Retro - but updated

It's not always about "shabby chic" or "farmhouse chic," although I will admit I have a very soft spot in my heart for both! But a few weeks ago, I found a dresser and a chest of drawers within a day of each other, one at DI and one at a garage sale! The price was right, so they had to come home with me.

I am LOUSY at remembering to take "before" pictures, so you'll just have to trust me that the finish was flaky, and the hardware was that yucky brassy/gold color. The dresser had a darker reddish finish, while the chest of drawers was almost blond. However, they both had some pretty curved drawers, so I thought they would look great as a set.

The dresser is my favorite.


Not sure why the third drawer looks so smudgy. That could be fingerprints from a two-year-old.

The top two drawers on the chest had double-bow fronts.

Did you notice how I said "had"? Here's the sad story.

A lovely couple came to look at them, and decided they wanted to buy both pieces. They had to leave to borrow a truck, which they did--but the truck didn't come with any tie-straps, or blankets, or nothin'. No blankets meant you didn't exactly want to lay these down and risk getting them scratched up on the bed of the truck. No tie straps meant they (especially the chest of drawers), were more than a little unstable. I, unfortunately, didn't have a thing to offer them for rope or anything--I use a minivan to haul my stuff around!

Well, they put both pieces upright into the back of the truck. , and they were sure they would be fine--and off they drove. About 10 minutes later, I got a call from my neighbor on the corner.

Him: "Did you sell those black pieces that were in your garage?"
Me: "Yes."
Him: "Well, I didn't see exactly what happened...but they didn't make it around my corner. I heard the crash."
Me: "Augghh!!"

(That's the condensed conversation.)

We both agree that the chest of drawers had to have flipped out of the truck. The couple never called me to tell me what happened. I'm not sure what I could have/should have/would have done if they had. I *am* glad I never saw the destruction myself--that would have been too painful after all my hard work! I can only hope that MAYBE it was salvageable (although my friend who heard the crash has doubts that it could be), and I definitely hope that the dresser survived unscathed.

But I feel bad for them!