New Project: Rescue Dumpy Dresser

Last year, when I moved from my oppressive/terrible apartment into a cute house a few blocks away I went to check out my room and measure it to see if any of my giant bedroom furniture could fit into it. Alas, the room was super tiny and I realized I would have to get a different dresser (mine was so wide it wouldn't fit on any wall and ended up being used as a buffet in the living room.) The girl who was moving out was there when I was checking out the space and she offered to leave me some of her bedroom furniture that she was planning on throwing away! There wasn't much to choose from - a sort of broken down piece of plastic IKEA furniture and this old style hardwood dresser! The dresser obviously had some drawer problems and was missing a few handles and the top was gouged and water stained... but for some reason I wanted it. So I asked her to leave it.

In the end, it didn't make the cut for my room. But my roommates and I used it as a bar/storage combo in our dining room for the year. It has a dark stain and kinda had that patina an old bar would have.

Now the time has come to move out of the cute little house (moving is in progress as I write this) and I have to find something to do with the sort-of broken, stained up dresser. Once again, the blogosphere (ew- did I just use that word!?) has given me inspiration and a plethora of ideas for the outcast furniture. The Design*Sponge Before & Afters were where I started and through that I got led to various other blogs and websites. The place where I have found the most inspiration so far is Knack Studios. Also I spend a LOT of time drooling over the hardware that Anthropologie sells. It is gorgeous.

The problem I have now is that I have TOO MANY ideas for this one little dresser. My biggest dilemma is that I don't know if I would be better off restoring the natural wood or doing it up with some funky paint. Ahhh! HELP!

I'm posting some more shots of the dresser below. All ideas welcome!