I was driving to work on rainy morning a few weeks ago when my friend texted asking if I was interested in this cabinet her neighbor put outside with the trash. Judging by the photo, the piece looked pretty wrecked and I thought it would be a fun challenge to fix it up and save it from the landfill.
Since the cabinet had been standing in the rain for a while, the first thing I had to do was dry it out. I set it in the garage and pointed two big box fans at it. While the cabinet was drying, I carefully removed all the green decorative pieces and old hardware. Then I sanded the whole thing and gave it a coat of gray paint, then I gave it a shabby-chic look by sanding off some of the gray paint, which works well for this piece since it’s primitively constructed and old. I also added salvaged drop bail pulls and knobs that I found at the restore for a couple dollars and spray painted black. I absolutely loved the results and how some of the original red and cream paint showed through!
Even thought I loved it, I didn’t really have a place for the cabinet, so I ended up selling it on Facebook Marketplace. The new owner was so tickled with it that I couldn’t stop smiling all afternoon! The idea that an old crumby cabinet, destined for the landfill, would have a new life and be loved and used for many more years, just brings me so much joy!
Rachel Baumann 