{Babygirl's Room} Painting the Fancy Pants Highboy Dresser

I have been a maniac the last few weekends (don't say it!) working on Babygirl's Room! I've shown you the painted bed, the main statement art, the curtain stumbling block (I think I've found a solution, thanks to all your helpful comments!), art tins, and step stool. Okay, this doesn't look like much....but trust me, lots more coming soon!

The project I'm showing you today is my favorite in her room so far. My son's new room has a dynamic striped wall, and since their two rooms are adjacent, I didn't want the focus of her room to be a wall treatment.



But I love when a room has an element that 'Pops.' And since this is for a little girl, there is room for some risk-taking. When I first received this highboy from my grandfather, I knew I'd paint it....and assumed it'd be white or something creamy and 'pretty.'



Then I spied this photo from Jonathon Adler and things changed:



If that highboy were painted in a docile color, you wouldn't even notice it. And not just because of the intensity of the rest of the room, but because it wouldn't stand-up and demand your attention.

First step was to strip her of her hardware, and sand the rough and worn patches:



The brass pulls had some serious tarnishing, but this little can o' magic did the trick:

Since my sweet mom was actually the one in the house cleaning them (I was in the garage painting!), I asked her the secret of using Bar Keepers Friend on tarnished brass:

"I soaked them in a cleaner/water mixture in the sink, but that didn't seem to do much. So I made a paste and scrubbed the hell out of them with a bristle brush! And you can quote me on your blog with that!"  -- eloquently spoken by Mama Sugarplum

(Looking good, Mom. Keep scrubbing!)

Her work paid off....they look amazing!



Then came the primer, and I used my favorite water based Zinsser:

It dries so quickly that you're able to start painting almost as soon as you finish priming. Make sure to cover the wood completely with primer so that you don't have to roll countless coats of paint (I learned this lesson the hard way!). Here she is after SIX coats of Sherwin Williams 'Cheerful', in High Gloss latex:



The bed was the same dark wood and only took 2 coats of paint....this is because I covered it completely with tinted primer first! I used a high density foam roller so there are no brush marks.



LOVE the detail:



This piece went from something serious and old, to fun and vibrant.....and perfect for a little princess:


(oops, missing finial! she looks like she's missing a tooth!)

For even more 'Fun Factor', I added bright, patterned paper as drawer liners.These are simply cute wrapping papers I found at Target and spray mounted to the bottom. that's what she said



It took less than 30 minutes to line all 7 drawers, and I know I'll love seeing them every freaking time when I open a drawer to put her laundry away!

Oh, did I mention her walls are painted too (maniac, remember!?) Here's a sneak peek....along with how Miss Fancy Pants Highboy looks against the new (poorly photographed) wall color:



Let's try another Before & After that doesn't include the finished piece sitting in the garage:



So? What do you think....did I succeed in creating the 'Wow' factor for her room?