Hutch Makeover - From Prim & Proper to Shabby Cottage

This was our dining room hutch three years ago... We had so many projects going on back then, and this was one of them...


Like all of our furniture, this little hutch started out as an inexpensive piece of unfinished furniture. And, like everything else back in my prim days, it was immediately stained dark brown. (How do you like the plywood subfloors that I painted white? After ripping out our ancient wall to wall carpet, we lived with those for 2 years until we could afford hardwood floors last year. I could never do white floors again - too much work to keep clean!)


But about 3 years ago the cottage bug hit me, so this is how it looks today. I also happened to take possession of my Nana's china during that same time period...


So I refer to it as "Nana's hutch" because I have all of her old china displayed on the shelves and stored inside... I placed a favorite photo of my Nana between two dinner plates on the plate rack above the hutch (perhaps taken about the same time as she picked out this china, as she's a young woman in the photo). Below that is a 1950's photo of my mom and Nana (her mom), with my mom's crystal candy dish on the shelf right below.


The glass knobs and rose & cherub appliques really help with the "prim to cottage" transformation! (The large framed photo is my mom and dad in front of their Niagara Falls honeymoon cottage back in 1951!)


I don't know if it is 'proper' decorating or not, but I love having all the photos of Nana's side of the family mixed in with her good china, and I think she'd really like it, too!


Here's a close up of the pattern and a photo of my mom and dad from the early 80's... So thanks, Nana! I love the pattern as much as you did when you picked it out so many years ago!! I think it's just perfect for my little cottage!!

Donna

The Little Jelly Cupboard Makeover

I know... I know... I can hear you all now... "Oh, no! Not another one!"

If it seems as though I have a never ending supply of old styled furniture that has gone from its original "unfinished furniture store" look to the "country/primitive dark brown stained" phase to its current "creamy white painted cottage look," it's because I do! All of these pieces, although inexpensive to start with, have served me well for the past 20 or so years, so we're kind of like old friends...

This little cupboard has always sat in the corner of our dining area, housing some platters, dishes, and tablecloths rather than jars of jelly. The little mirror cabinet sitting on top was purchased at Home Goods several years ago. I sometimes switch things around on top of the cabinet, but the birdcage and the white pedestal bird on the aqua Franciscan platter are pretty much always there. (The poor bird... my black cat knocked it over several years ago so now the bird's chest is cracked with a gaping hole in it, and it lost its beak which I tried to 'mold' it a new one ... He's seen better days, but like the furniture, he's also an old friend, so I'm keeping him around!)

If I had it to do over again, I would have spent a little extra money and gotten bigger appliques for the three panels on the door. Those little cherub heads just look way too tiny, but once those appliques are adhered to the furniture, they are permanent!!!

P.S. Don't you love the rainbow on the wall over the mirrored cabinet in the top photo? I have little cut glass ornaments hanging in all of my windows and when the sun is shining at just the right angle, the house is full of rainbows!

Wishing you all a wonderful Friday!

Donna

My favorite makeover piece (so far!)...

Of all the pieces I've made over, this is my favorite so far. We bought the pie safe at an unfinished furniture store in the 80's. As soon as I got it home I stained it dark brown. Needless to say, it could not escape the white paint when I caught the cottage bug a few years ago. I thought it might look cute if I mounted a mirror on it, so the hunt was on. I found the perfect mirror at a junktique store. It was a simple, round mirror and the base was the perfect size for the pie safe... Best of all, it was marked down to around $22!

I applied wreath appliques to the door panels, a rose garland applique to the mirror base, and painted both pieces creamy white. After lightly sanding a bit along the edges and applying glass knobs... voila! A brand new look for that little old pie safe!

(You can click on any of the photos to see the details better... And as you can tell from the pictures, we've also had hardwood floors installed since starting all these projects!!)

UPDATE: To answer a few questions... Because I never varnished or waxed this piece after staining it, I was able to paint right over the dark brown without sanding. Priming really does help knot holes from showing through (a step I admittedly skip from time to time). The type of appliques I buy have a 'sticky' back that is activated when they are held over boiling water/steam (I use my old tattered frying pan spatter guard for this purpose - and needless to say, I don't use it for food/cooking anymore!)... To sand/distress along edges, if I remember, I'll rub a candle down the edges (before painting), wherever I want the paint to sand off easily after the piece has dried.

Donna