One piece of furniture that I have always felt okay with splurging on is a dresser—particularly a vintage dresser. This long, low style (sometimes called a credenza or buffet when used in non-bedroom rooms) is the kind I have had in my bedroom for the past 6 years. And, we just picked up this new one last week! If you can find a vintage dresser that's in good shape, it's such a classic piece that can be used in so many ways and in so many rooms. Here are some examples…

1. In the dining room. As shown in the top two photos, a long low dresser makes for a great buffet and storage piece in the dining room. You can keep extra plates, linens, and flatware inside while having a bar area up on top. To me, this piece is perfect if you entertain a lot and just need that extra storage while having another surface area for food or drinks.

To play up the dining room location, we hung up four food prints for a gallery wall equally distributed across the length of the credenza. To spruce it up for entertaining, place a runner along the length of the dresser for a bar area.

(Sources: Aelfie rug, Joel Penkman and Paul Ferney prints, Vanessa Bean vase, Sarah Sherman Samuel table runner, Oh Joy! for Target drink stirrers, W and P Design pineapple tumber, Oh Joy! for Target salt & pepper shaker, 1882 vase, vintage floor lamp.)

2. Living room – Whether used in the entry way area to hold umbrellas and shoes or in the main living room to store DVD's, remote controls, and those gadgets that always need a home, a vintage dresser always looks good in a living room. In this version, we leaned the art print against the wall—which is a nice way to display art if you don't want to damage your wall or if you have art you'd like to rotate in and out. This print is placed off center and balanced out visually with other objects in a variety of shapes, sizes, and textures.

(Sources: Aelfie rug, Target lamp, Famille Summerbelle print, Sunbeam Vintage chair, Virginia Johnson pillow)

3. For the nursery. Rather than getting a "changing table", these days a low and long dresser makes for the perfect height for diaper changes while investing in a piece that will last long after the baby stage for clothes, blankets, and baby bedding. Here we evenly placed two medium-sized prints above the dresser. Once your babe is mobile, you can edit and revise the items you keep out for display, but this height tends to be a good one to keep decorative items out of reach of smaller mobile babies.

(Sources: MiO playhouse, Mountain Haus Studio wooden blocks, Animal Print Shop baby giraffe print, Jen Gotch paper cup prints, Oh Joy! For Target changing pad cover, Oh Joy! for Target pillow, Eric Trine plant stand, Target rug)

What do you guys think? When I think about all the things you can do with one piece, it really makes me feel better about investing in nicer pieces that can change and grow with you…

{Photos by Casey Brodley, styling by Julia Wester, assistant styling by Jess Hong. This dresser from Ai Modern, paint color is Sherwin Williams web gray.}