Well, I finally did it! I took on the project of giving my china cabinet a makeover. This piece was my grandmother’s that I have had for the last 6 years. It was a part of a whole set ( with table & chairs)…but it just wasn’t quite my style.
All of this furniture just felt too big and bulky for our dining room. When I was considering selling it all and replacing the china cabinet, I just kept coming back to this piece and saying…it would really work …IF I just gave it some love (aka white chalk paint). So, that’s exactly what we did. I sold my table and chairs through Facebook Marketplace, which is a great resource for buying and selling stuff if you haven’t checked it out already!
My husband, Zack, was INCREDIBLY helpful on this. I was originally planning to paint and use all the glass doors on the top, but as we were removing all the doors/hinges to prep for painting, I suddenly KNEW we needed to move in a new direction. Zack knew it too!
We immediately discussed how awesome this piece looked with the doors removed! It made the whole piece feel less heavy and “formal”. So, just like that…I had a new excitement for working on this thing! Zack helped me to fill in all the nail holes.
This is what we used for that ….
We removed the printed backing I had going on inside my china cabinet. This was a DIY project I did a few years ago. I just used some fun contact paper to give some life to the inside. This was back when I was too scared to actually just paint the thing. 🙂 Once we removed that, it really made me get a feel for the potential beauty we had.
Now onto the actual painting part. I used Rustoleum’s Chalk Paint in linen white. I used this paint recently to give my old buffet/turned tv console a makeover. I was very pleased with the outcome of that project, so I knew it would be great on my china cabinet too.
It took a solid 3 coats (and 2 cans of paint) to get the coverage we needed. Below you can see the difference between 1 and 2 coats of paint though by looking at the left and right side.
Finally got this beast beauty all painted. I used some sandpaper and distressed it in just a few spots to give it some character. Added a layer of Polycrylic (in matte finish) to seal it and got to putting her back together. This is the FUN part!
Now came the REALLY fun part… styling it with some of my favorite things. I have some awesome jadeite pieces, but I decided to keep it super neutral for now. Adding lots of texture through various metals and finishes. I love adding touches of greenery in there too. I have a real LOVE for antique/tarnished teapots too! I feel like everything just POPS (hubby hates when I say that lol) against the white paint now!
Before & After Side by Side:
I am SO SO SO pleased with the transformation of this piece. It was definitely worth the time and effort to bring it back to life. I am currently in the process of revamping the entire room a little bit (new table & chairs, etc), but I will for sure share more of that process as it happens too!
Thank you for all the sweet feedback you have given during this process! I don’t share for the praise, but to hopefully give you some motivation to tackle a project in your own home. You don’t always have to go out and buy all new furniture…sometimes all it takes it just a little paint and some imagination to see the potential in what you already have!
–Adrian
**Follow me on Instagram (@StewartStyleInteriors ) to catch lots of behind the scenes info on what I stay busy with!
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