CHINA CABINET-THE RE-DO IS ON!

I finally found a china cabinet!  After a LONG search on Craigslist, I think this one will work.  If you follow me on Instagram, you saw it when I brought it home a few weeks ago.  My search criteria was:  wide, tall, straight across the top, and I wanted something on legs.  This is the piece I haven't been able to stop thinking about...

                                                                          Source: betterafter.blogspot.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

So when this piece was listed, I ran to check it out. 

It's a horrible photo and I couldn't tell that much about it, but the listing said "great condition, ready to go" and the seller told me that it was in fact on legs.  When I got there, it was r.o.u.g.h!!  I think they let their 5 year old loose with a carving knife,

and it appears to have been in the vicinity when there was a food fight involving bbq sauce (at least I'm pretending that's what that gunk is).
  

A knob or two are missing, the wire grates will go and be replaced with glass, and I think it sat in water for a time.  But isn't that moulding pretty?  And I really like the drawer pulls and brass plates on the doors.  I almost walked away, but my husband encouraged me that it would look fantastic when we got finished with it.  I paid the lady more than I should have for the condition it was in, but I felt a little better about it because it seemed like this family really needed the money.

In the past I've mentioned my love for older cabinets, but there's always a height issue.  My ceilings are 10 feet and the 5-6 feet tall older cabinets just seem like they would feel a little too dinky.  So, we got to thinking of how we could extend the height.  We came up with the idea of adding a section in the middle that the hutch cabinet could rest on, and then I found this at Sweet Something Designs:

Perfect!  The idea that was in my head in a picture, confirming we were on the right track to add some height, and even more storage.

Last Saturday was warm enough to drag it out of the garage and sand the dickens out of it-seriously, carved with a knife everywhere!  So, in the next few days I'm shopping for baskets or boxes, making an extending shelf, and trying to decide for sure on a paint color. 

I really thought I was going to use "Great Barrington Green", like the built in cabinet in Edie's kitchen, but I painted a sample swatch up and it just didn't seem quite right for my room.  Going back to my Pinterest Furniture Inspiration board, I noticed a theme...

                                                                            Source: thesmithnest.blogspot.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

                                                                           Source: countryliving.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

                                                                               Source: decorpad.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Stay tuned!

PS, I noticed last night that the rug sale I posted about yesterday has been extended through the 10th...more time to shop!