We’ve needed a pair of new dressers for our bedroom for a while. I found a set (not a pair in the same height) on eBay that I loved. It had the prettiest tiger maple veneer. But we really needed a matching pair and something much bigger and taller with at least five drawers.
I lucked out when we went down to Jersey last week and I stumbled across this pair of MCM dresser with a cool wood grain. Not exactly the dressers I loved from eBay, but the dimensions were perfect and the price was great (only $200 for the pair).
At first I was on the fence about the hardware. The zigzag is kind of cool, but now I’m over them I think. The brass plate is getting corroded, so I’m thinking I just want to do simple brass ring pulls like the dresser had that I first fell in love with.
What’s your vote? Clean and touch up the brass zigzag pulls, or replace with simple brass ring pulls?
PS I usually have a huge stash of these brass ring pulls since they look great on everything. They are about 2″ in diameter. I might just try them again, though I wish I had something closer to the 2.5-3″ diameter range. Gracious Home has an impressive hardware selection that I might check out this week. Do you have an sources for large brass ring pulls? Liz’s Antique Hardware is great if you have about $30 a pull to spend.
I like the zig zags. The ring pulls might not mount the same and I think it looks funny when you have the different hardware covering up the old holes. I bet you could spray paint them with some rustoleum if they don't clean up well.
I'd love to find a set of dressers like that for my bedroom. For now, we are okay with our IKEA boring Malm.
Hi Jenny, I am from New Zealand studying Spatial Design. I just want to let you know, you are fabulous and so inspiring, and so resourceful. You give me hope and fill me with ambition. Go you. I found your blog through the brick house blog just 3 days ago, and I have been addicted since, I hope one day I get to go to one of your confrences and listen to you speak. I'm 23, and you are helping to put the blossoms on my tree. Thanks for being wonderful. Micaela Lewis.
P.S, I like the ring hardware. I'd probably get sick of the zigzags, they are cool though, you can reuse them on something else!
The zig zags are fun but maybe you can remove them and save them for something else. They might look good spray painted in a bright hue. I like the brass ring idea. Check our leevalley.com, the have a pretty good and affordable selection.
Those zig-zag pulls are virtually one of a kind. I've never seen anything like them. I would clean them up a bit, and use them. They are darling. The brass ring pulls -while nice, we are seeing everywhere these days. I would keep the original hardware. What a great find!!! =) Good work!!!
Rings on top, Zigs on the bottom. At least try it out. I like the idea of the masculine & feminine working together.
The zig zag handles are way more interesting than the brass pulls. Don't get rid of them! Please!
Lee Valley Tools in Ottawa, CA has a great selection of very reasonably priced hardware. http://www.leevalley.com
Lee Valley Tools (www.leevalley.com) has a great and reasonably priced selection of hardware. good luck!
I'd live with the zigzag for a week or so, see what they're like in the hand when you're opening and closing the drawers, and how they contribute to the rest of your bedroom style.
I like how unique they are, and am also worried about filling holes to change to the ring pull if you are keeping the timber finish.
As always, love your work!
oooo I might want to buy those handles from you!!!!
Jenny- when you order these ring pulls, do you get the old brass or the burnished? I'm thinking of ordering some in burnished but I'm wondering if it's too shiny? I'd be putting them on a chest of drawers painted emerald green with a high gloss finish…….?
Jenny- when you order these ring pulls, do you get the old brass or the burnished? I'm thinking of ordering some in burnished but I'm wondering if it's too shiny? I'd be putting them on a chest of drawers painted emerald green with a high gloss finish…….?
Love the zigzag hardware. If you MUST remove them, sell them to me!;)
wow LOVE the hardware its so unique… the rings are all over the place now! But I totally know how it is to get the look you fel in love with stuck in your head! I want those dressers you found! Will you tell us East -Coasters where you shop in NJ for these steals?
Thanks & good luck w those dresser they rock!
i vote zigzags. love your style and blog.
I would keep the handles because they are so unique. Can't wait to see the finished dressers!
Zig-zags! Lovely and unusual. Ring-pulls are everywhere.
Zig-zags! Lovely and unusual. Ring-pulls are everywhere.
zig zag, please! i agree they need to be shined up a little but the ring pulls are almost a little too shiny and perfect…
zig zag, please! i agree they need to be shined up a little but the ring pulls are almost a little too shiny and perfect…
The zig-zags are amazing! If you do away with them, consider making some beautiful jewelry out of them, so that they can live on in a new way.
The zig-zags are amazing! If you do away with them, consider making some beautiful jewelry out of them, so that they can live on in a new way.
Where did you go in Jersey?
Keep the zig zags!!! Absolutely love them!!!
I vote for the zigzag hardware too! They dressers are so unique that I wouldn't "dress" them down! What a great find in NJ – who knew?
The rings compliment the first pieces Louis XVI/Directoire lines. The unusual zigzag pulls compliment the Deco vibe of the pair of dressers. I suggest at shot at Brasso, and even suggest that you send the pulls to a professional metal refinisher and get them stripped and replated in a finish of your choice, like satin nickel, so you keep the Deco vibe and update the metal color. Try Empire Metal Finishers in NYC. Here's a link: http://www.empiremetal.net/
Empire Metal finishers are great people to have on hand…
The more I look at them, the more I like the zig zags. Of course you can always replace them down the road if you get sick of them.
Gracious Home has a great selection, but often a lot of the pieces are special order (I went to the UWS one and all their ring pulls were special order).
I second Rose's suggestion of Lee Valley, I've ordered a few different types of ring pulls from them and their prices were very reasonable.
I'd try to clean them up or look into having them replated. They are an amazing design element!
I would stick with the zig zag. They are so unique and I've never seen anything like them. LOVE!
defintely change from pulls to rings.
So jealous….where do you luck out with all of the bargain finds??? Lucky lady you are! I, too LOVE the zig zag pulls! I'm feeling such a pull towards geometric fabrics and wallpapers….these give me the same sense. Do you plan to keep the wood finish as is? Just curious if you have a painting project in mind for these. Love, love love your blog and continue to turn all of my design lovin friends onto your blog. Feel better soon!
Love the zigzag pulls!
I love brass ring pulls, but wow, those zig zags are beyond unique. They would be amazing all shined up!
Oh PLEASE keep the zig zags! They are seriously rad and unique. If you really find you can't live with 'em you could switch to ring pulls later.
I vote keeping the zigzag pulls! I think there are unique and so unexpected :) love your blog btw!! Xo, Melissa
To be honest I would probably go for the ring pulls just because I love the classic style. If you're already starting to doubt the zigzag, you probably will like it less with time. At least that's usually how I am. Good luck deciding!
Keep the zig-zags! So unique!
I'm from New Zealand, and NOT a designer. This is a small country, everything is imported and has to appeal to the largest number of people. So much furniture has the ring pulls for that reason, and quite frankly, I am sick of seeing them. Keep the zig-zags. They are unique, original, accent the straight grainy look on the drawers and provide a surprise when seen from the top down.