Dining Room Buffet Cabinet Redo

Am I the only crazy lady that stalks Facebook Marketplace everyday?! Surely, I can’t be. If you’ve never used it before, it’s basically like Craigslist except a lot less creepy because you can see who is selling an item. This old kitchen cabinet was posted on Marketplace about two weeks ago and I bought it within 15 minutes. I knew this would look perfect in our farmhouse!

I scored this gem for $75 since the couple selling it was moving out of state. Basically, they wanted this massive old cabinet out of their basement quickly and I saw the potential in this cabinet circa 1912. After a bit of help from my sweet hubby and dad, we were able to bring it home with us and start fixing it up!

It was in great shape. All of the glass was still in tact and the shelving and frame were solid. Really, all of the updating we had to do to it was cosmetic and you guys know I’m always in for a weekend project!

It was originally painted a bright mint green color which was actually really pretty! The only problem was it didn’t mesh well with our current dining room pieces/decor so I knew I had to either paint the cabinet or strip it. I wanted to see if I could strip down that green paint to reveal a pretty raw wood but after stripping a little section I realized that the wood tone was much darker and orange-y than I was going for.

Since the original paint was latex, it was hard to cover up with any type of paint I used. I ended up having to prime the cabinet with some Behr primer from Home Depot so that paint would adhere. After priming, I used my all time favorite Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint in the color “Linen”. It’s a soft creamy white that really works well with the creamy color in our rug. Since our colors in this space are a cool gray I wanted a color that would warm the space up and I think two coats of this option from MMS did the trick!

When we picked up this cabinet it had old brown paneling in the back of each shelf. We decided to add pieces of beadboard that were cut to fit each shelf to add some more “old-time” charm. After Eli adhered the beadboard paneling to the back of the cabinet with wood glue, I was able to paint each piece using the primer mentioned above. I really wanted that stark white contrast on each shelf to make the pieces that I eventually put on these shelves really pop!

I decided to leave the shelves the original wood color and I actually really love how they add a dark contrast to the light colors and tie into our flooring. I may be trying to lighten these shelves up a bit with a product that I will mention in a separate blog post (if it works, of course!)

I still need to seal the piece and work on styling a bit but for now I’m having fun adding some pieces to the top of it! I snagged this lamp along with this shade this weekend and added a few other antique pieces I had around the house. I’m so excited to add lots of vintage treasures to the shelves!

It’s amazing to me what a little paint and elbow grease can do for an old piece! It’s so much fun seeing a piece transform right before your eyes. Thank you all for being here and seeing what we’ve been up to! But I’m interested…what do you guys think of the new addition in our dining room!?

xo,

sarah jane