That is the question......
We've been given this little china cabinet.
When I say little I do mean little. She stands 5'2" tall without the pediment on top. (We took that piece off because we thought it looked dated with it) What does one do with this little piece? It's in excellent shape-no broken or missing pieces or major scratches that couldn't be taken care of.
When should one paint a piece of furniture that's in excellent shape? Hmmm......Good question........
We've painted pieces in the past, that were scratched, nicked and even pieces that we had to pull the veneer off of. But this little girl is perfect.
But sometimes being "perfect" isn't all that it's cracked up to be.
We personally wouldn't know what it's like to not be perfect......LOL.....
I have a piece that was in perfect shape that was given to us by my Hubs Aunt Weez. I don't have a before pic handy but here's an after.
It looks so much better painted. It was hard to make the decision to paint it. I thought about it for almost a year before I took the leap. Once you take that leap there's no going back unless you're ready to spend hours stripping what you've just put on.
I can say I love this piece of furniture now. I no longer have to worry about kitty scratches on it. Simon and Lily love to sit on top and snoop on the neighbors across the street. It makes me happy when I see it! It's just the right color, has just enough shabbiness to it.
So my answer to you would be.........
Go ahead, take that leap, paint that piece.
Check out magazines or shops with painted pieces to see what you like about a certain piece of furniture. Really look at your furniture. If it doesn't have enough detail, add some. You could paint stripes, stencil or even add appliques to add that little extra something to liven it up. How about adding legs, mirrors or even taking off the doors. The possibilities are endless when you look at the furniture in a whole new way. Just because it's a china cabinet doesn't mean it has to stay a china cabinet.
Repurpose...Renew...Reuse!
Hey, if it doesn't look right you can always repaint or strip it!
I have huge dining suite that I bought from the owners of the house as they didn't want it. It would be beautiful in an older farmhouse style home with lots of room. My livingroom/dining room is very typical L Shape as most houses were that were built 35 yrs ago. NOW IF YOUR brave, I see one similar to yours ( probably on this site). The woman painted it white. Used extension style rods (require no screws or brackets and mounted them inside. She had her bracelets on one ---Each rod was mounted to what height she needed. .....She then had a small cork board to which she put hooks on it and hung her earrings. The bottom shelf she had glass trays with various jewellery she wears daily in it.. I was so impressed. I have two bottom drawers on mine, which I could put various items I want to keep. BUT am I brave enough to paint it white? Or paint it at all. I have looked on various sites and these older dining rooms suites your lucky if you can get a few hundred for them. GOOD LUCK........She even had her sunglasses hanging through mesh in the front. Myself I could find other places for the few pairs of sunglasses I wear . I was impressed with what I seen that she had done. Sighs............I have the long wide hutch that would make a perfect dresser.......but.....TO PAINT OR NOT TO PAINT??
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