Create Storage Space from Old Furniture

I mean seriously who would buy this junk? Me! Come see the makeover!


I wanted to transform this liquor cabinet into something that would work as more functional storage. I didn't have a specific design plan in mind but instead let the design evolve as I went along.

This liquor cabinet was too style-specific. But I envisioned it as a functional storage piece.

The interior had racks for storing bottles and wine glasses.

The interior had racks for storing bottles and wine glasses.

Other than some dirt the cabinet is in fairly good condition with the exception of a bit of bowing on the door. However, the door functions as intended, so I won't attempt any repairs to the door.

The cabinet door is slightly bowed, but it functions as intended, so I won't attempt any repairs.

The first step is to remove the back of the cabinet and gut the interior. The racks were held in place with nails, so we began by sawing the center of the racks and then using brute force (hammer and crowbar) to remove them completely.

The first step is to remove the back of the cabinet and gut the interior.

Now that the racks are removed I can better visualize the storage space this will have. However there was some surface damage to the wood where the racks were removed, so I needed a plan to fix that. More on that in just a moment . . .

Removing the racks created slight damage to the wood interior. But don't worry I have an easy fix for that.

The wood had a dark stain and didn't seem to have a sealant coat on it, so I cleaned the cabinet and then gave it a coat of shellac inside and out. I painted the cabinet after the shellac was dry.

I prepped the cabinet with a coat of clear shellac prior to painting.

I still didn't have a final design plan in mind at this point, so I gave the entire cabinet a base coat of paint. This step helped me see past the original dark wood and painted liquor bottles. I wanted to switch out the hardware with some really pretty glass knobs, but the original pulls weren't removable, so I had to work with what I had.

Some projects are harder to visualize than others. So when I'm stuck I paint it a neutral base coat to help me see past the original finish.

But before moving foward, I needed to finalize a plan for the interior. I found some pretty fabric and decided it would work well to cover the interior of the cabinet and also used it for inspiration for my final color scheme. I also had enough fabric to line the drawer. I measured each piece and cut the fabric to size.

Pretty fabric is a perfect solution for covering up an ugly drawer interior.

Nothing is ever square in the world of either construction or fabric, so when I cut the fabric for the sides of the drawer, I cut it slightly larger than necessary and made sure to line up the top edges prior to adhering. This way if it something wasn't quite square it would be hidden later when I applied the bottom piece. Then I folded back the fabric and applied ModPodge to a small section.

Follow these steps for lining a drawer with fabric.

I pressed and smoothed the fabric in place.

Press and smooth the fabric in place.

The glue isn't completely dry at this point, so it can still be re-positioned, but it has enough tackiness to hold it in place while I continued gluing the rest of the fabric piece. I carefully folded the fabric out of the way, applied glue to the remainder of the section, and then smoothed it into place making sure the top edge was even with the top of the drawer.

The glue isn't completely dry at this point, so it can still be re-positioned, but it has enough tackiness to hold it in place while I continued gluing the rest of the fabric piece.

I allowed a bit of overlap on the side pieces so there wouldn't be any gaps when the bottom piece was added.

I allowed a bit of overlap on the side pieces so there wouldn't be any gaps when the bottom piece was added.

Finally I added the bottom piece of fabric and it was looking so pretty! This is where having the slight overlap of fabric is important. If I had tried to line up the cut edges exactly there might have been a slight gap. Although the pattern doesn't line up exactly the transition is visually seamless.

Allow a slight overlap of the fabric for a seamless transition.

I used the same method to line the rest of the interior. I lined the two sides, the back, and the top.

Unsightly cabinet interior? Follow these steps for a beautiful finish!

The final step of this project was to create a shelf for the interior. I used some of the left-over wood from the racks to create a shelf support and nailed them in place.

I used two pieces of scrap wood to create a shelf support.

I had a piece of plywood leftover from another project that I used to create the shelf. However, the edge of the plywood wasn't pretty.

The plywood is strong, but the edge is ugly. Don't worry there's any easy fix.

Easy fix! I trimmed veneer edging to the length of the shelf.

Use this easy trick to give your wood project a professional finish.

I lined up the edging and then ironed it in place. There aren't any action shots of me ironing because I needed both hands for this step! But it was very easy to do. The edging has adhesive on the back and once the heat of the iron is applied it forms a quick and strong bond.

Line up the veneer edging and then iron it in place. The heat of the iron will create a quick and strong bond.

The edging was a little wider than the shelf, so I used a blade to trim it to size.

Trim the edging to size.

AFTER:

And here we are finally at the finished storage cabinet! The main color is Duck Egg Blue and the trim is Old Ochre.

I used chalk paint to transform the old liquor cabinet into a functional storage piece.

The once dark and dingy interior is now looking very pretty and elegant.

The once dark and dingy interior is now looking very pretty and elegant.

The painted exterior has a slightly worn finish.

The painted exterior has a slightly worn finish.

For the next photo I added a twin size quilt to the bottom shelf to add some scale for visual reference for the amount of storage this cabinet will hold.

Extra storage is always a plus.

The fabric interior adds just the right amount of elegance.

The fabric interior adds just the right amount of elegance.

And here are a couple of before and after photos.

How to transform old thrift store furniture with paint.

Old liquor cabiet before and after.

Thank you for stopping by The Black Sheep Shoppe today.



Old, grungy, ugly drawers. Don't worry there's an easy fix.

You won't believe the before! But now it is beautiful extra storage for not-a-lot-of-extra money.


Learn how to add style and flair to ugly thrift store furniture.

Comments

  1. Its a beautiful reveal. My question: will you repurpose the wine racks?
    Do you sell your pieces on this page?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. The wine racks were destroyed in order to remove them from the cabinet. However, I will cut what I can into squares and re-purpose them for another project. I sell my projects locally at the Lebanon Peddlers Mall in Lebanon, Ohio. (This cabinet already sold.) Thanks again!

      Delete
  2. Another gorgeous piece. Just shows how something dingy and visually pretty boring can be transformed into a beautiful piece. Definitely ugly duckling to swan here! That fabric sets the piece off so well. Well done on the elegant transformation.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much Michelle! I agree that the fabric works well on this piece, and I think that was what really gave it the transformation it needed.

      Delete

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