How to Style a Dresser

Adding a dresser to your main living area is a great way to add storage and character. Visit my blog to learn a few quick tips on how to style a dresser. From Bellewood Cottage

I had a nightmare last night.

In my dream, I had just finished the fourth coat of paint on my baseboards. Two primer coats, two coats of paint, and I was on my way to saying goodbye to this project forever.

I finished the last few brushstrokes and began to survey the effect.

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Oddly, I realized I must have missed a section.

Or maybe two?

Strange.

As I continued to look, the trim was turning back to red oak faster than I could even comprehend.

It was as though the paint was sinking deep into the trim and leaving the original wood behind. All my efforts had been for naught. The trim was not taking paint, nor would it ever apparently.

Adding a dresser to your main living area is a great way to add storage and character. Visit my blog to learn a few quick tips on how to style a dresser. From Bellewood Cottage

Thankfully, I woke up soon after that and breathed a sigh of relief. Just a dream.

Thankfully in the reality of daylight, I was able to confirm that it was indeed only a nightmare. And hallelujah, because that means those darn baseboards are DONE!

Now that our bedroom painting is done (minus a couple of small touch-ups), I had a little time to play around with some fall decor.

I’m still figuring out how to style the dresser that is hanging out in our living room, so I opted to give it a bit of a fall makeover.

Adding a dresser to your main living area is a great way to add storage and character. Visit my blog to learn a few quick tips on how to style a dresser. From Bellewood Cottage

How to style a dresser

There are a couple things I’ve been trying to do when styling this piece:

Give it height

The dresser of course is already plenty tall, but that means it needs some extra height on top to make everything look proportionate. I would prefer to add a little more stature with some tall candlesticks or a tiered tray, but it’s all about making it work with what you have, so that’s what I did here.

I actually started with the ironstone pitcher on top as you can see:

Adding a dresser to your main living area is a great way to add storage and character. Visit my blog to learn a few quick tips on how to style a dresser. From Bellewood Cottage

But then I swapped it out with the milk can and realized those extra couple inches of height made a big difference! I need to add some more fall florals in that milk can, but I’m keeping my eye out for fall clearance and then it can be full next year, ha!

Adding a dresser to your main living area is a great way to add storage and character. Visit my blog to learn a few quick tips on how to style a dresser. From Bellewood Cottage

Open the drawers

Having a highboy style dresser in the living room is definitely not the norm. I find that opening up the drawers is a fun way to give the piece more dimension and purpose. It helps the dresser fill the room instead of just sort of sitting there awkwardly.

Adding a dresser to your main living area is a great way to add storage and character. Visit my blog to learn a few quick tips on how to style a dresser. From Bellewood Cottage

Obviously, leaving drawers open is not super kid-friendly, so I make sure to close up any doors or drawers I have left open for decor purposes when we have friends with kids over.

Adding a dresser to your main living area is a great way to add storage and character. Visit my blog to learn a few quick tips on how to style a dresser. From Bellewood Cottage

Work with a small color palette

Pick a main color or two and stick with it. It’s hard sometimes to rein it in with all the pretty fall colors, but farmhouse style works best with a smaller palette. With this vignette, I balanced out all the white and cream by adding in some greenery, stained wood (around the sign), and old books.

Adding a dresser to your main living area is a great way to add storage and character. Visit my blog to learn a few quick tips on how to style a dresser. From Bellewood Cottage

Adding a dresser to your main living area is a great way to add storage and character. Visit my blog to learn a few quick tips on how to style a dresser. From Bellewood Cottage

Adding a dresser to your main living area is a great way to add storage and character. Visit my blog to learn a few quick tips on how to style a dresser. From Bellewood Cottage

I’d love to know if you utilize any dressers in your main living spaces and how you like to style them! I think they can be a little tricky, so I’d enjoy hearing your thoughts!

Adding a dresser to your main living area is a great way to add storage and character. Visit my blog to learn a few quick tips on how to style a dresser. From Bellewood Cottage

Get the look :

Farmhouse “Be Thankful” sign – Hobby Lobby
Greenery – Michael’s
Milk can – garage sale
Ironstone pitcher – antique shop
Sage plant (inside pitcher) – IKEA
Pumpkins – Marshalls

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4 Comments

    1. I can never seem to find stuff on Hobby Lobby’s website! 🙁 I’ll have to try again…they do still have it in the store though. I bought it when it was 50% off.

  1. Such simple and pretty styling! I love the milk can and sign. And I can definitely appreciate working with what you have. I like to tell myself that it wouldn’t be a challenge if I could just buy everything right now! Hehe.

    1. Thank you Caitlin! Haha, I tell myself (and sometimes hubby) the same thing! But I guess having to be creative is fun too 😉