Furniture Facelift: Hutch Edition

I'm all about bargain & thrift shopping, especially now that I've (almost) got a house. Earlier this summer I swung by the ReStore in Burlington to window shop for furniture for the impending move. I hadn't planned on buying anything, but when I saw this piece, I knew immediately that it would be a perfect kitchen/dinning room piece. A little elbow grease got the grime off it - of which there was quite a bit. Word to the wise when donating things to thrift stores/etc.: at least try to scrub off the grime before you drop it off. Nobody wants to scrape that junk off. 

little hutch. so much potential.
(it was a bit on the cheap-looking side. trust me.)

I have an open kitchen-living-dining room, so having a way to differentiate the spaces is important to me. There are cupboards in the kitchen, and a sweet pantry-cupboard, but I knew I wanted space for things like cookbooks and table linens.

storage space!

This little hutch originally came from a big box store (that-which-will-not-be-named-where-I-don't-like-to-really-shop), which I knew based on a price tag still stuck to the bottom. Of course it's constructed from inexpensive MDF-ish material, with a flimsy back - but hey, for $15, I'm not complaining (and have a hard time believing how much someone actually paid for it). Granted, the paint job won't last forever. The surface is slightly smooth and not super paint-friendly, and I'm sure there is probably some sort of prep I could have done to make the paint more permanent. But when you want a quick-fix and you're not expecting to be featured in Martha Stewart Living, then a few coats of paint will do. At least it looks halfway decent now, and won't be hard to touch up (which may or may not already need to be done).

paint job complete.
she's down-right classy-looking now.

Total cost? $15 and a Sunday afternoon. The paint itself was free - a mismatch return that the guy at the paint counter at the local hardware store threw in at no charge with the other things I was getting. I went with a matte-finish latex. The color on the lid claims to be Providence Olive, from the Benjamin Moore Historical Collection.

stocked!
top shelf: napkins & canisters
main shelf: cookbooks
drawer: candles, etc.
cupboard: placemats, tablecloths, overflow cookbooks

I'm pleased with the outcome, and will be happy to pay-it-forward someday. It's not meant to be an heirloom by any means, but a functional for-now piece until I find something I really love and am willing to invest in. I already have my eye on a piece at the local coffee shop/antique store. . .

Bonus project!
Picked up this little beauty for free! It had a really terrible partial paint job, so I slapped a few coats of the same paint from the hutch. Sooo much better, and perfect for magazines and plants!

bonus plant stand & magazine rack