Wednesday, August 28, 2013

My Free $3,000 Dresser


The other day I was flipping through the latest issue of Elle Decor, when I spotted this...



It's the "Button Down Chest" by designer Bunny Williams. Price: $3,000

I did a double take. Why? Because I happen to have this dresser. This dresser has been in my family for  years, and recently, my brother gave it to me to use in my son's bedroom. For FREE.

I painted mine with chalk paint ...



Before I painted it, it looked like this...



Strikingly similar to Bunny Williams' ...


Don't ya think?

According to Elle Decor, Ms. Williams was "inspired by a midcentury bureau with reeded detailing and playful drawer pulls." I'm willing to bet my dresser was her inspiration. Okay, well, not my dresser, but you know what I mean :)

Bet my brother is going to be sorry he let me have it.

Oh. And look. I even have a matching dresser in another bedroom, that I painted red...




Do you think if I painted both pieces black, I could sell them for 6 grand??

I'd probably have to change my name to Bunny Williams first.

So, I guess the moral of this little story is to hang on to your old stuff. You never know when a world famous designer will be inspired by it.

Happy Hump Day!!

9 comments:

  1. how cool! i love the shape of these! :)

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  2. Guess what? I like your "versions" better than the "original". How cool is that though---A name change costs about $2,000 here so you COULD come out $4,000 ahead...of course, then you would probably want to change your name BACK...but would still end up with a cool $2,000. I say- Go For It! xo Diana

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  3. That is so funny Carolyn! The same thing happened to my in-laws. They wanted me to sell a cocktail table on Craigslist, and when I researched it, I found out it was a really cool vintage piece that was worth some money! We decided to use it in their new house rather than sell it - somehow we liked it better after we knew it's pedigree - isn't that silly? But true :)

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  4. Carolyn I saw that dresser in Elle and I kept thinking I had seen it somewhere before. It was yours I was remembering! I'd say Bunny was more than a little inspired...it's pretty much an exact copy.

    You're so right...hang on to your old GOOD pieces because everything old is new again :)

    PS love both of your dressers.

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  5. Hey before that dresser was your tween's or your brother's, it was mine! I think I need to bring a U-Haul out and see what other treasures I can find.

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  6. Isn't that ironic? If her dresser is a copy of an older piece, how does that make it an original design? Just pondering. I really like your choice of paint colors much better than the solid black - and you have the matching dresser too? Wow! I've never seen a design quite like this one and a glad your family hung onto it! Hugs, Leena

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  7. How awesome is that!!!! They are super cool dressers. A year ago I bought two matching lamps at a yard sale for $2. I then saw that they were marked and looked them up. They had sold for $1200! Gotta love it when that happens.

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  8. Oh my gosh...that is a beautiful dresser...so unusual...love it!

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  9. I'd say she'd be even more inspired if she saw how much better yours look!

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