I found this small Drexel dresser on Craigslist for $50:

I liked the bones--it makes me think of a campaign-style piece and the price was right.

I cleaned, stripped, sanded, primed and painted it over a period of several weeks.  This morning, I finally put the hardware on it.  Here's what it looks like now:

Now I need to decide what kind of shelves to build over it.  I'm thinking of spacing them 18" or 24" apart.  Not sure yet if they should go the entire width of the niche, or if they should be the same width of the dresser.  Eventually the whole area there will be painted yellow.  I'm thinking gold brackets and hunter green open shelves.  The paint is Rustoleum hunter green, applied with a brush.