Reality Daydream

The Dream is Free, The Hustle Sold Separately

China Cabinet and Server

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These hefty pieces of furniture have been occupants of our garage for at least a year. We bought this china cabinet and server for dirt cheap on craigslist, and knew we could at least slightly improve their appearance. All pieces are well-built and structurally sound. Just needed a bit of a face-lift… primarily losing that awkward blue-green wash. Below is the BEFORE pic (doesn’t it look like we have a warehouse of china cabinets? The one in the background is the Drexel we did for a client last winter… it was just waiting to be picked up when this photo was taken).

With me being pregnant for the majority of the previous year, this project got put on hold until I bore me some babies. But I jumped right on it as soon as I was physically capable! I wanted these peices to be neutral enough to fit in anyone’s dining room, but with our signature pop of color… because not everyone can pull off a royal blue china cabinet in their dining room.

Knowing that we were going to paint these pieces white with an antique glaze, we hit the backboard (as well as the top surface of the server) with Krylon Ivy Leaf, and used our trusty overhead projector to map out this bold paisley design!

I traced it onto the backboard with a white colored pencil…

And then tediously painted all the tiny details… 4 coats in all. Yowza.

I love the graphic details and visual interest the design provides! Without it, this would be just another boring piece of white furniture with brown glaze.

You can see we did the same hand-painted paisley graphics on the server as well.

We’re relieved to have these pieces DONE! And I’m happy to have them adorn my home until we can sell them! (You can’t tell in the pictures, but we still have an issue with cracked glass to address before we sell these puppies). Hehe… OOPS.

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Comments

  1. 19

    I love that you carried on the design from the backboard to the fold out server section of the buffet. It’s a nice pop of unexpected color!

    Reply
  7. 26

    Sell them? Sell them!! Gah! I wish we lived closer, I would buy them in a heartbeat! They are beautiful! Where do you come up with the ideas fofpr these things??

    Reply

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Attention: Almost any do-it-yourself project involves risk of some sort. Your tools, materials, and skills will vary, as will the conditions at your project site. Reality Daydream has made every effort to be complete and accurate in the instructions of the plans on this website. Reality Daydream will not assume any responsibility or liability for damages or losses sustained or incurred in the course of your project or in the use of the item you create. Always follow the manufacturer’s operating instructions in the use of tools, check and follow your local building codes, and observe all commonly accepted safety precautions.