Originally we had a large PAX Ikea cabinet in this space. It was really large, wide, and deep. It was great for hiding paperwork, toys, electronics, crafting supplies and both my husband and my 'in box.' The problem was that we really didn't need that large of a space to hide things away in. It was so big it was turning into a black hole of stuff.
We wanted to open up our room and wall space. I looked began scouring Craig's List, Swap sites, and resale shops. I wanted to find something original and unique and a bargain price.
There she is! I know it will work! It's the right size, uniqueness, and era. And those handles! I wanted this piece bad, and it was 120.00. A fraction of what some of my favorite local MCM shops would charge.
Of course the day that we had available to pick it up there was an ice storm in Missouri. We trekked out to the country side to meet an old school antique junkie. We visited in the freezing cold outside of this 100 year old road side gas station for an hour or so.
Bungie cords in hand we loaded he into the van and off we went.
The piece was rough. My husband had his doubts....I knew in my heart she was right. Clearly the old guy knew there would be no negotiating with someone who drives though and ice storm to get a cabinet. He knew it and so did I. Sometimes you just gotta have it.
So here she is.
She was not in the best shape....but perfect.
With a little elbow grease and Old English Stain...she cleaned up pretty well.
The hinges and doors we in good working condition. The adorable pulls were in good condition. Because it was a 'built in' the side were raw. I used a white cloth and Old English to rub some richness into the wood on the cabinet fronts and the raw sides.
Apparently, someone had tiled the top of the shelf. We flipped the top over to discover white laminate in fairly good condition. I figured I could replace this down the road if I really want it perfect.
After a good wipe down with the old English stain.
There were carpet staples on the kick plate. I removed them with a pliers.
We bought a new kick plate at Home Depot. My husband stapled in on top of the old one for a nice clean finish.
Here is the new kick plate.
So the next step is to cut some plywood the same shape as the raw end of the cabinet. I'm going to recover it with linen and padding. Stay turned for the next blog post.
Cheers!
TaDa! Here is the finished end on the cabinet. I still need to get a new top for it, but for now the older laminate will stay. Eventually I will get a new piece for the top to truly finish her off!
My husband, Bryan cut out the board to 1/8" smaller than the end of the cabinet.
I used an electric stapler to pull the fabric around the board. I carefully cut and folded around the notch at the bottom.
I used Liquid Nails to adhere the panel to the end of the cabinet. I squeezed out a bead all the way around the panel.
This is the end panel that Bryan cut out for me.