| Journal | Painted Antique Serpentine Dresser
Take Two for YOU— Antique Bureau
This painted antique serpentine dresser has been transformed with an aged olive green finish, subtle bronze undertones, and elegant decoupage details. A timeless yet on-trend piece, perfect for adding cozy modern farmhouse charm to your home or cottage! A timeless antique bureau transformed on-trend, that will make for relaxing and comfortable modern farmhouse feels in your home or cottage. Now, without further ado, allow me to share my latest furniture flip with YOU! Hey—that rhymes!
Painted Antique Serpentine Dresser
A few years back, my darling cousin and lifelong friend generously offered up this lovely antique bureau to me—which happens to have been my Great-Grandmother’s! It had some candle burn damage on the top, and I also suspected that the hardware wasn’t all original—so keeping it as-is or restoring it to its original form wasn’t an option. I flipped it a few years back for our daughter’s room in colours she personally chose. Our Jenn, however, is now living in her own place and doesn’t have the space—nor does it fit her current style—so I’ve flipped it again for YOU!
An antique bureau that goes back to my own roots! Previously flipped for our daughter’s room, but I’ve since flipped it again for YOU! Transformed in an aged and weathered olive green with subtle bronze undertones—a unique, earthy, tranquil, and grounding colour! Glazed with a soft yet bold grey for added depth and dimension. I went all out on decoupaging the drawers and top of this piece—in a new tissue pattern that I’m seriously swooning over! And the Louis XV Suite hardware I selected is a collection I’ve been aching to use in a flip for so long! A timeless piece, transformed on-trend, that will bring relaxing and comfortable modern farmhouse charm to your home or cottage.
All products mentioned in this post—and every post I share—are ones I regularly reach for. They’ve earned a spot in my toolbox because they’re reliable and deliver results. Simply what I use, trust, and recommend, shared honestly with you. No affiliate links, no commissions—just straight talk from my whole heart.
Fusion Mineral Paint
Featuring
These are the products that brought this transformation to life—ones I trust, recommend, and share honestly with you. Select any to explore other projects for inspiration and see where to buy.
Take a Closer Look
My Step-by-Step Transformation
These are the steps that brought this transformation to life—shared to guide and inspire your own project. Learn better by talking it through? Let’s connect for a consultation to bring your vision to life.
- Spent countless hours trying to remove piano paper decoupage from earlier transformation— For which I had unknowingly applied prior to discovering a far better product for decoupaging furniture
- Removed original bevelled mirror— Ever so carefully, for ease of product application
- Removed hardware— My senses tell me that the top knobs may have been original, but I feel the drawer pulls were replacements
- Mended and repaired minor functionality damage to drawers and mirror harp
- Lightly sanded down earlier paint finish, vacuumed, and cleaned with TSP to remove wax from earlier transformation
- Applied 2 coats of Fusion Mineral Paint in the colour Everett w/ paint brush application— An aged and weathered olive green with subtle bronze undertones; this complicated colour is earthy, tranquil and grounding
- Applied 1 coat of Fusion Clear Glaze tinted with Ash Mineral Paint— for some added depth and dimension; 4/1 glaze/paint ratio; sponge application w/ lint-free rag wipe
- Applied 2 coats of my go-to Varathane Diamond Wood Finish (water-based, satin polyurethane)— To achieve a crystal clear, water-resistant, and highly durable finish; 4/1 poly/paint (Everett) ratio; sponge application
- Applied 1 coat of Fusion Mineral Paint in the colour Oakham to the interior drawers w/ paint brush application— To cover the remaining piano paper that I wasn’t able to remove in preparation for new decoupage paper
- Decoupaged drawer sides, drawer interiors, and dresser top with Re-Design with Prima’s Gothic Rhapsody decoupage tissue paper— A new pattern in my shop that I’m ecstatic about; sponge application w/ water-based poly
- Reinstalled mirror— Ever so carefully, with transparent sealant for ultra protection; by far the heaviest mirror I’ve worked with to-date
- Selected, purchased and installed new Louis XV Suite hardware (handles, knobs, and escutcheons)— From Lee Valley; a collection that I’ve been aching to use in a flip for so long
One-Hour / One-on-One / $80
Looking to achieve a similar look? Getting started with furniture transformations can feel overwhelming, but with hands-on experience since 2017, I’ve learned so much along the way. I’d love to share what I know and help guide you through the process.
Let’s work together! Whether it’s over the phone, via a screen-share session, or even over a coffee (or wine!), we’ll make a plan to bring your vision to life.
With all my heart and hands
This painted antique serpentine dresser wasn’t just another flip—it was a full-circle moment. From my Great-Grandmother’s home to my daughter’s room and now transformed once again, it’s carried generations of stories. But it also carried its fair share of challenges—layers of old decoupage to strip, an impossibly heavy mirror to maneuver, and the hunt for just the right Louis XV Suite hardware I had been itching to use.
The journey wasn’t quick, nor was it easy, but that’s what makes it so rewarding. Seeing this piece evolve, yet still hold onto its history, reminds me that the best transformations aren’t about erasing the past—they’re about letting it shine in a whole new way.
If you’ve ever looked at an old, tired piece and thought, “Maybe I should just get rid of it,” I hope this inspires you to think again. The right colour, texture, and detail can breathe life into something you thought had nothing left to give.
Thanks for being here! Whether you’re a fellow furniture flipper, a lover of all things timeless, or just someone who appreciates a good before-and-after, I hope you’ve enjoyed following along. There’s always another project waiting, and who knows? Maybe the next one will be yours.
Faye Caroline
0 Comments