Last October I found this beat-up vintage art deco vanity at a local thrift store. They had just put it on the floor and three of us were hovering over it hoping to take it home. At $50, it was a steal, and because I had a vehicle that could take it home that day, I won the bidding war.

The funny thing is that we had just come from the dealership and our spanking new Mazda 5 was on its maiden voyage when we decided to stop. Finally, a vehicle that can haul furniture!

After getting it home this 1940s vintage waterfall vanity got a Hollywood glam makeover inspired by a Breakfast At Tiffany's poster.

Vintage Waterfall Vanity Hollywood Glam Makeover

This is what the 1940s vanity with mirror looked like before the makeover. I apologize for the poor quality photo taken with a cell phone.

Other than a couple of wonky drawers, a well-used top, and missing the original bench, the vanity was in fairly good condition. It does have the original mirror which we set aside.

Are you ready to see the drab to fab Hollywood glam transformation?

I happened to have a metal vanity bench in my stash. It isn't vintage but painted to match the vanity, it pairs nicely. Pictured above, you can see the poster this furniture makeover was inspired by reflected in the vanity mirror.

Painted metallic with elegant pearl knob detail adds the glam but wait until you see the surprise inside!

Similar to Tiffany blue, the painted drawers with metallic polka dot liners add more feminine touches to the art deco vanity.

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of the Hollywood glam makeover, almost all of the DIY projects shared here at Interior Frugalista have step-by-step tutorials so why not get your budget DIY on and subscribe. You can also follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

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Painting The Vintage Vanity

Because the metallic silver paint is semi-opaque, the vanity required a base coat of paint first. The entire vanity was painted with two coats of light gray chalky paint in the color Pebble Beach.

After the last coat of paint was dry I sanded it with 220-grit sandpaper for a smooth finish before applying the first coat of matte metallic platinum silver paint. You can apply it with either a brush, paint sprayer, or roller.

I chose to roll the metallic paint on with a 4-inch foam roller. The paint went on like butter and I was surprised at how much coverage I got on the first coat, especially considering it is a semi-opaque paint.

Rolled with light pressure to avoid any roller lap marks with long even strokes while keeping a wet edge. A wet edge means overlapping the previous row of wet paint. I was surprised by how quickly the metallic paint dried.

I applied three coats for a high metallic finish, sanding lightly between each coat. After letting the last coat dry overnight, the paint was protected with two coats of satin polyacrylic. Unfortunately, it dulled the metallic sheen a little. In hindsight, I should have used the recommended master protective clear coat formulated for metallic paint.

But none-the-less, look how gorgeous the metallic sheen is on the vanity top.

To add a little vintage contrast, dark wax was applied on all the trim detail, especially the ridges of the trim.

Pro-Tip

The easiest way to apply dark wax in tight spaces (like ridges) is to cut the bristles of an inexpensive chip brush to approximately half an inch long. Make sure to run your fingers through the brush to remove any loose bristles before applying the wax.

Updating The Original Knobs

What's a Hollywood Glam makeover without some bling! I cleaned the original brass knobs with a toothbrush and Barkeeper's friend. Once dry I painted them with metallic pearl mist spray paint.

I found a set of four pearl and crystal beaded buttons and with E6000 glue, attached them to the center of each painted knob.

Don't they add an elegant touch to the makeup vanity?

The middle drawer was looking rather plain. It has a curved notch to open the drawer and rather than add another pearl knob, I attached a pearl bead strand to the center instead.

To do this I took the drawer out of the vanity and set it on the floor. I marked the center of the drawer front with a pencil line and ran a bead of E6000 glue on top.

With the pearls still on the strand (making it easier to keep them straight), I set them in place. Once the glue dried, I cut the clear thread from the strand so it wouldn't be visible.

Don't Forget The Vanity Drawers

Like they say, beauty comes from within so I painted the drawers with a pop of Tiffany Blue-ish color both inside and out. I also lined them with pretty metallic polka dot wrapping paper.

Pro-Tip

Here's a tip for lining drawers that eliminates those nasty air bubbles and wrinkles. Decoupage the paper with wallpaper paste. It gives you more playtime for lining the paper straight and there are fewer air bubbles.

A New Vanity Bench

Like I mentioned earlier, the vanity was missing the original bench. After an unsuccessful attempt to find one online, I paired the vanity with a newer metal bench instead.

It's hard to see in the photos but the fabric has a pearlized damask pattern. To unify the stool with the vanity I rubbed the metal straps joining the curly cues (for lack of a better word) with silver gilding wax.

I think the waterfall vanity and new metal stool pair well together plus the stool slides underneath when not in use.

Sometimes inspiration can come from the most unexpected places. When we brought the vanity home and hauled it through our media room to the adjacent bedroom to store, inspiration struck. A quick glance at the Breakfast At Tiffany's movie poster on the wall immediately inspired the direction for the makeover.

More Waterfall Furniture Makeover Inspirations

Black Painted Waterfall Hutch
Repurposed Waterfall Headboard Bench
Pink Ombre Waterfall Dresser
Decoupage Burlap Waterfall Dresser

Thanks for stopping by the Interior Frugalista today! I hope you were inspired by this vintage vanity makeover.

If you have any questions, please leave them in the comment section below or the Contact Me tab at the top to drop me an email. I love hearing from you!

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