Blog Post #300: From Boring to Coastal Charm

I found this cabinet at a local thrift store and immediately decided to paint it neutral for a quick sale. But I changed my mind. More on that later . . .

The bat wing drawer pull gave the cabinet an outdated look, and one of the knobs on the bottom doors was missing.

I rummaged through my stash of hardware, but couldn't find anything suitable. So I planned to purchase a farmhouse style bin pull along with a set of round knobs for the doors. Easy-peasy quick sale in my future . . . but wait! I saw an ad for the exact same cabinet that was painted by another local furniture painter. She painted it a neutral color with a farmhouse bin pull. And it turned out lovely, but I didn't want to be a copycat, so I decided to change up my plan slightly.

Hang in there and we'll get to the end result soon. The inside of the drawer was lined with contact paper which kept the drawer in fairly good condition. I removed the liner for further evaluation.

But there were lots of pencil marks here and there, so in the end I decided to paint the interior. But first I needed to fill in the original drawer holes in preparation for adding a new handle. I applied painters tape to the back of the holes.

Then I filled in the fronts of the holes with wood filler. Once the wood filler was dry I sanded it smooth and then proceeded to paint the cabinet. I drilled new holes to fit the new handle.

AFTER:

I painted a base coat of Arles (now called Marigold) and then applied Cream for my top layer. Keep scrolling and you will see some of the subtle details the combination of the two colors created.

The lighter yellow (cream) is the predominant color, but I sanded back some of the top layer around the drawers to reveal the darker Arles (now called Marigold) beneath it.

The two colors create a worn and weathered effect.

I replaced the center bat-wing drawer pull, but I kept as many of the original drawer pulls as I could. I just added a little paint to give them an update.

But I think the star of the show is the mermaid drawer pull in the center. Isn't she lovely?

Who doesn't want a mermaid drawer pull? Perfect for the beach!

The inside of the drawer is painted in Provence Blue.  The contrast of the blue against the yellow is bright and cheerful.

Although I love the mermaid, I like the subtle beachy worn look of the cabinet itself.

I used some simple staging items to create a simple beach theme to highlight the cabinet for today's photos.

I made the beach sign from leftover scrap wood.

The candle I used as one of my props is vanilla scented and it smells so good. I think this photo shows how beautifully the neutral colors all work well together.

I hope you enjoyed today's project. Thank you for stopping by The Black Sheep Shoppe.