Where Rustic Living Meets Refined Elegance

Thursday, July 15, 2010

When Mrs. Out of Money meets Mr. Creative

It all started with a plain white bookcase that came out of a friends colonial house.  They had it sitting in their driveway, possibly headed for the dump.  25 bucks and 20 minutes later it had a new home at the Gilded Barn.  A coat of black paint did wonders!  We figured it would be a while before we could have the lower piece made to make it look like a hutch so as you know the Cowboy raised it up on fence post to put in place until we could finish it.  Then out of the blue some other friends decide to renovate their kitchen and they were hauling their old oak cabinets to the dump!  Hold on! Load 'em up and get 'em to the Barn!
The Cowboy lined them up to see if the upper cabinets would fit. A match made in heaven! (Not many lower cabinets and they are going in Cait's kitchenette upstairs).  Ok so next order of business.  Tie the pieces together, add feet, remove hardware......
 Three cabinets hooked together made the perfect size base for the base of the "hutch"
A couple of coats of spackle to get rid of the seams where the cabinets are joined.
Holes filled where the old hardware was since the knobs will now need to be at the top of the door.
WHAAAAAAT?! Is that a nail gun sitting on top of my vintage linens?!
I leave for a few minutes and the Cowboy gets really creative and cuts one of the cabinets down so that along with another one they can fit perfectly in the corner right up to the old sink.  No feet underneath makes it sit lower than the "hutch".  Nice work!
The first coat of paint goes on.  I'm so excited!!!!!!!  A plywood top with a plain trim is added to give me a base to work with to create a thick faux "Carerra Marble" slab.
The Cowboy puts in new shelf liner so that I can start putting things away.  I know, he's a regular Renaissance man.
And.......VOILA!  A lovely old hutch.  I'm hoping to soon be able to enclose the pantry and install the antique swinging doors from an old local pharmacy no longer in business.  When it's done this is what you see when you walk in.
You can see how the corner sits back nicely.
Just a little lower. Perfect!
I think the coffee maker will go here along with shelves up above to hold all the white coffee mugs.
So much room!
So much Storage!
Finally out of the boxes and ready for use.  And yes I do use every bit of it.  Regularly.  I refuse to use paper plates and we always use the vintage linen napkins.  I love to serve food in pretty dishes even if it's just us for everyday.
Vintage linen napkins washed and folded, ready to be used.
Vintage silverware ready for service next to French bistro water carafes.
A very old French cake pedestal. I guess I'd better bake something.
So nice to see it all and so fun to use!
We estimated that between the cost of the bookcase, the plywood, paint,feet and knobs we spent about 90 dollars.  Worth every penny!


27 comments:

  1. Wow, This is amazing..both of you are so creative! For $90 you have created beautiful storage for all your dishes. I am impressed!
    Hugs, Sherry

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  2. Tamra, I am so glad to see your latest! Incredible good job to hubby too!

    Karena
    Art by Karena

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  3. Absolutely spectacular !!! I think you need your own DIY show on HG TV..seriously !!!

    Sandi

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  4. I stumbled upon your blog and have to say "WOW", that is an amazing transformation!!!! Great job!

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  5. I love it! Great inspiration and such talent. Love your place.

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  6. Gorgeous! I love it! How creative! You're a lucky woman! Reminds me of my husband and I, working well together.

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  7. That is just fabulous! i am envious of your storage!

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  8. You did a fantastic job on this!!!

    It looks great thanks to your creative touch :-)

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  9. Tamra - Wow! I just popped in from Donna's blog and I'm SO glad I did! Love your blog and am a happy follower now. I can't believe the great job you and your cowboy did on that ingenious hutch! And to paint it black....stunning. You're a lucky girl to have black and marble in your kitchen. lol!

    I'm really looking forward to more posts from you!

    xoxo lauri@heavens-walk

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  10. Tamra,
    OMG, just stop it! This is so amazing, I can't even take it! Thanks for the tip on "My Sister Sam." I am going to see if I can see an episode just to see that refrigerator. I've also been noticing the Fridgedare. Much less money.

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  11. ... how did I miss this ... ooops, I've been away ...

    girl you got it goin' on!!!

    I love love love it
    did I mention I love it?

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  12. That is one amazing transformation! Wow and wow again I can't believe that is not real marble or that those are the same cabinets. Good job. tfs.

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  13. Ditto on the TV show, girl! At the very least this is magazine worthy. Amazing what a creative spirit, ingenuity and hard work can accomplish. And your meaningful collection of dishes, silver and what not adds such authenticity. You and the cowboy must feel such satisfaction each time you see it. BEAUTIFUL!!!

    ~jermaine~

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  14. Hats off to you on this one.
    Lots of awe and envy from me.
    :)

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  15. Just found you through...oh dear...I don't remember HOW I found you...but I found you!!
    I can't wait for people to find you through me now. I am like you-I am not a paper plate person and the kids always know that they eat on REAL PLATES at Nana's house. I see there are a few of us left! Love what you are doing with the "barn"? I am going to spend a bit more time reading after I get this posted. I will be your newest follower! Thanks- Diana

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  16. You did a beautiful job, and all of that glorious storage, perfect!

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  17. Wow,wow,wow!!!! This is absolutely lovely!!!
    lifeofperks.blogspot.com

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  18. Oh, love it! Love it!
    I am signing up to follow your blog!
    Have a good day!
    Leticia

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  19. This is fantastic. So beautiful. I am following your blog now too!!

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  20. O-M-G! This is amazing! Only 90 dollars? What a bargain! Love the black against the white dinnerware.

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  21. It's great! That is one big hutch! I love all your dishes and serving ware too!

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  22. Wow, this is amazing! A lot of work but worth all of it. I love re-do projects and this is one of the best I've seen. Excellent job.

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  23. wow, that looks great. such a massive piece, but well placed, etc. good for you and hubby! hope your vintage linens were alright, lol!

    coming over from FFF

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  24. I'm truly jealous. I love the look of all the black, and the way you both made everything fit together so wonderfully. But, I've got to ask, is the marble painted or what?

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  25. Hallie, the "marble" is a product I use in my business as a decorative artist. It's a product that requires training to use and purchase but the possibilities are endless. I have more counter top finishes posted on my website www.talexandercook.com.

    Thank you for your kind comments.

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