Dressed to Impress

A  dresser, also known as a Welsh dresser or buffet, is a piece of freestanding furniture that consists of a sideboard with drawers at the bottom half and a shelf rack on top. Traditionally, it is a practical piece of furniture which was used to store and display a china service, beautiful copper pans, jelly moulds and other metal kitchen implements.

Slowly throughout the 19th century the purely functional role of the dresser was superseded with other functions, such as being the most beautiful way of displaying the best china service in the home. This led to the humble dresser finding its way into dining rooms, where it is now used as a sideboard and the rack as a place to exhibit your best china.

It is such a versatile piece of furniture and completes a home, I think. Equally at home in the kitchen, a dining room or sitting room, it adds a touch of homeliness that no other piece of furniture can match.

Not only providing storage but providing a home and display for favourite china or other personal effects,  in so doing, it reflects the personality of the one who dresses it. 

 Being on the large size very often, when they do reach the end of their 'shelf'' life (excuse the pun), they arent easy to dispose of, which is where I love to step in, when the owner needs to replace them. 

They then provide me with a blank canvas to get creative.

 Since we are in the business of selling on, I tend to alternate between neutral shades which sell well, and bright colours, which I love and I hope others will love too.

 Painted in two tones of Farrow & Ball Archive Estate Eggshell & Autentico Neutral Chalk Paint to the door panels, the backboard has been dry brushed for a more rustic look. 

A 20th C hardwood dresser painted in Annie Sloan Greek Blue and waxed

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint comes in some stunning bright colours which can be distressed and dark waxed, a perfect finish for antique dressers, while Farrow & Ball produce some lovely neutral shades to compliment pine.

19th C Oak Dresser with Geometric Mouldings painted 
in Annie Sloan Antibes Green

Decoupage to door Panels

Stencils and decoupage can be applied to add a vintage French look to a modern dresser

'Boulangerie' Stencils to doors and backboard

and occasionally the shape of a dresser can determine a theme 

Old Charm Oak dresser painted in Annie Sloan Louis Blue & Old White for a nautical look


While the funky and unusual reflect my own taste, I 'm very conscious of not losing sight of what most people prefer to compliment their homes, i.e. Neutral tones, and this dresser which Ive just finished is designed with those in mind. 

All these dressers have been given a new lease of life. Having provided many years of service from new, they can now provide many more years of both style and function, with a new story to tell from their shelf displays. 

What better way to dress to impress! 

For details of dressers we currently have available, you can go to The Owl Cottage Secret Cupboard, our Facebook Page,  for more details.