Wednesday 25 March 2015

Cupboard Love :: Up-cycling an unloved cupboard



You wouldn't believe how sad this little old cupboard looked when first spied across the auction room.  Covered with shiny paint that was scuffed and peeling, the inside stained and dirty. But I loved the shape of the inset panels that give it an almost ecclesiastical look. So bid on it, and won.

With lots of hot soapy water and elbow grease it was soon clean and sparkly. A few coats of white emulsion covered the almost indelible brown stained interior. A root amongst oddments of left over paint turned up grey undercoat, and a tiny unused sample pot of Farrow and Ball, Green Smoke emulsion (£4.25). 

I began to experiment. First a good coat of the matt undercoat. It dried with a nice smooth finish and was a hundred percent better. Next the fun bit. I used the F & B emulsion and a bristle paint brush. One that was about an inch wide to fit inside the tiny pot. I loosely painted it with  brushstrokes from top to bottom, leaving it to dry with the undercoat exposed giving a kind of folky aged look. That was it, I was happy that it didn't need anything else doing.  I'd imagined that I would have to go through lots of processes of distressing or ragging...but no...

I think it looks a million times better than before. It only took a teeny weeny bit of paint...just look how much is left in the tin. It suits our new bathroom with the tong and grove bath, handmade panelled door, grey walls and slate flooring, oh and the cute little three legged stool bought at the same auction.  It feels a bit like a log cabin in there now. 

My final handiwork was altering a pair of long filmy curtains that were too sheer for a ground floor bathroom overlooked by a garden. I've had these curtains for ages and love their folksy Scandinavian embroidery (not hard to guess where I got them from) but they just weren't practical for the space. 

Thankfully they were very long so I was able to triple the layers. Firstly I shortened the top, lifting up the embroidered section on each one bringing them up closer to the top of the window. I cut off the extra fabric and then folded over the top twice to make a little pocket for the curtain rod/wire to thread through. I pinned and then pressed this and then placed the length of fabric flat on a smooth surface. Measured the window drop exactly and applied this to the curtain folding it back at this point and pressing again and pinning to the pocket. Finally I lay the curtain on the flat surface too ensure that each of the section (now pinned at the top) was equal in length, turning up a hem on the final section and stitching. 

Hey presto, a set of curtains that preserve everyones modesty whilst letting in a little of daylight and didn't they didn't cost a thing. They even pick out the exact same green of the cupboard...

A good morning's work...

...have you done any upcycling projects recently...

Quick edit...I found the before photo...I thought there should be one somewhere:-


14 comments:

  1. I love that smokey, sagey green.....the whole bathroom turned out great, but the cupboard---simply perfect. Brilliant adjustment on the curtains, too. Such satisfaction...another room---DONE!

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    1. The cupboard is cute isn't it Steph. I think it's actually the only room that's completely finished...Like you say a good feeling.
      dx

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  2. Oh Debby, I love the cabinet and your bathroom is just so beautiful! I love to take old pieces of furniture and give them a new life, it's a lot of fun.

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    1. Oh thank you Tracey, that's kind. It feels really cosy and suits our old house. It's really satisfying to re-use something.
      dx

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  3. love the cupboard! We haven't upcycled anything lately but we are going to paint the entire first floor of the house before the wedding....at least that is what I'd like to do.

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    1. Oh that's exciting Karen. It's going to be a busy year for you.
      dx

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  4. The cupboard looks great! I have recently inherited an old tallboy from my Grandad, it's kind of utility furniture I think. I love it but it's old and tatty and definitely needs something doing, not least of which is new handles as the originals are broken. I've looked in the DIY stores but nothing is old enough looking. Any suggestions?

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    1. Hi Debbie.
      I'm sorry that I didn't get back to you before. We recently needed old door furniture and I found some amazing handles at our local reclamation yard in Leominster, English reclamation. They can seem a bit pricy but they have a website and ship worldwide so I think they sometimes price things up for the overseas market. When a local person drops in they often will give you a much better price if you ask. Especially if you buy a couple of items at once. I'm sure there will be some local reclamation yards near you where you might find something suitable. They usually have boxes of odds and ends. Our small local auction does too and car boot sales. I just did a quick google for London reclamation yards and a few came up. The link was too long to copy for you.

      I usually check on Etsy as well if I want any vintage tools or accessories. I just did a 'vintage cupboard handle' search on Etsy and a number came up at various prices and styles...eg a sets from as little as £1 each. When I copied the link it wouldn't work here. But it's definitely worth a look.

      ...or Ebay. We are going to fit a stair runner and as we have an old house want to use old brass stair rods. My husband bid on some last weekend and we won the bid for a fraction of the price of new ones and they are more suitable for the house.

      I hope that helps Debbie,
      Have fun with your project.
      debx

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    2. Thanks so much Debby for the info, I'm so sorry I've not commented to say thanks before, I've been unwell and offline for a while. I will let you know how I get on with renovating the tallboy! xx

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  5. Oh, Debby, your bathroom turned out beautifully!!!! I love everthing about it...the colors, the accents, the little stool...it's all so perfect! Your cupoard is lovely...what a transformation, and I love how you found a way to use your sweet curtains!
    I am drooling over your door and the hardware...oh, and the little wood cubby under the stairs...it's all so...perfect!!!

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  6. Oh, Debby, your bathroom turned out beautifully!!!! I love everthing about it...the colors, the accents, the little stool...it's all so perfect! Your cupoard is lovely...what a transformation, and I love how you found a way to use your sweet curtains!
    I am drooling over your door and the hardware...oh, and the little wood cubby under the stairs...it's all so...perfect!!!

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    1. Oh thank you. I'm glad you think so Emily. You have a beautiful house so your compliments are much appreciated. I'm peased with the wood cupboard because it was my idea. When we had the stair rails changed as they were dangerously loose and had lots of rails missing, I asked if we could have the end part of the cupboard under the stairs for wood storage and still keep the cupboard at the other end for brooms and hoover etc.

      We've tried to reclaim as much wood to reuse as possible and so the z support on the door was made from old an old work bench surface in the original store room part that the builders were about to throw away. Thankfully I manage to rescue it..phew there have been a few days like that...
      dx

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  7. Thanks, Deb, for your sweet compliment.
    I love how you have reclaimed and used the old wood in your house. I think I would have died knowing that ancient wood was thrown away. You did well to rescue it.

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  8. Thanks, Deb, for your sweet compliment.
    I love how you have reclaimed and used the old wood in your house. I think I would have died knowing that ancient wood was thrown away. You did well to rescue it.

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