From Retro to Farmhouse

I picked this gem up one hot Sunday afternoon in my Toyota Rav4. Hard to believe a piece this size could fit, but we made it fit. I could not leave it on the side the road headed for the tip. It had such potential despite one of the door glass panels being missing.

I knew right away that I would keep the same colour scheme but I wanted to turn this retro piece into something you might find in a farmhouse. I loved the chipped paint so that would stay too but I wanted to remove the other glass piece and have chicken wire instead. The handles needed a makeover too.

So after sitting at the back of my shop for months I finally got to work. I removed the plywood wood that had been nailed to the top and the glass from the door.

Next, I set to work freshening up the old paint, being careful not to paint over the chipped areas. I used a white close to the original colour (Dixie Belle's Cotton would be perfect) and painted the top black (Dixie Belle's Caviar). I also spray painted the handles black and decided to change the ones on the draws and added some catalogue tags.

I then added the chicken wire to each door using staples. This was a painful process, I got scratched up and have the marks to prove it. But it was worth it, the wire instantly transformed the piece.

I toyed with the idea of painting the shelves inside but the wood was in pretty good condition so I left them. I then decided that to make this piece really special I would add some lights to the cupboards. I had found this used a bit on pinterest and loved the effect. I wanted the lights to be small, battery operated, easily turned on and off and to have batteries easily found and changed.

I found these wonderful lights at Bunnings, they even had sticky stuff on them so I didn’t have to do any gluing and the light part comes off so the batteries can be changed without needing to glue it back on every time.

Finally I sealed the whole with piece with Polyacryclic Satin finish (Dixie Belle's Satin Clear Coat would be a great option).

I dressed the piece with weathered terracotta pots and put topiary balls inside. I also added a chopping board and some black lanterns. I further framed the piece with a wooden frame mirror, some shutters that I painted black and a wooden market sign that I also made.

I’m so happy with this sideboard. It really has a farmhouse feel now and now resides in Tamworth NSW Australia.