Buffet Upcycle ~ Use What You Have

Welcome back! First and foremost, I apologize for the time that has passed since my last post. We had a death in the family so Mr H and I have been spending a lot of time with our families the last few weeks. And I must say, while everyone's hearts were saddened at our loss, we truly enjoyed the time that it allowed us to spend together playing games and reminiscing (Phase 10 and Sequence are family favorites!). I'm going to try and make up for my absence with a few extra project posts.

Today's post is about a concept that I'm desperately trying to embrace in my life-"Use what you have." One of the goals that I have set for myself this year is to: re-purpose what I have, restore what someone else had and splurge only on what I love. 

Yes, I would love to walk into both Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware and say "I'll take one of everything." However, this is neither practical nor good for my young marriage - Mr H may kill me! So, I'm determined to make furniture that I have work by giving it a facelift, bringing furniture from a thrift store back to life, and splurging only when I fall in love with a piece. With that being said, I am going to try to avoid buying a piece of furniture (or anything for that matter) just to "make do" until I find something better.


Example 1:  Dark, Tired, Buffet

I bought this sofa table a million years ago at Target.

Before

Technically, this is a sofa table but it has been used as a desk and most recently as a buffet in our dining room (please ignore the tabletop decor as it was in the process of being transitioned to Spring).  I was/am tired of all of the dark wood furniture in our place so instead of hunting for a new buffet or sideboard, I decided to "upcycle" this guy by giving him a much-needed facelift.

Ever since I incorporated gold and gray as a color combination in my wedding decor, I have been in love with the combined hues!  So, I started with a light gray with beige undertones - Fieldstone by Benjamin Moore.

I am a BIG fan of this Behr Premium Paint and Primer in one (Home Depot color matched the paint).  While it is slightly more expensive ($14 for 1 quart), my experience so far has been that it cuts the number of coats needed by at least 1/2. 

Next, I ordered some gold drawer cup pulls from a hardware store online called Amerock.  I have ordered several pieces of hardware from this store online and have been very pleased with the price, quality and delivery time.

These drawer cups were about $2 each and I ordered a total of 3.

I applied the paint with a foam roller for even coverage and to eliminate brush-stroke marks.  A small foam brush was used for the detail on the fronts of the drawers.  After about 2 hours, 2 coats of paint (allowing 1/2 hour drying time between coats), and attaching some new hardware bling, this buffet got a major facelift:

After

For roughly $20, this buffet transformed from drab to fab!  The dining room has really benefited and brightened from this upcycle.  Here are some more shots of the new Spring vignette:

I staged the table with things I just collected from around our place-trying to keep it light and fresh.

I love the way the gold hardware brings out the beige warmth in the gray.

   

Nothing says Spring like some fresh cut flowers.  Submerging a stem of green leaves inside a glass vase filled with water can be an unexpected floral addition.  In this glass vase, I just contoured and wrapped the stem along the inside wall of the vase.

If you follow me on instagram (lori_bluegrasspearls), you may have seen the gold frame and mat that I scored at a thrift store for 75 cents!!  That's so cheap for a frame PLUS a mat!  I'm not sure yet what will end up in this frame, but I have some ideas.

 

I have not sealed it yet with a protective coating.  I'm going to watch the piece and try to decide if I think that it needs it.  If you paint a piece of furniture that gets a lot of use or activity, I would definitely seal it (Minwax Water-Based Polycrylic Protective Finish in “Clear Gloss” is a favorite).

Now, a final before and after (so you don't have to scroll up again):

Kitty cat tested and approved.

Source List:

Paint - Fieldstone by Benjamin Moore

Table - Target (not available anymore)

Cup drawer pulls - Amerock online

Silver candlesticks - wedding present from Pottery Barn

Lamp - Home Goods (many years ago)

White "H" pitcher - wedding present from Pottery Barn

Decorative grey "H" - Restoration Hardware

White platter - Pottery Barn

Seagrass market tote - boutique in Seaside, FL

Chair - TJ Max

Throw pillow - Target

Throw blanket - Target

I hope you enjoyed seeing an upcycle of an existing piece of furniture in our home.  What are your thoughts?  Have you upcycled a piece of existing furniture from your home before or are you more likely to go find something new for the space?

Happy restoring and recycling!

xoxo