by Diana Durkes

Don your possibilities spectacles and scour the alleys, Design Junkies! It’s DIY time with furniture and accessories makeover specialist, Contributor Diana Durkes. Diana gives “New Life to the Tossed and Found” at her blog, Fine Diving.

This cupboard deserved a second lease on life, I thought when I came upon it in the alley last month. It was in well-used but sturdy shape and had a girl-next-door friendliness about it–plain and pretty.

This became the challenge for a new look, how to bring out its personality without going too far and ending up with a prom queen wannabe.

I started by stripping the layers of paint from the chest. White, then green, then a caramel color – each layer was like a history lesson about the life of the former users. While purists would value this original finish, it held onto years of grime, so time for a fresh start.

After sanding the chest, I brushed on two coats of primer, then a butter yellow semigloss. Cool turquoise, celery green and a medium bright pink were also colors that came to mind for this small piece.

When the paint had cured for a few days – very important! – I gave the chest a final coat of water-based polyurethane. This will protect the painted finish from chipping.

As with some decorating details, you never know what will work until you try it. I find this especially true with pillows and scatter rugs. For the hardware on the chest, I chose three pulls to try from the selection at Anthropologie.

First, this glass nob.

Then, this whimsical one.

And last, this one for a yellow on yellow look. This is the keeper, and with makeover complete, this chest is ready for its sunny new life.

Diana Durkes is a creative recycler and a confessed alley shopper. She gives a makeover to one found item each week, and publishes the before & after on her blog, Fine Diving.

She also writes the Tossed and Found column for Time Out Chicago and pens the blog Garage Sale Warrior for the Chicago Trib’s Chicago Now.

What piece of furniture is calling out to you, to be made over? How will you transform it?