This project has been almost 4 years in the making.
This is the original state of this old radio cabinet. When I showed it as a recent find (way back when), my friend Rose emailed me pictures of one that she had just like it. We called them Two Peas in a Pod. We agreed to repurpose them and do a crossover post highlighting how we each made our own unique new piece.
I decided it wanted to be a secretary/desk, with a drop down leaf. However, I ran into design problems.
It got set aside for a long, long time
Earlier this summer I dug it out from all of that mess to give it another go.
I decided this ole gal’s fancy footwear needed to go.
To get a good line, and help with splintering I used some Scotch Blue painter’s tape around the bottom.
I used my circular saw to get the job done.
And it’s d.o.n.e.
I love refinishing tops of pieces…the easiest way is to sand it down instead of stripping.
To get this project ready to paint I taped and papered the top to protect it from paint, patched the knob holes and recessed lines. I used Minwax Jacobean stain on the top.
plus a couple of coats of Minwax Wipe-On Poly in satin.
To cover up the very shiny surface I first used some diy chalky paint as a primer, and then some Wipe-On poly on the outside, and regular latex paint on the inside.
I used the original hardware, but sprayed it with some silver spray paint.
I added wheels for easy mobility.
I installed a shelf in the middle of the unit. I added Luan to the back, and spray painted it with the same silver spray paint.
I brought it in the house to take pictures. It’s so difficult to get a good picture of black furniture and stained tops outdoors.
I think it makes a great coffee bar.
I would have loved to repurpose it into a new microwave cart for me, but I couldn’t get the dimensions to work in my favor.
I love how the doors open all the way to the side, completely out of the way. It’s very roomy inside, lots of room for cups and more, with even more storage space below.
Rose didn’t repurpose her pea in a pod, she ended up setting it out to the curb. Have you ever come across this piece? What would YOU have done with it?
gail
Meg C.H.
It's lovely. And wood is just that. Wood. Not gold bullion and not a priceless religious artifact. You can do with YOUR furniture whatever you damn well please. Nice job, you can tell you put a lot attention to detail and doing the job properly.
gail@myrepurposedlife.com
Thank you Meg for your comment! It seriously was not a family heirloom. 🙂
gail
girlfromwva
I love it!!! you did a great job on it. you took something and made it into a piece that the owner loves!
DeDe@DesignedDecor
Wow, you did alot of work on this one! I love it! Some things just need painted!
Becky Dean
I love it as a coffee bar! I would have repurposed it but I would not have thought to make it into a coffee bar. You are awesome!
Carol Stratford
I love that you turned this into a functional piece of furniture. I'm certain the photos don't do the piece justice and that may be what sours people to its new look. Opinion will differ but my belief is if it is my piece than the choice to paint it/take a saw to it is mine. I'm a fan of mixing stained wood with painted as you did here!
Edie
I enjoy looking at your finished projects and get many ideas for old pieces of furniture. You are very creative and have given a new purpose to pieces that many people have tossed for junk. I love your coffee cart and will be searching for a piece to repurpose. Keep doing things "your way" not what other people think you should do...you are truly talented!
gail@myrepurposedlife.com
Thank you Edie! 🙂
This gas gone to a loving home to live a long life.
gail
Connie P
Good Lord, Gail ~ you'd think, what with the two gripers here, that you sneaked into their house and stole *their* furniture, as opposed to refurbing *your own* property, LOL!
Well, as the kids say, 'haters gonna hate.' The rest of the world? Well, we love what you do and appreciate your sharing it with us.
gail@myrepurposedlife.com
hahah Connie! I like the way you put it.
Thanks for being a friend of My Repurposed Life! I appreciate you.
gail
Connie P
You are so incredibly talented!! It was pretty before and an interesting antique ~ but now it's *gorgeous* and *USEFUL!* Brava!
dan
why go to all that trouble just to make it look like IKEA? You could have just gone to Ikea. The whole point of upcycling this stuff is that you preserve something of its original character. you cut down and covered up some very expensive and elaborate burled wood grain and made it look like MDF. The tacky warehouse wheels on the bottom or just the icing on the cake. I'm afraid you missed the point.
gail@myrepurposedlife.com
I appreciate your input Dan. As I mentioned to Wendy.... The lady who bought this at Glendale Crossing Days LOVED it. She couldn’t take it right away, so it sat in my booth for hours, and I could have sold it all day long to many people who passed by.
gail
wendy
Congratulations. You turned a beautiful piece of history in to something that look like it came from Ikea - or no, not even Ikea. Office Depot. I know beauty is in the eye of the beholder.... but you could have made a coffee bar that honored the original look and purpose. This is my biggest gripe with "up cyclers" - half the time they down cycle instead, going for cheap modern looks. This thing looks cheap and new. Why start with a cool antique if this is what you want to end up with? It has no personality at all. You'll probably delete this comment anyway, why am I bothering? Because I can't NOT say something when I see something this awful.
gail@myrepurposedlife.com
Thank you for Wendy for stopping by. The lady who bought this at Glendale Crossing Days LOVED it. She couldn't take it right away, so it sat in my booth for hours, and I could have sold it all day long to many people who passed by.
gail
wendy
Your comment misses my point entirely. I know some people like this look. And they are entitled to it. But why use a great antique piece to make it? You cold have made this cabinet out of - well, any old cabinet. For those of us who love and respect old furniture - of which there is less and less - what you did is ridiculous. Make black cabinets and sell them at craft shows all day long, I don't care! I have no grip with people whose taste differs from mine. But if you like goldfish, get a goldfish. Don't paste fins onto a dog.
Reenie
How kewel.
Are you talking about Rose from Confessions of a Curbshopaholic? What happened to her?
Anne
I can't read your blog anymore. It's to filled with adds and links.
You must care more about making money
gail@myrepurposedlife.net
Anne,
I'm sorry to see you go, but My Repurposed Life is my only income. If I don't make money from ads, then I can no longer write the blog, do the projects, and share tutorials.. We as consumers are subjected to commercials on t.v. and radio, ads in magazines and newspapers, blogs are really no different. In order to stay in business we must display advertisements. Running a successful blog is not free, there are overhead costs involved in just maintaining the blog, not to mention that I must buy supplies, tools, etc.
Thanks to all who hang in there with me, and understand that I work all day, every day to maintain My Repurposed Life.
gail
David
Hi Gail,
I think the ads on here are not in the way, I barely noticed them and have clicked on some out of interest...
I think some people are never going to be happy no matter what you do?
I have disabilities that prevent me from doing a lot of work now ( at 51 years it's hard to change) so I have been looking at things to do that might make me a bit of $ and would let my "artsy" side flourish....
I think looking on your's and other similar blogs like this have given me some hope...
Please keep up the great work and don't let negative Nelly's prevent you from your Art! Or from posting.. You are helping people!
Thanks,
David
Korrie@RedHenHome
You did a great job with it! It's very classy now.
Terri
Four years, huh...that sounds like something I would do!
This turned out amazing...looks awesome in your kitchen!
Shirley
OMG I love this. I too would like to ask about the bottom doors, is it fake or do they serve a purpose? You know I think you are super lady and you could make anything into something beautiful. Thanks for sharing.
Shirley
I forgot to ask you where do you find your wheels. I've looked for them and they are expensive.
Bliss
Brew me a cup please.
Kate
I stayed in the music theme when I repurposed an old radio cabinet. We have a lot of musicians in the family, so I used it to corral all the music books and sheet music that were driving me crazy. If I was a coffee drinker (and had room in the kitchen) your idea definitely would have made me rethink the music cabinet. If I find another, I'm thinking record cabinet - my husband still listens to those things and they likewise are driving me crazy.
Kate
I stayed in the music theme when I repurposed an old radio cabinet. We have a lot of musicians in the family, so I used it to corral all the music books and sheet music that were driving me crazy. If I was a coffee drinker (and had room in the kitchen) your idea definitely would have made me rethink the music cabinet. If I find another, I'm thinking record cabinet - my husband still listens to those things and they likewise are driving me crazy.
Pat
Hi Gail!
This looks so great! I love it in your kitchen/breakfast spot!
I was wondering the same as Charlene...did you make the drawers into doors? BUT AFTER LOOKING MORE CLOSELY... I see they were doors all along...made to LOOK like drawers!
I like what you did with them, filling in the lines. You're so clever. 🙂
My grandparents had one of these old record player radio stands...and If I ever find one like it...I turning it into a trash bin receptacle. These old pieces of furniture are so wonderful to repurpose.
Patricia
Julie @ follow your heart woodworking
What a difference! I like the coffee bar idea, so cool!
girlfromwva
Love the makeover!!! i probably would have tried to make it into a wine/liquor cabinet/bar.
Charlene
I'm confused...it looks like the bottom part was a drawer, not doors. Did you do some magic to that part, too?
gail@myrepurposedlife.net
I filled in the crevice (line) with spackling to give it a smooth non-drawer look. They were and are still two doors. 🙂
gail
Charlene
oh! I guess if I had read the verbiage instead of just looking at the pictures, I would have seen that! Great job on the cabinet!!!
Cindy Freeman
Love it!!!!
Mindi
It looks beautiful! I love the stain you used on the top! Great repurpose Gail, I 'll bet you were glad to finally get it done after such a long time!
Nadine
Another amazing transformation! I love this repurposed piece and I've seen a lot of these type of stereo cabinets in the last year or so but none in good enough shape to redo.
Susan
Love this, Gail! Great, hard work!
Anne@DesignDreams
Nice piece and I love the makeover!
Donna in SC
I may have a 'new' favorite project that you have shared. LOVE this repurpose into a coffee bar. You never cease to amaze me with your cleverness.
kirby carespodi
This is AWESOME! We had one, too, and made it into a bar. (We live in a town with 4 colleges.)
Holly
What a transformation! It makes the perfect coffee bar or even a bar cart. Great job.
cassie
it looks great and i love its new use- very clever!