Simmons Dresser- Norman Bel Geddes Pt. 1

After looking on Craigslist.org for months I finally found a Simmons metal dresser. It was advertised as a hotel dresser from 1936. After a bit of searching for Simmons and Bel Geddes I found a picture of the dresser in question, along with a cool nightstand and bed set.

The dresser was rusty and scratched in spots on its faux wood paint. The person I purchased it from said that he had had it for 30 years and planned on restoring it, but never got around to it.

I measured my trunk before I left, going by the dimensions that were listed in the ad, the dresser would fit, but I may not be able to close the trunk. So I brought a few ratchet straps just in case. I'm glad I did, because as you can see it didn't fit very well. I didn't account for the the width of the door up towards the top and it got stuck.

I made it home just fine and started stripping the paint off of the top immediately. The dresser is extremely well built there is a piece of tarred burlap glued to the inside of the side panels so it won't sound like thunder when opening and closing the drawers and the drawer slides are made of wood so they will slide easier.

I had seen a bedside table at a vintage shop that had the same look as the Simmons stuff but was not nearly as well made.

The wood paint job is original, but past the point of saving. I didn't put the drawers back in because as is, it is very hard to move. I put it on my car creeper to make it a bit easier. The bottom "toe kick" is painted wood.



The restoration process starts!