Our red lacquer campaign dresser is the boldest furniture move we’ve ever made. I was soooo nervous but the risk paid off.
This all came about as we just completed our bedroom makeover with Calico! You get a little taste today but the full reveal’s coming soon.
We wallpapered, installed fresh window treatments, added a settee and throw pillows… But we needed something to make the room POP. And Vintage Refined was the person to do it.
Our red lacquer campaign dresser turned out so juicy and glamorous, I felt she deserved a full dedicated post. And if you haven’t seen it, you MUST watch the transformation with your very own eyes!
Meet Our Interior Designer – Melissa Mahoney
I must preface, Melissa Mahoney, our interior designer, designed all this deliciousness. She’s also responsible for past projects in our previous, which you can find here – dining room, living room, vestibule, Penelope’s room, and breakfast nook.
Get Melissa’s Top 20 Ways To Make Your House Feel Like A Home
And since I have you on the horn…Melissa and her team at MMDH just wrapped up their latest social media Top 20 series. This series of posts went VIRAL (1 MILLION VIEWS on her first tip!), walking you through one of their coveted freebies: Top 20 Ways To Make Your House Feel More Like Home. Grab your copy TODAY right here!
The Benefit Of Going Vintage
Since going vintage gets you extremely high quality in almost every situation {they just don’t make them like they used to!} and – not to mention – CUSTOM, ONE-OF-A-KIND, I had to share our entire journey.
Vintage Refined
Vintage Refined is based out of Chicago, and renowned for customizing and refinishing high end vintage furniture. In fact, some of my FAVORITE interior designers {who are nationally renowned} use them as a secret resource for their clients. And truly, once you see their work in person, you’ll understand their pieces are art. And today, I’m letting the cat out of the bag.
You can benefit from Vintage Refined services in more than one way – which I will get to here shortly.
But here’s a HOT TIP…if you live near/in/or visit the Windy City, get your fanny to the showroom. You can take advantage of Ashley’s interior design advice and touch all the merchandise, color samples and fabrics. But if you can’t, you can do everything online all the way.
Meet Ashley
Ashley, the CEO and founder of Vintage Refined, is a beautiful person doing beautiful things. She’s a hustler with impeccable style (a rare combo in the biz world!)…all the way down to what she wears!
To accomplish a showroom in the West Loop, along with a full blown workshop in a separate location of the city, is not for the faint of heart. She’s also a mom, a wife and truly doing it all.
She also has an impressive, nationwide clientele. Despite me pressing her to share her famous roster list, she would not utter a peep!
What Makes Vintage Refined Special
As we all know, there are a lot of “refurbishers” out there. Shoot – you can even do it yourself these days!
But what makes Vintage Refined different is their long lasting products, cut throat selection of vintage furniture and meticulous attention to detail. Their process consists of several special steps many are known to cut corners on. Not only can you see the difference but you’ll experience the difference for YEARS.
Lacquer will always be in style, but I’m telling you…it’s here with a vengeance right now – especially in the luxury interior design side. {Melissa and I saw it EVERYWHERE at the Lake Forest Show House}. That flawless, smooth, shiny surface simply cannot be done without a professional. And if you want the best in the biz… Vintage Refined is it.
Your Options
As I was saying above, there are a few ways you can benefit from Vintage Refined.
- ONE: For Those Who Can’t Imagine – there are a slew of pieces already finished ready to ship.
- TWO: For Those Who Don’t Want to Hunt – purchase an original online and customize {keep scrolling past the “finished” pieces to get to the “as is” furniture}
- THREE: Refurbish Your Own – paint and refinish a piece you already have. This is especially wonderful for any sentimental items or home decor that needs a refresh. They do upholstery too in case your item has fabric.
As for me? We did #2! {and I’m so addicted, I want to partake in #1!!
The Process
So before even setting a foot in the showroom, my lovely interior designer, Melissa, selected our dresser site unseen online. Based on her calculations, she knew it was the perfect fit and scale and even knew exactly where it would go to the inch. This is why I love working with Melissa – saved me one million hours.
Then together, we hightailed it to the Vintage Refined studio to talk color, finishes, hardware, etc. with Ashley. {Side Note – be sure to make lunch/dinner reservations after because it’s in the heart of the West Loop, next to all the BEST restaurants!}.
Since we knew this piece would be the first thing you can see from the hallway and the main focal point from the bed, we decided to go bold.
When talking colors and finishes, Melissa made a convincing case for “fearless” since the rest of the room was neutral {ps we consider navy neutral – haha!}. As an ode to our beloved first house, we landed on the audacious red that’s the exact same red as our old front door – Heritage Red by Benjamin Moore.
When Ashley showed us a piece she had done for a client in the same color, it sealed the deal.
Behind The Scenes + The Before
After we sealed the deal on finishes and “ooohed and awwwed” over everything else in her studio, Ashley offered to take us to her workroom where all the magic happens!
As you can see, she has MANY fabulous pieces just waiting for you to get your paws on. On top of it, we saw my campaign dresser before her makeover.
Once again, if you haven’t seen the timelapse of it getting painted, click here NOW.
Our Red Lacquer Campaign Dresser
I once read…
“every room should have a bright color or quirky thing.”
We achieved this with flying colors thanks to Vintage Refined. Thank you again Melissa and Ashley for pushing me outside my comfort zone!}=
Doesn’t it just blow your socks off how one piece can add so much flavor?
******Melissa did a phenomenal job styling it too – which you can watch her do it here.***** {insert link}
Make An Appointment Today
If grandma’s old chest is collecting dust in your basement or you need a new piece in general, working with Vintage Refined is smart. It’s better than buying something new and no one will have the same one as you. So reach out to Ashley today and you’ll be in excellent hands!
Ashley, thank you for making our dresser fun and beautiful! I know I’ll have her FOREVER!!
Cedar & Rush received a discount from Vintage Refined in collaboration on this post.
