One of the most useful pieces of furniture for your home is a dresser. Along with its obvious function of holding clothes in the bedroom, there are numerous uses for this versatile chest of drawers.

• A small dresser makes an excellent nightstand.


• Use a wide, low dresser in the dining room area to hold linens, plates, silverware and bowls. The top makes a handy buffet for serving food.


• In the living room, use a dresser to hold videos, games, toys and magazines.


• If you have a protected patio, store gardening tools, seeds and gloves in a small dresser.


• Add storage to a tiny kitchen with a tall dresser to hold your silverware and small cookware.


• A narrow, tall dresser is perfect in the bathroom. Use it to hold magazines, toiletries, cosmetics and towels.


• Set a dresser in your foyer or mudroom to collect gloves, scarves, school papers and umbrellas.

Dressers are one of the easiest pieces of furniture to dress up with a new look. Start with a flea market find or an old dresser that’s been sitting in the garage, and turn it into a treasure over a weekend. Whether you want a small improvement or an entirely new appearance, there’s a makeover method to achieve your goal. Here are several dresser makeover ideas, starting with the easiest and fastest methods.

Fabric: Spread a fabric runner, lacy doily or length of fabric along the top of the dresser. Hold it in place with poster putty or double-sided tape.

Hardware: Change the dresser’s hardware. New knobs give a fresh, new look, and there are styles for every decorating theme. You’ll find inexpensive knobs at Target, Walmart, Home Depot and similar home improvement centers.

Cutouts: Press on decals or wallpaper cutouts along the dresser top, drawers and sides. I especially like the wallpaper cutouts from Wallies.com.

Paint: Sand the old finish to remove the shine, and then give your dresser a new coat of paint. Spray paint makes the job a cinch. Apply several light coats to achieve the best finish. If you want a distressed look, let the paint dry, then sand the dresser’s edges with fine-grit sandpaper.

Stencils: Paint the dresser, then use stencils or your own freehand artistic ability to adorn the cabinet with flowers, animals, birds or whatever design you love.

Wallpaper: Cover the entire dresser with wallpaper. Measure carefully, lining up the seams to keep the pattern even.

More wallpaper: Paint the dresser cabinet, then cover the drawer fronts with wallpaper. Cut the paper just slightly larger than the drawer fronts so you can wrap it around the edges.

Nail heads: Paint or stain the dresser, then use decorative nail heads to lay out a pretty design. Curlicues, waves and gently waving lines are just a few ways to add a fun touch to the front or top of the dresser. Tap the nail heads into the wood with a rubber mallet or small hammer.

Crackle: Go all-out with primitive style by using crackle medium. Paint your dresser with a base color, and let the paint dry. Brush on crackle medium, wait half an hour or so, then apply your top color. The paint will crack and distress as it’s brushed on, leaving a wonderfully aged finish.

Decoupage: Decoupage the drawer fronts, or even the entire dresser. Use giftwrap, scrapbooking paper, cotton fabric, magazine pages, old maps or prints or decoupage paper to create a wonderfully unique look. Cover the finished piece with several coats of clear acrylic to protect your work.