ready for a “big boy” room makeover. We’re doing a nautical theme and the first project was transforming this thrift store chest with a ship silhouette.
We found a matching dresser and chest at our local thrift store. They were in good shape but I wanted to update them to fit the room theme. Here’s a before shot of the chest:
I started by giving the entire piece a thorough cleaning and painting it with Annie Sloan “Old Ochre”. Actually I started by pulling the old granny panties out from behind one of the drawers. Why can’t I ever find something good, like a wad of cash? But I digress… So here it is with a couple coats of Old Ochre.
If you’re familiar with Annie Sloan’s Old White, Old Ochre is similar but a tad more caramel-y if that makes sense.
For the ship graphic, I sketched it on using our method for painting graphics on furniture, and painted it using Annie Sloan’s “Coco”. I found my inspiration for the ship here.
Once I finished the silhouette, I started lightly distressing it with a sanding block and it just wasn’t feeling right. It was still too white for me, so I decided to do a wash over the whole thing with Coco. Doing a wash is easy, just water down the paint and, working in sections, brush the watery paint on, then wipe it off with a rag. I intentionally left it streaky when I wiped it off because it reminded me of wood grain and it just felt more nautical to me. You can wipe more to have less pronounced streaking.
I didn’t measure how much water I poured into the paint. There’s no right or wrong amount, but the more water you add the lighter the paint will be when you wipe it off. I added a little more water when I did the drawers because I wanted the streaks to be lighter and not compete with the graphic.
I used the existing knobs and painted them first with Old Ochre, then an uneven, messy layer of Coco, then dabbed and wiped dark wax on with a paper towel several times.
I decided to replace the three bottom handles with rope. I found this rope at Lowe’s and was able to purchase it by the foot for only a couple bucks.
I used a drill bit to enlarge the existing holes in the drawers. Tip: Starting on the inside of the drawer, drill about a quarter way through the drawer. Then move your drill to the outside of the drawer and drill all the way through. Making a starter hole on the inside helps prevent the wood from chipping. I may have learned this lesson the hard way.
(I haven’t secured the rope to the inside of the drawers yet, but the plan in my head is to use a conduit clamp as soon as I can get to the hardware store. I’ll update the post to let you know if that works well.)
I also painted the image onto the tops of the drawers. I’m not sure if you can see it in the pictures, but there’s a slight gap between the drawers. When the drawers were closed, that gap was really pronounced and it broke up the graphic. Painting the graphic onto the drawer tops made it look much nicer.
I sealed it with a couple coats of clear wax. I’m so excited to have the first piece of Max’s new room finished and I can’t wait to share the rest of it with you as we finish each project!
Update: Check out how we painted the matching dresser here.
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This piece is beautiful. Hope your little one enjoys it.
Thank you, Freda!
I love your nautical theme dresser.. where did you find the actual picture or transfer of the ship? I was trying to look for it on your instructions but I can not find it, do you mind sending me the link where I can get the picture? Thank you
Hi Geneve! I found my inspiration here: http://www.museum.wa.gov.au/maritime-archaeology-db/early-sailing-ships.
Hi! why in the world are you using an overhead projector? Opaque projectors have been around forever, google. These are not rare and you don’t need to print on transparencies. Good job.
I like my big, clunky overhead projector better than an opaque. I feel like I have more control over the size and sharpness of the image. Have you used one for furniture graphics? Maybe I should give it another shot.
This is fantastic! What a great item to add to your son’s big boy room! I love the graphic and followed the link to your tutorial- thanks for the tips! Great idea to add the rope pulls!
Thank you, Betsy! I’m glad you stopped by :).
Amy, this is such a beautiful piece of furniture! You are so talented and your boy is lucky to have such a unique piece of furniture in his room.
Wow another awesome makeover! love! Haha to the granny panties! I am always hoping for a forgotten wad of cash too! Lol wishful thinking. 🙂
Thanks Misty! I’m a dork and always get excited pulling all the drawers out to see if anything cool got left behind. Used undies do not qualify for the cool list :).
Oh my gosh…this is our favorite piece yet! Love the ship and the rope handles…such a great nautical touch.. Great job! Can’t wait to see what you do with the Granny Panties LOL.
LOL!! I died when I pull the drawer out to see why it was catching! I swear I always find the weirdest things leftover in used furniture. The last piece I did had one of those tongue bar things under the drawer. Maybe someday I’ll find something really cool :).
You are so talented Amy! I love this piece! I can’t wait to see Max’s big boy room all finished, I know it is going to look amazing!
Cat
Thanks, Cat!! I’m excited about putting everything together for his room. I still have a dresser and headboard waiting for paint, and I’m on the hunt for a nightstand :). It’s definitely a work in progress!
Amy, you’ve done it again. It just seems that every piece you do is better than the last. Love, love the ship and the rope hand pulls are just perfect. What little boy in his first “big” boy room wouldn’t love this? Excited to see the completed project. Have a great week of creating!!!
Thank you so much, Donna!! I’m so glad you stopped by. I’m excited to get his room completed and share it with you too :). Hope your week is fantastic as well!!
Wow! What a transformation! Love it! Visiting from Something to Talk About.
Thanks so much, Amy! So glad you stopped by :).
WOW! This is SOOOOOOO cool! What a lucky guy!
This is beautiful! Using ropes for pulls is a wonderful addition. Your instructions are always so clear. What a fun room this is going to be for your little one!
Thank you, Beverly!
This may be my favorite piece of painted furniture I have seen in a long time. I love the ship graphic! You can see the ripple in the water. Love, love, love it!
Thank you so much, Nancy! I appreciate your sweet comment!
Simply beautiful! The vision you add to see hope for that dresser and give it a new life. My boys would love this… definitely pinning!
Thank you so much!!
It’s absolutely stunning! I love the ship silhouette.
Thanks so much, Bonnie!!
Bahaha! Don’t you love the little “treasures” you find in furniture sometimes? I swear those things are like time capsules for the really sad castoffs. And we’ve been blaming our dryers all this time for eating our socks…hmmm. This turned out SO CUTE! I love love love the little rope drawer pulls too. Totally the perfect detail.
Thanks so much, Lauren!!
That is simply awesome. I have no doubt that your little boy would absolutely love it!
Thanks for linking up to Marvelous Monday on Smart Party Planning.
Thanks so much, Catherine!
Another beautiful piece! I like how you painted the tops of the drawers.
Thanks Rachel!
I’m a nautical nut and I love your dresser!!!! PInned
Thank you, Michelle!
This is awesome!! The graphic, the rope pulls, and that whale, ah! Everything is perfect!
Thanks so much, Bre!!
What a great transformation!! Great work!!
Thank you, Cheryl!!
Beautiful! What an awesome piece of furniture! Please, please, please come to Nashville and paint some furniture for me!! 🙂
Thank you, Benita! I would love to visit Nashville :). Hope you’re having a great weekend!
It’s beautiful!
Thank you so much, Rose!
What a cool dresser for a little guy! I don’t have your talent, but wish I did!
Thanks so much, Carlee! And you could definitely do this! It just takes a little patience. Or you could come cook for me and I’ll paint your furniture! 🙂 Hope you’re having a great weekend!
you have yourself a deal! 😉
This is Amazing! It is one of my favorite furniture makeovers of all time!! I have two young boys myself and love adding one of a kind pieces to their room but have yet to complete anything as special as this. Wonderful job!
Thank you Ann! It’s so much fun to make their rooms unique and fun! It also makes it a little easier for me to move my last baby out of the nursery and get rid of our crib and baby things, which I have to admit is hard! Creating a really cool big boy room for him is helping :).
Wow Amy, your gorgeous nautical dresser caught my eye over at the Share Your Cup Thursday party. What a difference between the before and after. Lov’n the rope handles too!
Thank you so much, Marie!
Oh Em Gee, I love love love this!!! So perfect! I love the whole new look!
Thanks Tara!!
OH my gosh Amy, this is my new FAVORITE!! You did such a great job!! And I agree, the washing over the drawers make it look more nautical and it’s just perfect! Your son will love it. 🙂
And by the way, I;m featuring this at Motivational Monday tomorrow night! 🙂
Yay! Thanks so much, Amanda!!
Hi Amy,
Wow, what a transformation……….it looks awesome, you did a great job.
Bet your lil Mister is gonna love his new nautical room.. Love that whale too.
Great idea for a boys room.
Blessings, Nellie
Thank you, Nellie! I’m excited to get the whole room put together. Hope you’re having a great weekend, and I’m so glad you stopped by!
That is simply beautiful! Wish I was that creative. Thank you for sharing at Thursday Favorite Things. Hope you have a fabulous day!
GORGEOUS! I knew I couldn’t wait to see this piece when you mentioned you were working on it in a previous post, and I am beyond impressed. I love the addition of the rope handles, but that graphic is seriously awesome. Nice work!
Amy, do you hear This Girl is on Fire by Alicia Keys when you walk around the house? I love love love it. You are one talented lady. No words about the granny panties – yikes 🙂 Hugs, CoCo
You did an amazing job, Amy! I love the sailboat graphic… so perfect for his room! The white washing gives it a beautiful finish!
Thanks so much, Kendra!!
Hi Amy, this is absolutely fabulous! You would never even know it was the same dresser. I love how it turned out! Thanks for sharing it with SYC. I would like to have featured you this week, but I am not seeing a link back to the party. 🙁
hugs,
Jann
Hi Jann! I actually do have a link back to your party along with all other parties I attend. You can find a link to my party page at the bottom of each post (near my signature) and also on the top menu bar of my blog. Thanks so much for stopping by and for your kind words about our dresser!
Hi Amy, sorry I missed the link. Will be featuring you at SYC today.
hugs,
Jann
Wow, what an amazing transformation! I love the way the ship silhouette and compass symbol at the top turned out. Very nice!
Thank you, Melissa!
This is one of the best furniture DIY projects I’ve seen!! My parents have a beach house and I so want to do this on the dresser in the kids’ room. Thanks for the inspiration!! I love all your work!!
Again…so impressed with your talent! Another amazing piece.
Thank you so much, Ashley!! xo
Start whiny jealous post ;-/ Why do the kids get all the cool stuff. I want that dresser, I want it now!
This is such a beautiful piece, what a lucky little man you have. The great thing about what you have done with this dresser is that it will never be not age appropriate. Or space appropriate! The vignette you have designed would take that dresser to any room in *my* home! 😀
Well done and great vision.
What a sweet comment, Jamie! Thank you so much. I’m glad you think it’s something that will always be age appropriate. I’m not good at recreating and redecorating my home so I was trying to create something that would grow with him. Hope you’re having a great week :).
LOVE this! It’s exactly what I’ve been envisioning for my little boy’s room makeover! Can you share where you found the ship and compass graphic? Thanks!
Amy this is amazing! I love the ship graphic and rope pulls…perfect!
This is absolutely stunning! 🙂 I love this and so want to recreate it! It would look great at my parents cabin or even in a little one’s nursery…nautical theme!
Thank you so much, Ruthie!
Wow! What a great way to makeover a dresser. You’ve given me some inspiration here… Found you at Thrifty Decor Chick.
Thanks so much, Sarah!
Wow Amy … love, love, love this! And how special that it is for your son. 😀
Thank you Cynthia!
Not only are you extremely talented but you are funny too! I actually laughed out loud over the “grannie panties”… I have that very same luck! ha ha! This is a fabulous piece and you should be proud!
Smiles!
Terry
I’m in a crying need of some drawers for my wardrobe and it must be made by me! Your ideas has inspired me too much. I have got my solution! Thank you very much for sharing them!
HI. Love this ship dresser. I am going attempt to do it for my sons room. Do you have the link for the compass sign you put on the dresser? Also did you update the post with how you secured the rope pulls? I didn’t see that either. Thanks for any help!!
Hi Kristina! So sorry for my late response! My kids and I were sick all last week and I’m just catching up on everything. I don’t have a link to the compass rose I used. I just googled compass rose as printed one that came up. I do have a post on the rope handles. You can find it here: https://canarystreetcrafts.com/attach-large-rope-handles/. Let me know if you need anything else! I recently decided to sell my shop dresser because it just didn’t fit in my sons room and it’s one of the few pieces I miss. If you paint something similar I’d love to see a picture when you’re done!