I love antiques. I love the style of new furniture that looks antique, but I love the real thing even more. I think my fondness for these old things comes from knowing they have a rich history.

I’ve been on the hunt for some sort of cabinet for the breakfast area so I’d have a good place to store a few odds and ends, including our art supplies since the kitchen table is always where we paint. The plastic box in the corner just wasn’t cutting it for me.

On a recent antique store expedition, I found a small Hoosier-style cabinet. I had Ken look at it to make sure it was sturdy, but immediately made plans to refinish it. The price had been marked down, and marked down again, so I ended up paying $125 for it. Another thing I love about antiques: they generally cost much less than a comparable new piece of furniture.

I came home and researched my happy little find. {Because I’m goofy and giddy like that.} It had the company name, model number, and original color listed on the back, so that made my research easier.

I even found the patent number on a little metal plate inside a drawer, so I looked that up and found the original patent information. How cool is that!?!

I did more studying, and found delightfully cheesy old ads for Sellers Cabinets, “The Best Servant In Your House.” I seriously adore vintage ads.

This project took three days of sanding, priming, and painting. Things like this always take longer than I anticipate, and in the midst of it I always wonder WHY on earth I decided to do this again. But by that time, I’m usually too far to turn back. I believe I am a victim of DIY amnesia, a condition which causes me to forget how much work something like this is, and focus on what I know the results can be.

There was a tiny bit of remaining paint left from when it had been refinished previously, so I saw that the original “sea crest green” was a light, almost milk-glass sort of green. I considered restoring it back to that color, but because it was so similar to my kitchen wall color, I opted to paint it white. As a nod to the original color, however, I ordered jadeite milk-glass knobs from Look In The Attic to replace the ugly not-original knobs.

Cutest knobs ever:

The original Fast Fluffy Flour Sifter is still with the cabinet; I didn’t want to change the antique look of it, but I did want to protect it, so I sanded the rusty places and lightly painted it with Rustoleum satin metallic paint to prevent more rusting. I did the same things with the hinges, and was tickled with the results. [FYI: I don’t think metallic paint looks exactly like the real thing, but I used it when I re-did all our kitchen cabinets year ago, and it was a far more economical option than replacing all the hinges!]

One of the drawers is warped, the cabinet has some water damage, and there are numerous nicks and cracks in the doors — but I am so pleased with how it came out. And I just love thinking of the 1930-something homemaker who got it new for her kitchen, and I wonder how many homes it has lived in since then.

It’s adorable!
Do you ever take on these kinds of projects? If so, do you suffer from DIY amnesia, too?

** UPDATE: see it’s second makeover! **

Jamie

Wife, mom, J-ma. Introvert who enjoys good books, sunshine, and authentic conversation. Often seen with a steaming mug of tea in hand – unless it’s lost yet again in the microwave. Read more »