I found this cabinet at a garage sale last summer for $5. I had just ripped down an ugly wicker shelf from above the toilet in one of the bathrooms at our little lake house cottage. The bare wall was calling for some storage space, and this cabinet answered that call. Of course, it needed some help.
I painted it with a batch of homemade chalk paint in an heirloom white color. I left the mesh grates in for the first coat of paint, just to be sure I really did hate them like I thought I did. Once it was painted, I still hated them, especially after my large dog stepped on one of the sides and popped a hole through it. This time, he actually ruined something that I wasn’t planning on keeping. Thanks, Tyson. They came out easily with a few swipes of an exacto knife.
I ended up painting it with three coats, with light sanding in between. I distressed the edges with 150 grit sandpaper and sealed it with furniture wax. I was still a little bored with it, so I gave it a little surprise inside with some color.
I had this fabric left over from my crate storage benches that I created for my classroom. It matched the color-scheme in the cottage bathroom, so I thought I’d give it a whirl and add it as the new paneling in the doors. I just stapled it to the back of each door.
I’ll be honest with you. I like it, I really do, but I don’t love it. Yes, it’s a vast improvement from the original shelf, but I just don’t love the fabric now that it’s in the cabinet. I think I’ll actually switch it out later with some chicken wire (so you can actually see the fun color inside) or maybe some burlap, or maybe both!
I’m going to leave it alone for awhile and see if it grows on me, though.
See, doesn’t the fabric look familiar?
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LOVE that color inside! Chicken wire would look cute, like you said, to show off the pretty insides. Maybe you’ll get lucky and score some glass inserts to play around with, although I wouldn’t know where to begin looking for something like that.
Thanks, Audra! I keep looking at it and thinking about how I want to change it, but I still haven’t got around to it. Glass inserts would be pretty, too!
I found your blog today thanks to Pinterest. I think it would be great with chicken wire. I have been redoing my bathroom into a rustic primitive theme. It was pink and gold with angels and I have been wanting to change it for years.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting! Every time I look at this cabinet, I think about how I want to trade out the fabric for chicken wire, but I still haven’t got around to it. Good luck on your bathroom!