Peg's Crayon Box

Join me in my journey to live a more artful and colorful life every day. Come read about my projects, things I've discovered or learned from others, and ponderings on what it means to listen to the inner muse.

Monday, July 5, 2010

New Life for Old Piece

Inspired by the kitchen re-do I decided to get serious about perking up the dining room. I needed a piece of furniture that would hold napkins, candles, etc., plus store all that "stuff" on the kitchen counter that served as my desk- files, pencils and pens, envelopes and such.
As luck would have it I found the perfect piece in a little clothes/used furniture shop in town. It didn't look like much at first glance, but I saw POTENTIAL!!
Here are 2 shots just as I started to sand off the varnish on the veneer. Fortunately the thin veneer was over good hard wood. The grooved details were a little tricky to clean out but I persevered.
Voila! I used semi-gloss red paint from another project to paint sides and polyurethened the top (even though it is a veneer it was well done with a good wood base so it almost looks solid). The knobs are recycled from my old kitchen - I love them.

This piece is absolutely perfect in our dining area- the drawers hold all that office-type stuff, appliance manuals, placemats, etc. and one cabinet holds a wine rack and the other some vertical files. The top is a great space for displaying favorite pottery and other treasures. I love the color contrasts between the red cabinet, yellow wall, and teal stairway behind.