Before & After: Inside a Full Bedroom Set Refurbishment

The original set was inherited — a long dresser, a tall chest, and two nightstands in heavy orange-toned pine that had aged into the colour of weak tea. The client almost donated the lot. Then she sent Kara a photo, and the studio spent the next six weeks turning the suite into the centrepiece of her new inner-city Calgary primary bedroom.

The four pieces were refurbished in tandem so the suite would read as a single, considered collection rather than four mismatched objects. Drawers were re-glued, runners replaced, joinery tightened, and every surface stripped to bare wood before the finish work began.

The cases were dressed in a soft alabaster enamel with a hand-rubbed satin sheen. The tops were sanded back to bare oak, sealed, and oiled warm — a two-tone refurbishment that gave the suite the layered, collected feel the client had been chasing.

Hardware was the final detail. The original brass-toned knobs were stripped, polished, and reinstalled where they still suited the design; the rest were replaced with hand-cast antique brass cup pulls and round knobs sourced specifically for the project. Every piece signed off by Kara before delivery.

The before-and-after still surprises the client every morning. What was once the suite she wanted to get rid of is now the room's quiet centrepiece — proof that almost any solid-wood vintage bedroom set, refurbished thoughtfully, can become the most beautiful furniture in a Calgary home.