Reality Daydream

The Dream is Free, The Hustle Sold Separately

Temporary Mid-Century Furniture Update!

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A few weeks ago, I was bragging on Instagram about how I found this amazing /authentic mid-century Garrison  hutch for $70 on our local FB For Sale Page.

Thrifted Mid-Century Hutch {Sawdust and Embryos}

Normally, $70 would have been more than I would spend on ANY piece of furniture… but I love me some MCM furniture, and I knew this bad boy was worth at least a few hundred dollars. If nothing else we could resell it, right? That was the plea I used when trying to convince Nick at least. Teehee!

So to make a loooong story short, we acquired the hutch, and she now lives in my craft room (which we call ‘The Studio’ with a British accent).

Updating Mid-Century Modern Furniture TEMPORARILY! (without compromising the finish) {Sawdust and Embryos}

Even though we’re known for our eccentric furniture transformations, you know I’m not going to mess with a 60’s piece in pristine condition. But at the same time, it definitely needed a little flare of some sort.

That’s when I remembered a product I had heard about called Wallternatives. It’s removable wallpaper that doesn’t leave ANY residue and can even be reused! I was a little skeptical, so I emailed the company and asked if their product would damage my precious hutch in any way. They swore it wouldn’t, and even offered to send me some to try on my piece! HOLLA!

They have tons of patterns, but I narrowed it down to this one… just couldn’t decide which color!

Applying Wallternatives to Furniture {Sawdust and Embryos}

I really like the edginess of the black/white, but ended up going with the aqua just because I think the muted tone will look better once I have the shelves all loaded up with me-stuff.

All I really needed to apply this was a tape measure, yard stick, pencil and scissors!

Applying temporary wallpaper to furniture {Sawdust and Embryos}

After measuring each opening of the 3 shelves with a tape measure, I marked with pencil on my Wallternatives and cut with scissors! Then, simply peel the backing off and apply!

Adding temporary wall paper to dress up antique furniture without damaging it! {Sawdust and Embryos}

I was a little worried about getting it on straight and without any bubbles or creases… but this stuff is so easy and forgiving. And you can always pull it off and re-stick it if it’s a little wonky the first time. Or second time. Or third time.

Use Wallternatives 'removable wallpaper' to temporarily update mid-century furniture without ruining it! {Sawdust and Embryos}

Add strips of removable wallpaper to the back of a hutch for a quick custom update! {Sawdust and Embryos}

As you can see, we also put the removable wallpaper on those little cutouts on the bottom doors too. I love how custom it looks!

Add removable wallpaper to the back of your hutch for a temporary update! {Sawdust and Embryos} (2)

The rest of ‘The Studio’ still needs a lot of organizational work… but this one little corner is what you see when you first walk in… and I love how cheerful it is! I also love that all the girls’ craft supplies, puzzles, blocks, and quiet books are neatly organized.

Add a little 'temporary' flare to mid-century furniture without ruining it! Removable wallpaper by Wallternatives {Sawdust & Embryos}

And doesn’t my Paintbrush Dipped Starburst Clock look perfect above it? Gahhh!

Apply removable wallpaper to the back of a hutch for a quick punch of color! {Sawdust and Embryos}

I love suuuuper simple projects like this that make a big impact! Huge thanks to Wallternatives for sending us some of their removable wallpaper to try! Be sure to go snoop around their page… they have tons of wall decals and cute ideas too!

And, because I’m a safety freak… I have to mention this: BE SURE to anchor your furniture to your wall. Can you imagine this giant hutch falling on to a small child? I shudder at the thought. But dressers, sofa tables, TV stands, etc could have the same tragic consequences. Don’t take a chance! PLEASE! We used these to affix this bad boy to the wall.

Happy weekend!

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Comments

  2. 15

    Love it. My hubby would laugh if I tried to convince him I was going to resell something I was trying to “sell” him. :). Even free stuff is a one stop-destination 🙂

    Reply
  3. 16

    Love the size & shape of that piece. I think I’d love it more painted though – especially with that beautiful blue background you installed.

    Reply
    • 21

      Haha! Isn’t that an awesome light? We picked it up at a little main street shop in Hampton, IA. It was a little pricier than we would normally spend… but I just loved it SO MUCH! 😉

      Reply
  8. 22

    It looks fabulous! And so yall 🙂 would you please give us a tutorial on attaching furntiure to the wall? I need to do that in our homw but dont know where to begin.

    Reply
      • 25

        I would love to see that too – I have seen many people say how important it is to anchor heavy furniture, but no one ever tells you how. And the people at our local hardware stores didn’t have any ideas when I asked. We just randomly screwed little “L” brackets between the shelves and studs, but I’m not sure how you would do a heavy tv or piano, etc. 🙂

        Reply
        • 26

          Yes I can see how that would be confusing. We’ve had several people ask for a tutorial, so we’ll be putting one together soon! Such an important safety feature!

          Reply

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