Dresser transformed to ombre sideboard

**Update: See this project featured on Apartment Therapy!**

Ombre Painted Dressers are apparently becoming all the rage lately so of I had to give it a try!  I was in need of a sideboard in an area of our dining room.  I had been searching at our local GoodWill for some thrifty finds but I ended up snagging one for free right out of my Grandma's basement.  She has a collection of old furniture that's unused lately and just hasn't made it's way out of her house.  The piece I got was actually a dresser but I think it makes a perfect sideboard!

First, I removed all the hardware and decorative pieces.  I was worried they would be more difficult to pry off but they turned out to be plastic and popped right out.  I sanded down the whole piece and went shopping for some new hardware.

 
When I saw that each drawer pull would cost me a few dollars I decided to up-cycle the original hardware with some leftover spray paint I still had after spraying the curtain rods.  A sunny day and a couple coats of spray later, they're good as new!

Next I primed the whole thing.  Again, I had some primer already from when we painted Darwin's nursery such a deep shade of teal.

I painted the frame of the dresser/sideboard next with the darkest shade of gray.  I decided to use the darkest on the outside of the dresser because it would be right up against our light colored blue/gray walls and I thought the darker shade would help it pop.  After two coats I moved on to each of the drawers and went darker to lighter, bottom to top.

Two coats of each later I was all finished painting.  FYI, I purchased the quart size of the darkest color and the rest are the small sample pots.  Then screwed the hardware back on the drawers and that was that!  Now I realize there are products out there to finish painted laminate (like this for example) but I just haven't gotten there.  Instead, I simply lay a piece of coordinating fabric over the top to prevent damage to the paint.

So what do I store in there you might be asking?  Fancy dishes and stemware perhaps?  Yeah right, those drawers are stuffed full of craft supplies and rotated baby toys.  My husband also has a drawer for some of his hobby odds and ends and actually one of the top drawers does have a couple of platters and a gravy boat tucked away.

The whole project probably took me a week because of only having a couple of hours at a time for my painting and for waiting for different areas to dry overnight.  This was actually a winter project but I'm happy to finally be sharing it.

I like to use Olympic brand paint from Lowe's because they have a No-VOC formula that makes me feel better.  Keeping us all exposed to much less harmful fumes and chemicals makes me a happy Mama.
From darkest to lightest:
-Lava Gray
-Feldspar
-Smoke Screen
-Lunar Eclipse
-April Sky

And so you don't have to scroll all the way back up, here's both the before and after shots:

It has been a great addition to our tiny home and so far I am loving it!  Link to any of your painted furniture posts in the comments, I always love me some good DIY!

I shared this project at:
Southern Lovely 
Here's to Handy Andy 
Positively Splendid 
Chic on a Shoestring Decorating 
Thrifty Decor Chick 
Involving Color 
Simply Designing 
Savvy Southern Style 
Sweet Bella Roos 
Growing Up Gabel 
Bower Power 
Our Fifth House 
YoungHouseLove