Dresser Redo Inspiration - How To Make A Plain Dresser Fabulous

My daughters have a dresser in their bedroom that is in sad need of a redo. It's a good, sturdy wooden dresser we picked up at a used furniture store for a very good price, mostly because the top and front were subjected to a bit of abuse over the years. I intended to paint it a solid bright tangerine orange when we purchased it last year but then both my girls objected to the color and they couldn't agree to any color. I vetoed their suggestion of pink with kelly green polka dots as too-too. Is is their room, so I do give them a vote but I get ultimate veto power!

This dresser from Bryoni Porter is so inspiring to me. I think I could do that very nicely with Decopatch papers and it would be appealing.  Their walls are very pale cocoa brown (they picked the color) and the wooden floor has a diagonal brown-and-white checkerboard pattern so a big pop of colors from bright Decopatch papers would be nice. I could do the top in a solid color or just one style of paper.

This chest is also from Bryoni Porter and I swear they are the butterflies from this Cavalini paper...

All her work is amazing. I love that big pattern-mixy thing and if I was in Britain I'd be sorely tempted to indulge...

To do this kind of a dresser re-do, I'd use a mix of Decopatch papers like this (their dresser would take three assortments, and below I'll tell you how to figure out how much paper you need for any dresser.)  I'd also use the Decopatch varnish, as that stuff is SUPER durable and very waterproof, which is perfect for a dresser that will take a lot of abuse!

I just want to take a second here to say why I would NOT recommend Mod-Podge for this kind of project. Good old M-P, as we call it in our house, is a fabulous thing BUT not where wear-and-tear are concerned. Mod Podge is basically a version of Elmer's white glue. Remember that fabulous glue from elementary school? It covers nicely, is cheap and WASHES OUT. Any glue that will wash out of clothing or a second-grader's hair cannot be considered permanent. If I spend $$$ on papers and time to cover a piece of furniture in my house, I really want it to be permanent.

So, what about you? Would you have a dresser like this in your home? Do you have an opinion on Mod-Podge? If you do, share it with me in the comments section below. I'd love to know!

How to determine how much paper you need for a dresser-

in  inches:
measure the top from front to back and then from side to side, then multiply these two numbers (T)
measure the front from side to side and then from top to bottom, then multiply these two numbers (F)
measure the side from top to bottom and then from front to back, then multiply these two numbers (S)

add up (T) + (F) + (S) + (S) = a big number
multiply that big number by 1.5

Your total number will be in square inches and will tell you how many square inches of paper you need to do your project.
Don't be discouraged but the huge number you have.
Divide your big number by 165, that will tell you how many sheets you need.
Decopatch papers are sold in 15x11 inch sheets. That's 165 square inches per sheet.

Note: My measurement does not include any drawer sides or the insides of the legs. The extra that you get by multiplying the whole number by 1.5 accounts for and trimming and edging.