One Room Down

I LOVE this piece. We were needing a corner cabinet to fit our dining room more efficiently, but then I found this on Craigslist.

"How is that a corner cabinet?" my practical husband queried when I showed him the listing on Craigslist. 

"It's a Hollywood Regency faux bamboo mid-sized china cabinet!" I countered. He was not convinced.

He was even less convinced after we picked it up and got it home.

"I'm scared of this piece," he admitted. 

"You'll love it when it's done. It's going to be a glossy white and I'm going to paint the inside back bright orange!"

He looked more, rather than less afraid at that point.

But now he's a believer.

And it works tucked in the corner like this, with the glass sides for more display room.

This piece started out with the typical vintage yellow-brown speckled hue. The original brassy hardware was mostly intact, which is thrilling. Brian wasn't as excited as I was about the original hardware, but he just hides his emotions well.

I turned the hardware shiny, rosy gold. It's perfect against the gloss white.

And those faux bamboo details! 

It's got loads of room for my great-grandmother's Tonquin Brown china set, which I stole from my mom, because who eats off of heirloom china in Cambodia? 

And it fits all of my blue and white pieces from Cambodia as well. I love how the orange complements both sets.

And the original light still works! In the evenings, this cabinet just glows. It's like a cozy orange fire in the corner. Or maybe not so much, but it's definitely an accent that Brian is comfortable with instead of being intimidated by.

As soon as we got this new piece situated, we moved out the old china cabinet so that we could put the buffet back in its rightful domineering place.

Which means I can finally throw all kinds of random eclectic art on that blank wall and call it my token gallery wall. Because that mess always looks so perfect on Pinterest. Have you ever seen a gallery wall well-done in real life? I'm not assuming this one will be any different. Brian will probably have a real reason to be afraid...

To finish this room off, I'm waiting on my new chandelier to arrive this week. It's a Pottery Barn lovely that was a whole lot cheaper on Overstock.

I think the bubble pendants will clash just enough with the peacock blue buffet, the Hollywood Regency cabinet, and the ornate 1930s dining set so that I will love it and Brian will be scared out of his mind.

Someday I'll find a matching Regency dining set in mustard yellow velvet. With chairs like this:

But until then, our dining room is complete. And we love using it every day, with lots of friends and family. It's a colorful, lived-in space.

Very colorful. I love how the dyed eggs tie everything together, don't you?

This is the Lent tree Ami and I made together out of eggs that we emptied out and dyed. The scripture verses and passages all relate to the Resurrection. She chooses one each night and we read the verses while she pushes her half-eaten food disdainfully around on her plate. It's a lovely family tradition.

This was a fabulously fun piece to transform. And Brian's not scared of it anymore--he loves it, too. 

Thanks for stopping by!