Vintage French Provincial Dixie Nightstand

A thrift store find and a vintage nightstand brought back to life.

After being a little disappointed when striking out on Tuesday at HFH Restore and two thrift stores, I got lucky today (Thursday)! I went to Unique, a thrift & second-hand store in Merrifield, VA, and initially found a few pieces that I was pretty underwhelmed by, but right as I was about to walk away, I found a nightstand tucked away behind some other furniture. Looking more closely at the stamps on the furniture shows that it is a Dixie piece and it had a sticker priced for $19.99.

Under a “HighEndUsedFurniture” account on Etsy, I found a plain Dixie two-drawer nightstand listed for $339.99, showing that there’s a lot of potential with this piece! I found more information on the styles and pricing of Dixie pieces here, and turns out they are collector items. After some additional research, I found some information on the company: “A bit of history on the company. It was founded in 1948 by Abe Kirshtein in Charleston, S.C. The company is still open today and there are 3 generations of Kirshtein working for the company. it has expanded over the years and is very popular in Charleston S.C.” based on this blog.

I found a blog post of a refinished dixie nightstand, and another blog post on the exact same nightstand. Off to a good start in determining the potential and what styling might best suit the origins of the piece.

Although I really do like the rich brown of the stained wood, I think a painted finish would be more successful for this refinishing. There’s some small dings/gouges and a little water-damage/color staining to the top that I should be able to get out when stripping off the top layers of finish but that will still probably look best with painting instead of staining.

While I could use my “Agreeable Grey” Sherwin Williams paint again, and I think I have enough to just complete this project, I think I might want something a little warmer and a little closer to true white. I read a helpful blog for tips and tricks about painting furniture white. Some of my takeaways from this blog: try to find a non-polyurethane sealer for the paint since white furniture finished with polyurethane tend to yellow more over time. The blog recommended a specific oil-based primer and while I agree with the main point of being sure to use a primer, I would like to avoid any paints/primers that are high in VOCs and/or have strong fumes (which is more common with oil-based paints). The blog recommended a specific sealer that she claims to not be as prone to yellowing, but I’m a little wary of the price and will have to wait to decide on sealer until I pick my paint. Some of my top white paint options for this project:

• Fusion mineral paint, maybe in the Casement color (it’s described as a nice, neutral warm white) -- benefit is that fusion mineral paint has zero VOCs ad built-in top coat; Staalmeester brushes are recommended by Fusion mineral paint for use with their products, but will have to read up more to see whether special (and expensive) brushes like this are really needed. Note that it results in a matter finish. Can get with a glossy clear top coat.

• Wise Oil paint in Antique Villa or in Kashmir -- comes with built-in satin top-coat

• Dixie Belle Chalk Paint (Drop Cloth)

• Rustoleum Linen White chalky paint -- it is a very true white; comes in matte finish so might want a nice top coat finish; this paint might be an easier find nearby; fast and easy paint coats, doesn’t require primer or extensive paint work; low odor, water-based

• Benjamin Moore White Dove (very light, creamy/yellow-ish or light grey tone) or White Opulence (very light, pinkish tone) **this was my final pick, based on color (it being a warmer white), type (it being a water-based paint), and availability in my area

While contemplating paint options, I am also keeping in mind that the back of the nightstand is unfinished and I might want a nice option for lining the drawers. I am leaning towards covering the back of the nightstand and the bottom of the drawers with some nice adhesive contact paper. I’m going to have to do some research on what qualifies as a potentially fitting “country french” style wallpaper and then find a modern alternative...this should be fun. I also may wait on deciding/buying this until after I finish painting it. Or I could leave it as a customizable option for the eventual purchaser (since I’ve never done this before, it could be a risk). Maybe something like this. Or this. One note: do not paint the back piece of wood with water-based paint without first priming, and even then, be careful, because otherwise it can cause the thin pressed board to warp.

Purchase list:

• Benjamin Moore Regal White Dove paint in Pearl Finish -- $24.99 (still a little bit more than I would prefer to pay for a quart of paint, but I’m still learning what works best for projects and wasn’t ready yet to jump on the chalk paint train -- a) because I wanted a more solid-coat finished look and b) because I wanted a warmer white than the colors that i was finding available in my area for rustoleum chalk paint or some of the others that I listed above)

• Zinsser 1-2-3 Primer (got a full gallon to be able to use on future projects too) -- $18.99

• 220 grit sandpaper -- $5

Luckily my purchase list was even shorter than usual this time since I already have the sandpaper that I need, and only require primer and paint for this project. For the drawers, I will paint the outer edges but then tape off the inside and not paint any of it.

Taking a break while waiting for a layer of primer to dry and I have to say that my initial reaction is to be a little disappointed in this primer. I’ll admit that I didn’t prep the surface as well as I did for the last coffee table cabinet, so that may be a factor. But this primer seems more runny and goopy (that’s a DIY term, right?). After three coats the surface still is not opaque. I’ll let it dry a bit more before deciding whether to do one more coat or moving on to the top coat, but I think it should be ready for paint. Good news, once dry I was very happy with how the primer had set, so I’m ready to move on to painting!

While waiting for the first coat of paint to dry, I realized I need to start giving some thought to how to sell this piece (which I’ve never done before, eek!). I found a blog on common mistakes people make when trying to sell refinished furniture -- it never hurts to know what NOT to do, right? There were also many great recommendations. Some take-aways on things that I need to do:

1. Practice staging and taking good photos of my pieces.

2. Start a social media account/blog for advertising (I already picked out my instagram handle and set it up, just need to start adding content!)

3. Start keeping track of expenses.

With that in mind, I turned back to painting. What happens when you take a perfectionist and give them a hand painting project? Some frustration. Nonetheless, my final impression after the paint dried overnight and with the hardware re-added: I LOVE it!