I created a stenciling feature for Family Circle this past summer and was so inspired by the process that I decided to give a castoff a makeover. Unfortunately, I didn't take a "before" photo of this particular project, but trust me, it felt like nothing more than a drab, brown dresser with ugly hardware. Though it wasn't aesthetically pleasing, the drawers were stable and I thought the dresser had good bones and therefore, potential. (Storage is always in short supply in my household, so decorative pieces of furniture also have to be workhorses). I painted the dresser, then I reused the stencil I had used on the pillows, to make patterned drawer fronts. It wasn't at all difficult, though it does require some patience and drying time, since you need to place the stencil over already painted areas in order to create the pattern. I love the results! The hardware was a score, too. Each drawer pull cost about a buck at my local Lowe's Hardware. You can't beat that.
For more ideas and stenciling tips, Download the feature. For this project, however, there are a couple of tips that aren't covered in the feature. Make sure that you remove the hardware from the drawers before stenciling, and line up the drawers in the correct order. This will allow you to keep the pattern consistent from drawer to drawer. I also found it helpful to stencil from the middle of the drawer, outwards. This keeps the pattern properly centered and creates visual balance.
I first used the stencil on these pillows, featured in Family Circle.
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