Friday, January 7, 2011

The cabinet at the top of the stairs

Really.

That's what we call it.

Maybe it doesn't have quite the ring that

"the cupboard under the stairs"

has, but it's gotta be close!


Anyway, I bought this little cabinet from a classified ad for $50 several years ago. In my head it was going to sit just inside our front door, but it was too big. Instead, it went to the landing at the top of the stairs, and there it has sat ever since!


And it was fine for a long time. It holds all my yarn stash, and other miscellany crafty items. It was a brown cabinet on a white wall, and it wasn't bothering anybody.

Then I had to go and paint the wall...a year ago. Now it was an ugly brown cabinet on a brown wall, and it bothered ME...a lot!!


If it bothered me so much, you might wonder why it took a year to paint it. Well, there were too many more-fun-more-interesting projects waiting in the garage. Then there was homeschool. Then there were the holidays.

But all that is OVER now....and the time had come.

Wednesday I bought paint and a dropcloth (which I used as a dropcloth) and got to work!


The poor little cabinet never moved from the top of the stairs. I just pulled it away from the wall and left the doors and drawers hanging open for a few days. It's OK. No one fell down the stairs in the middle of the night... (that I know of--I wear earplugs at night!)

I used Behr Premium paint in "Heavy Cream." In retrospect, and I needed something a little more creamy, but that's how the milk spilt! I used Minwax Dark Walnut stain to glaze it all over, and I replaced the hardware (except the hinges, although I would have if I could have gotten them off).

It definitely "pops" more against the brown wall now, and that's good.


The bad is that it isn't exactly the same "white" as the framed pictures above it.

And the pictures aren't going / can't go anywhere!

(These are my treasured hand-painted irises on porcelain tiles that my mother made. They are beyond gorgeous, but the frames may have to be re-re-painted to match the cabinet now!)


The color difference was really bothering me until I put a few doo-dads on the cabinet. That helps fool my eye into not noticing the difference quite so much!


I will admit this isn't my ideal piece of furniture for this spot--what I really want is an antique dresser that's up on legs. But I can live with it a while longer now!

What do you think? Better?



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31 comments:

Unknown said...

It looks great! It really does pop. Great job. Thanks for sharing. 8>)

Unknown said...

I love it! It is a great storage piece and I really like the hardware.

Rachel said...

So funny! I was thinking today, Korrie hasn't had any furniture re-do posts lately. I wonder what she's working. :D

I was staring (sp?) at an old bookcase that isn't brilliant but has some cool wood work to it and thought, I wonder how Korrie would refinish this to make it brilliant. :D

Nice job on the cabinet!!

Courtenay@Signal Hill Interiors said...

Ooooh. I like it!

Kim @ A Brush of Whimsy said...

I think it turned out fabulous! It looks great against the brown wall now! :)

Artichoke Alley said...

Better for sure! I loved that the projects in your home get the back burner too....the story of my life! Anyway, great job and I think it looks great with the framed tiles above!

His girl said...

Your project turned out great. Did you put anything over the Minwax stain to create the glazed look? I am going to refinish a dresser in my son's room and was curious. :)

Jennifer Interiors said...

Ooooh! I want it!! Very nice! You amaze me!!

Melanie Bacom said...

I never get tired of looking at before and after pictures. The dresser is beautiful.

cucumbers and vinegar said...

It looks wonderful! I love the transformation!

Sarah Tolman said...

You. Are. Amazing.

wisp said...

I love it! You always make me feel like decorating and being creative. =) You are so talented and motivated. You are an inspiration to me.

Korrie@RedHenHome said...

Thank you all for your kind comments! In response to "His girl," I didn't put anything over top of the stain. I used a cheap brush to get into every corner and crevice, but then I also brushed all over the flat surfaces. Immediately after, I rubbed the stain in with a cloth. You can only do about a paper-size chunk at a time, as the stain will dry really fast. Hope that helps!

Meredith said...

VERY nice! I love that it has such a cute name too. :)
Thanks for stopping by earlier!
Meredith @ Welcome to Heardmont

Calypso In The Country said...

Love it! I like that fact that you didn't move it too far to re-finish it too! Lugging something that heavy down the stairs would make me put off a project like that forever! Great job!

Crystal @ Ordinary Days said...

This looks so much better painted! It was great before, but now it is FANTASTIC. Love it. :)

Kim @ Savvy Southern Style said...

Korrie, I love the new paint job you gave it. I understand about some projects having to wait. I have a bench on my stair landing because I have no where else for it to go, too. Thanks so much for joining the party!

Tire Swing Mom said...

I think it looks great. You did a good job. Thanks for sharing.

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

Very nice! I love what you've done! I'll have to keep this in mind. I have a lot of white and black in my home and you've shown how you can change a piece to make it even better! ♥

Christine @ sugarandtrash.com said...

this is awesome, I love it in white.

Tina said...

Wow..what a difference! It looks great!

xinex said...

It looks very nuce and I bet you get a lot of use out of it.....Christine

Anonymous said...

Oh, it looks great! Looks like a good size for storage. Probably a good thing you could just paint it where it stood. Probably too cold to take it to the garage! :)
Looks wonderful.
Be a sweetie,
shelia ;)

Sue said...

Hi Korrie,
Your chest looks amazing. I am getting inspired by all of you bloggers and am going to try my hand at glazing some furniture this year. Beautiful transformation.
Have a great day!
Sue

Becca Bertotti said...

What a beautiful transformation! It was pretty before, but it's gorgeous now ... the finish you chose looks perfect popping against your rich wall. Take care.

An Oasis in the Desert said...

This turned out so great. Good job!
CAS

Anonymous said...

WOW! That looks amazing! I WISH I had the patience to take on a big painting project like this!How imspiring! It looks fabulous!

René said...

It looks so fresh now. Great job!

-Rene

gail@My Repurposed Life said...

I think it's beautiful! nice job!
thanks for linking up and linking back,
gail

Unknown said...

great redo. love the color

Abby Green said...

I just did something similar to my kitchen cabinets, but the minwax stain seems like it's never going to dry (it's been about 20 hours)...is that how long yours took? or is there anything special I need to do to help it dry faster? Thanks!

abby@ryanhoodmusic.com