Cabinet Craze

I really need a place to put all of my sewing supplies, especially if I am going to continue to re-upholster furniture.

Enter this mid-century modern credenza that I found at a second-hand furniture store for $10.

It was functionally, fantastic.
Aesthetically, however, it needed some serious work.
The top had some bad staining, as did the inside.

 As such, the cabinet and doors needed to be sanded.

I was a little worried after sanding the doors since it felt like I had actually made them worse...

Luckily everything looked amazing as the stain was wiped off. Phew.

The stain colour I chose is a water-based one called 'ipswich'. I tried to match it to the original since sanding veneer can only go so far before it sands right through.

Although I do enjoy distressed furniture, some of the discolouration on the top was just too unsightly to be kept.
I devised a plan to cover them, whilst also making the cabinet graphic and interesting.

After the stain, the cabinet stood for 3 days to ensure that enough drying/curing had taken place. I then used painter's tape to create stripes (that would go over the worst of the stains) on the top of the credenza and down one door. *note: painter's tape does not always stick well to stained wood.*

I also took this opportunity to paint the great spindly legs that came with the credenza. They were a sad dark brown colour, and just needed to be brightened up. A couple of quick coats of white paint did the job.

After the painting the stripes, the cabinet still needed something. Although I was considering going all 'Herbie the Lovebug' on it and putting a circle 53 on the front, I then decided to draw inspiration from Anthropologie number furniture.

The numbers look fantastic, and are in a style that evokes the nostalgia of the cabinet's era.

Finally able to get it out of the shop and into the house, I was able to put the legs back on it and set it upright.
The wood-grain on the doors came out better than I could have hoped. The top looks great too, but with a bit more wear and tear.

Inside is all of my sewing supplies, ready for the next project! Note the adorable pin-holder that my best friend brought me back from Disney World.

Thanks for tuning in. Don't forget to comment if you like what you see!