Two Tone Dresser Makeover

I'm trying to catch up on some old projects. This dresser is one I got at a yard sale last summer. I refinished it during the first month of school. The dresser my daughter previously had was horrible. The drawers rails were breaking, plus they were tiny. She couldn't fit anything in it.

My daughter really wanted a white dresser with flowers painted on it. I really wanted it to be just a nice dark wood finish. So this is the compromise. She got her white and I got my dark finish. Plus it should be fairly easy to sand down and stain when she gets older and I can talk her into it :)

Here's a look at the before:

 A few scuffs, but in pretty good shape. It had only a stain finish so it was easy to sand off.

I used Special Walnut for the stain and I LOVE it. I've found a new favorite stain. It is dark, but yet still lets the wood grain show through. I'm glad I got a large can - it's going to show up in other projects. After staining, I added a couple coats of brush on lacquer. Then once completely dry, I taped off the centers of the drawers and spray painted the drawers in antique white.

Here's a quick before and after:

Another thing I like about this dresser is that it stands upright, as opposed to being long and short. It takes up so much less space in my daughters room than her old one. A bonus: her clothes actually fit because the drawers are a decent size.