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Sunday, June 19, 2016

A Mahogany Dresser Set

SHUT UP. How much do you love this antique mahogany three piece dresser set? Is it hard love? It's hard love for me. Ugh, so hard. If I had the wall space, this set would be mine. I have a massive master bedroom but since it's tucked up under the eaves of our cottage there's no big, wide, tall walls, like this set needs. And I love the versatility. The nightstand could so easily be a side table, or get tucked into a hallway for a little pop of color. And the low dresser would make a dandy sideboard or media console.

      I got the set off craigslist last week. Has anyone else noticed that craigslist is getting a bit stagnant  these days? It's all about those buy/sell/trade pages on Facebook now. So I was pretty surprised to score such a magnificent set. It's Federal in style c.1940 made by the White Furniture company. The tops of all three pieces have superb, highly figured mahogany veneer tops. The drawers are 100% mahogany and the secondary wood throughout is tulip poplar. It's just so well built. As a serious furniture enthusiast I found myself groaning with delight as I worked on this set. It's just so well built. I know I already said that, but not all furniture is created equal. This, this is the good stuff. And the proof's in the pudding. These pieces are almost a hundred years old. LOOK AT THE TOPS!!! And the drawers? They run like butter. And the cases-sturdy as a rock.

        So first I sanded the tops. When I get these pieces they're always dinged and scratched on top. With veneer I have a slim margin for correcting scratches and mars, so I'm always in a state of panic as I sand, desperately hoping that none of the irregularities are too deep, and that they will sand out. As you can see, these came out perfectly. Absolutely flawless, as they're meant to be. I custom mixed a new color for these. It's not quite blue, or green, or gray, it's the best of all three worlds. I've named it 'Hazy Vista'. I kept the original Federal oval brass drawer pulls because they're the best thing ever.














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