Cabinet & Bookshelf Makeover on a Budget

I’m the type of person that’s constantly changing things up, especially in the decor department. Adding, taking away, repurposing…you never know what’s going to change when you come over next. It’s a creative release that carries over from my novel-writing. Most of the time I like the change, and sometimes it takes me a while to figure out exactly what else is needed to finish it off to my liking. Take this bookshelf and amoire that I turned into additional kitchen storage. While I love the way the bookshelf turned out, I’m not so happy with the storage cabinet and will probably tweak it a little more once my tendonitis stops flaring up. 

Cabinet and bookshelf003

This is what I started with, at one time it was an oak bookshelf that I painted black and then changed it again.

Cabinet and bookshelf002

Nothing too fancy about it, but I still liked the lines of it.Cabinet and bookshelf001

And here we have our basic amoire/storage cabinet that I changed up the doors on so I could have more interior storage. They used to slide inside the cabinet, but that didn’t work for me.

Cabinet and bookshelf004

It too once had an oak finish that I painted black and decided it needed a color overhaul.

Cabinet and bookshelf006

Huge difference with the chalk paint color, it now stands out instead of blending into the background with all the other dark colors. 

Cabinet and bookshelf007

And the bookshelves? I’m really loving them again.

Cabinet and bookshelf010

I added an additional finish to this chalk paint project by using dark wax, and it turned out great.

Cabinet and bookshelf008

And you see that lovely little graphic addition to the top shelf? 
Cabinet and bookshelf011

I think it adds to the details of it and gives it the vintage look that I was going for…and the bonus? I printed it from The Graphics Fairy’s website! And the overall cost of this project? Under $20!

DSC_0024

Now while the storage cabinet looks fine in the living room, I’m thinking of adding the same dark wax finish over the chalk paint, along with a vintage graphic…as soon as my arm decides to cooperate. 

Scroll to Top