Upon moving into our home we quickly realized that we could buy a new car with the money we wanted to spend on furniture.  With being first time homeowners we came with very little furniture and all of a sudden had an entire home to fill.  Of course, this would take place a little bit at a time.

The living room was our first priority because of it being the common living area.  I fell in love with an entertainment center at a local furniture store but it was going to set me back almost $3,000.  I quickly walked away from that piece of furniture while picking my jaw up off the floor after seeing the price tag.  That is when I decided to re-create what I saw in the furniture store by shopping my local thrift stores.

I had my mind set on finding a dresser that could easily be transformed into an entertainment center.  For $70 at a local thrift store, this was my steal of a deal:

There were several steps in creating the new entertainment center.  I removed all of the original handles, removed the drawers, and spent a lot of time sanding the entire dresser.  Once sanded, I applied Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in the colors of Duck Egg Blue and Old White.  This was the most stressful part.  There was not a pattern I was following or a certain direction when applying the paint.  I applied both paint colors scattered across the dresser and made it a point not to be too neat about it.

Once the paint dried I took a very light wood stain and applied it all over the dresser {even over the paint}.  I only allowed the stain to sit for about 1 minute.  I then wiped the excess stain with a rag.  This gave the paint and the dresser an overall aged look.

I sealed the dresser with two coats of satin polycrylic so it would not have too much of a shine.  I then replaced all 12 handles for a more sleek and modern look.

After completing this project I spent no more than $150 total.  I am still thrilled with the outcome!  It is now a statement piece in our living room and the drawers provide ample amounts of storage!  I debated taking out the top two drawers to create an open space but ultimately decided not to.  I hope this inspires you to go and find a thrift store steal of a deal and create something unique for your home!

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