It was some time ago that I had shared with you the before photo of this maple buffet here. My Mom lives out of town and although this cabinet was painted and clear-coated a couple of weeks ago, I was finally able to drop it off at her house last night. She was so happy that it was finally finished!
A little background on this buffet…I had picked it up for my Mom off of Kijiji from a couple who were selling some of their Mother’s estate items. They had really wanted to refinish it themselves but never got around to it.
I called up my Mom and she thought it would be perfect for her. She had been looking for a small buffet to use as a flat screen TV cabinet for quite some time. This cabinet was small like she wanted and the price was very reasonable. Nowadays, where can you buy a solid maple buffet at a store for $50.00?
The photo below is the actual photo from Kijiji. It looks to be in pretty good shape in the photo. Well, actually the bottom part of the cabinet was. The top of the cabinet was another story though. It looked like…
this…
Someone had tried to paint chalkboard paint on the top and did a really lousy job. That’s ok. I could live with that! I planned to paint the entire buffet anyway, so it was ok that it was a little rough around the edges.
A little tip from me..When you are out shopping for vintage furniture, don’t be turned off by a piece of furniture that is an ugly color, is too plain, is outdated looking, etc. As long the piece doesn’t require major structural repairs, try to look past the imperfections. With a little bit of elbow grease, some paint/stain and some embellishments, your piece of furniture can turn out to be beautiful!
When I had asked my Mom what her vision was for this cabinet she said that she just wanted it updated with some turquoise paint and new hardware. I could have easily added some wooden appliques to the doors, distressed it like crazy or attached some extra molding. See, she already has some cabinets with appliques in her living room and she thought that something a little more simple would help to balance everything out.
When I brought the cabinet over to her last night she was so excited. She loved it! Then she called me tonight and said, “You know what Carrie? What if you added some stenciling or something to the front of the doors and drawers to give it some “oomph”?” Awww, my sweet Mom! I should have went with my initial gut feeling from the beginning and just surprised her.
So the below photos are what my Mom’s buffet cabinet looks like now. Keep in mind that this is not the “final” look for this cabinet. I think it has already come a long way though! What do you think?
Hmmmm… something still doesn’t look right here. There’s something missing isn’t there? Yes, the bottom handles on the cabinet are MIA! Darn!…my Mom had the handles at her house!
Last night I was just about ready to load her cabinet up into our truck when I decided that should at least take some photos of the cabinet mostly finished, even if the handles were missing and I wasn’t able to stage the photos. I am glad that I decided to take some photos then because by the time we arrived at my Mom’s house and unloaded her cabinet it was way too dark in my Mom’s living room to take photos. Too bad!
See the cabinet above? This is my Mom’s old TV stand which is actually also a buffet. The handles on the bottom of this cabinet are the ones she plans on using on her new turquoise cabinet. What do you think? Do you like them? They actually match perfectly with the old brass door brackets that came with the turquoise cabinet.
I was lucky enough to bring my Mom’s old cream TV cabinet home with me. I am not sure if I should paint it to sell it or if I should keep it. What do you think?
I love the metal mesh on the doors and the top folds out into a long surface used for serving food. It’s current color is a little too yellow for my liking so it will be my next painting project. Stay tuned for its makeover in the next little while!
I love the crystal knobs that my Mom chose for her cabinet. She picked them up on clearance for $2.95 each at Anthropologie. I think they give the cabinet some lovely sparkle.
By the way in the photo above it looks like there are some white marks around the knobs. It is just the refection of the sun on the knobs.
Here are some close-ups of the “bling”!
Now for the finishing details…
I started off with stripping the top of this buffet to remove the black chalk paint-gone bad. I used my favorite paint stripper that I recently shared here.
This cabinet was primed and then painted with Behr Paint and Primer in One in Gem Turquoise mixed at 50%. I decided that I needed to age the turquoise a little bit so I mixed up some glaze with the Gem Turquoise and Martha Stewart’s Araucana Teal. This helped to bring out the distressing I had done and highlight the moldings. I then coated the entire cabinet with four coats of my favorite top coat in a satin finish.
Here is the color sample of Behr Gem Turquoise #500-B4. Keep in mind that I mixed my paint color at 50% so it is half as strong of a hue as it shows in the paint sample above. Another reason why my Mom’s cabinet is a slightly different color than the paint chip is because I did an aqua glaze over top of the Gem Turquoise. I love Gem Turquoise though; it is a beautiful color.
I love the curvy recessed doors on this cabinet…
and the apron-detail at the bottom. I love me some curvy furniture!
I tried to take photos that were not in direct sun but it didn’t work out too well. The sun really washes out the color here so it is a little brighter than it is in real life. It is really a nice medium-toned turquoise.
I decided to leave the inside of this cabinet unpainted to save me a bit of work and it was in really good shape anyway so why mess with a good thing? I added a hole at the back so my Mom could pass her electrical cords through.
She plans to place her DVD player, her collection of DVD’s, and her magazine files on the shelves and I think in the end she will get some great storage out of this cabinet. When she wants to watch a movie she can just open the doors to use the DVD player and when she is all done she can close the doors and everything will be hidden from view again.
If you are looking for a piece of furniture to turn into a TV stand, these small buffets are the perfect size for a small space. A bonus is that they are solid maple, no particle board to be found! These buffets are plentiful around here and can easily be found on Kijiji/Craigslist and at local auctions. You may have seen them before as a china cabinet with a hutch on top.
Why not make some use of these outdated cabinets? Just remove the hutch and use them for your flat screen TV! They provide ample storage, they are very sturdy and are a great height for TV viewing.
Just paint one up to match your decor and you will have a stylish vintage TV cabinet and your husband/wife will also be happy because they will also have a functional piece of furniture.
Have I sold you yet?
Please stay tuned for the final reveal of this buffet turned TV cabinet in the next couple of weeks.
I can’t wait to share it with you!
By the way, my Mom totally loved the little french stool that I painted for her and shared with you here. I think that is where her idea for a stenciled cabinet came from.
Until next time,
Don’t miss a post on thrifty transformations, crafts, DIY projects and more!
Subscribe to Hooked on Decorating by Email
24 comments
Audrey Zumwalt
May 29, 2012 at 6:08 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Looks Great Carrie … You do such a nice job of refinishing. Wish I could use that color in my house … it is beautiful.Blessings,
Audrey Z.
Carrie
May 29, 2012 at 9:19 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Audrey, you are so sweet! It is a pretty bold color for sure. I think it makes a nice statement color but I don’t think I would paint everything in my house that color. Thanks for stopping by.
Have a great night,
Carrie
Katie @ Little Becky Homecky
May 29, 2012 at 12:41 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
This is amazing!! I love the color you chose!
Tanya
May 29, 2012 at 3:49 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
The color is amazing, and the knobs are gorgeous!
Tanya :)
Carrie
May 29, 2012 at 9:24 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thanks so much Tanya! :)
Monica Livas
May 29, 2012 at 4:37 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Lovely color!
Carrie
May 29, 2012 at 9:24 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thanks Monica!
Anu@MyDreamCanvas
May 29, 2012 at 10:09 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Wow, this is fabulous. What an amazing makeover! I do hope you’ll visit me at My Dream Canvas!
cassie
May 30, 2012 at 5:03 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
so fun and beachy! i love the color and the new knobs!
Morgan
May 30, 2012 at 8:18 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
What a great makeover! You did an amazing job. I love the color and the knobs!
Carrie
June 1, 2012 at 9:54 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thanks so much Morgan for your kind comments. I can’t wait until I get to finish it and share it with everyone!
Christine
May 30, 2012 at 4:13 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
YAY!!! It’s looking fabulous!!! Way to go! Can’t wait to see the finished version :)
Thanks for sharing at The DIY Dreamer.. From Dream To Reality!!
Carrie
June 1, 2012 at 10:09 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I can’t wait to share the finished TV cabinet when it is all done either! Thanks for your wonderful comments Christine!
Enjoy your weekend.
Carrie
Sharon Hines
May 30, 2012 at 11:37 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
You did a fabulous job, Carrie. I like the distressing effect…it really adds to the piece. I think the crystal knobs look perfect and I can totally envision the brass handles on the bottom doors. Like you, I’m a curve kinda girl…I really like aprons on furniture. You’re so sweet to share your creativity, time and talent with your mom….and with us at Show & Tell. Thanks for linking up!
Sharon @ mrs. hines class
Carrie
June 1, 2012 at 10:10 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thanks so much Sharon! Thanks for stopping by.
Take care,
Carrie
Leanne
May 31, 2012 at 2:20 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
This is very cute, Carrie! I love turquoise, too. I should give you a sample of Annie Sloan`s Provence to try!
Carrie
June 1, 2012 at 10:30 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thank you Leanne! That would be wonderful! Thanks for stopping by.
S
June 1, 2012 at 3:23 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Nicely done – pretty, pretty color.
Carrie
June 1, 2012 at 10:44 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thank you S!
Sharon @ Elizabeth & Co.
June 4, 2012 at 9:12 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Perfect! I love turning unique pieces into media cabinets. It’s just so much more interesting than what you traditionally find in stores. And cute and thrifty too!
Carrie
June 5, 2012 at 11:01 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thanks Sharon! You are so right! I love using pieces of furniture in nontraditional ways. It makes life more interesting for sure!
Stacey
June 4, 2012 at 10:44 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Carrie -
One word for this – LOVE!
Gorgeous!
Thanks for linking up this week – so happy you did!
Stacey of Embracing Change
Carrie
June 5, 2012 at 10:59 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Awww! Thanks Stacey. You are a sweetheart! Thanks for hosting your linky parties too. I always make sure to stop by each week.
L
June 6, 2012 at 5:02 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
The piece looks lovely in turquoise. But, I agree, your instincts were correct that it needed a little something more. Personally, I like the one you brought back home from your mom’s. ;)
Thanks for linking to Time Travel Thursday. Be sure to stop in and see the announcement, this Thursday, of my latest giveaway.
Blessings,
Liz @ The Brambleberry Cottage