2 Drawer Craigslist Chest

Do you remember when I showed you 

this glimpse of something I was working on?

No?

Well, it was awhile ago. 

It's a small two drawer chest I got from Craigslist.

It was kind of a mess.

But I like a challenge.

 I had to take the top off.
It was so warped that the top drawer wouldn't open or shut all the way.

It did have some neat details, though. 
Like the way the drawer fronts and sides are joined.

I've never seen anything like that before.

And there were some carvings on the drawers that I like.

(I think this would be called an "Eastlake" chest.) 

After we replaced the top, I primed it.

And then I got a little stuck.
Now what?
I wanted to do something I hadn't tried before.
So I  decided to go with a two tone paint look. I used a brush, mainly on the front, so that I could get the carved details covered.

I like it.

(I got this gray paint when we painted our living room. I thought it would be a fresh, light, sort of neutral grayish green.

It was more like a "welcome to the gulag" gray. I like it on this, though.)

I changed the pulls.

The ones that came with the chest looked like this.

Two of them were broken, and I didn't like them that much, anyway.

So I used some of these.

Yuck.

But they cleaned up nice.

 I like them better.

I like the keyholes, too. 

(I wish I had the key!) 

I really like how the carvings on the drawer fronts stand out more now.

 And the details on the sides seem to pop a little more, too.

I distressed this lightly.

But give it a year.

It will be more distressed. 

I can guarantee it.

Thanks for reading!