Home Series: A Dresser Saves the Day

January is here and thoughts may turn to ways to cut the clutter. Take a second look at how you store all of your day-to-day stuff. Perhaps the greatest, most versatile storage workhorse in your house – the dresser – can save the day.

One of my favourite spots to locate a dresser is in a front hall. Not only is it a spot to place your keys and mail, but it is a great solution for storing all of the items you need in this cold weather, like hats, gloves, scarves and mitts. It is also the perfect place to put a hairbrush to neaten your child’s hair, stamps to mail your letters, sunglasses, a lint brush to take off those pesky hairs that always seem to accumulate on your wool coat and a shoe shine sponge to touch up your boots or shoes.

As you can see from the photos, your options are limitless. For a space expanding effect, consider a mirrored dresser.  It also adds a bit of glam and who doesn’t like a bit of that? A modern clean-lined dresser is a nice contrast to the rustic wood mouldings of a Craftsman home and an antique turn-of-the-century dresser adds character to modern and graphic details.

Consider repurposing a dresser and using it as a change table in a baby’s room. All you need to buy is a diaper changing pad ideally wrapped in white terry cloth for a neat clean aesthetic. Consider buying several for cleaning purposes. Yes white is actually the easiest to clean!!

Some of my favourite spots to buy dressers are from vintage stores found throughout the city, estate sales, and auctions. You are likely to get good quality construction made entirely of solid wood (hard to ?nd in new products) and the price will often be less than what you would buy retail for a new piece.

This little decor tip hopefully will  make your life a little less complicated and make those sunglasses easier to find. Seems like the perfect time to rethink and repurpose a dresser!

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