I promised you all a makeover of this armoire this week, and here it is!
I found this antique armoire at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore and I fell in love with its potential. It was in fairly rough shape. The veneer was chipping off all over the place, one of the back legs was broken, the bottom was warped and coming apart, and the top was lifting off as well.
And here’s the inside.
It felt like this forlorn old armoire had been kicked to the curb. It had been marked down at the Restore so I suspect that it had been there awhile because no one wanted to tackle a piece in such rough shape. I just had to save it and give it a new life.
I started by getting Ken to come over for a consultation. We came up with a two-step plan. First up was fixing the back leg and shoring up the bottom. Ken added some new support pieces underneath the bottom. He also repaired the back leg. Meanwhile, I glued up a bunch of loose veneer and added some Dixie Belle Mud filler where needed.
The second part of our plan was to add shelves to the right side of the cupboard to make it more functional for storage. I don’t think too many people really need an armoire with space for hanging clothes, shelves seem much more practical.
Now this piece is perfect for clothing. You can keep your undies, socks, etc in the drawers and then stack your jeans, sweaters and t-shirts on the shelves. I keep my clothing in a cupboard with shelves and I think it’s much easier to find things on the shelves rather than in a drawer.
As you can see, I painted the inside of the cupboard in Dixie Belle’s Apricot. I thought it would be fun to have a pop of color on the inside. At first I was a bit worried that this would make it too ‘girly’, but then I realized that the lines of this armoire were a bit girly anyway so why not go with it?
And if you’re going to go girly, you might as well go all the way and add a gorgeous floral transfer right?
This is just about 1/3 of the Wondrous Floral II transfer from re.design with prima.
By the way, I added two coats of Dixie Belle’s flat clear coat to the interior of the armoire. I wanted those shelves to have some extra durability.
Since my plan included painting the exterior in a shade of white, I decided to hedge my bets and add a coat of Dixie Belle’s BOSS to the outside first. BOSS will block stains, and that original exterior stain looked to me like it could be a bleeder. I did not use BOSS on the inside because it did not have the same dark reddish color as the exterior.
It only took two coats of Dixie Belle’s Drop Cloth to cover over the BOSS (and I used the clear version, not the white version). It might be my imagination, but I always feel like the BOSS helps light colors cover better.
The Drop Cloth created a perfect neutral background for one of my old favorites, the Seeds transfer.
The front of this armoire definitely needed something to add a little interest. Without the transfer it was just a large, flat, white space. I finished the exterior with Dixie Belle’s Big Mama’s Butta.
If any of my newer followers are wondering about the dress form, I’ve shared it a few times here on the blog but here is the original post about how I decorated it. I have to say, it remains one of my all time favorite projects.
I’ve suggested this armoire would be perfect for storing clothing, but really it would provide excellent storage in any number of settings. It could hold spare bed linens, or you could use it in a large bathroom to hold extra towels and toiletries. Of if you’re super fancy, you could use it to store your painting supplies in your workshop.
What would you store in this cupboard?
This is normally the part where I mention that this piece is for sale and that you can check out my ‘available for local sale’ page for more details, but this one is already spoken for. One of my regular customers stopped by to pick up some other items and got a sneak peek at the armoire. It will be perfect for her granddaughter’s room. So yes indeed, I have given this formerly forlorn armoire a new life!
As always, thanks to Dixie Belle Paint Co for providing the products used in this makeover!
q is for quandie 
Another beautiful transformation. I love the color and transfer. I would use this in my bathroom for towels etc or in the bedroom for sweaters. Lovely.
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It really would be awesome in a bathroom!
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Love this! Love the black and white and then the burst of color when you open the doors! Reminded me of the Wizard of Oz! Gorgeous piece…
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Love this transformation! Perfect color for the inside and the floral transfer makes it extra special. I’m so glad you were able to rescue and restore this piece. Another wonderful project from the inimitable Quandie!
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Thanks so much Laura!
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One of my favorite pieces you have done. Simply lovely Linda!
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Thanks Monique!
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Absolutely gorgeous! Again!
I would definitely used it for clothing. I live in a 100 yo farmhouse with only one closet (in the whole house!) Or to hold linens – would be perfect. Your talent is awesome.
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They definitely needed pieces like these for storage back in the day, didn’t they?!
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I have a piece that is very much like this, only plain, no fancy cut outs. I have lived with folks who think it is a sin to paint wood and I am ready to scream, doesn’t this look SO much better? You have given me the confidence to take paint brush and stencil to my own sad, tired armoire, No, let me rephrase that, you have shown me that they have their opinions and I have mine and I believe it is time for me to unleash the potential beauty of my piece. Especially since I live in a house with only 2 closets!
Thanks girl, if I have to hide somewhere, you have a spare building, right?
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Sure, my photo cottage is available … although it’s a little chilly in winter 😉 And as Mr. Q is fond of saying, it’s only paint. You can’t ruin wood with paint, you can always strip it back off one day when you decided you’re tired of painted furniture!
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Beautiful transformation! The only thing that bugs my OCD in the unpainted interior top – I’m sure it’s just the camera angle and normally isn’t seen. I would probably have to paint it myself, but everything else is gorgeous as always!
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Yep, it’s entirely the camera angle. Seriously. I literally have to stick my head inside the cabinet to see it. If someone were to lie on the floor and look up into the open cabinet they would spot it, but that’s about it. Also, that top interior section isn’t truly finished, it’s just the skeleton of the structure. Definitely not intended to be seen.
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Absolutely beautiful! What a great transformation…I love everything you did to it!
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Thanks so much Patty!
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wow – just gorgeous!
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Thanks CC!
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i have that same transfer. I’m just waiting for the perfect piece. You know, repairing a piece is alot of work. i know because i don’t have a Ken. Do you pay him? LOL
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It is a lot of work and I couldn’t pull it off if I had to do it myself. But Ken is the recipient of a generous profit sharing system. We split the profits on these pieces when they sell. Plus, I know it sounds self-serving, but Ken really does enjoy working on these. It gives him something challenging to do, and he always feels like he’s accomplished something by saving these pieces!
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She is gorgeous! Love the apricot & the transfer surprise inside. Always seems to me that the plain, flat front pieces are so boring. You’ve made it so pretty. Great job!
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It is fun to have that colorful surprise inside 🙂
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Ahhh……now this is what furniture makeovers are all about. Bingo! AND Boom! (-:
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Thanks Connie!
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I always look forward when to a post when you and Ken put your heads together to rescue a piece. This is a charmer. I see it in a little girls room full of ballet slippers and tutus.
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That’s exactly where it’s going to end up 🙂
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Hi, a chifferobe I think it is. I see them on CL and think they are so cute. Nicely salvaged….
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You are so original with your projects. I am amazed and inspired with each of them. Love that pop of color inside and the flowers. So glad I found your blog.
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Hi Quandie, I would love to have a craft room big enough to use the armoire for my paint supplies or a big enough bathroom to. use it for linens. Right now I could. use it for clothes in my bedroom. In any capacity, this beautiful reclaimed armoire would be wonderful. I love how you see potential in mostly broken down pieces. I wish I had a handy neighbor to help fulfill that potential-my husband is not handy-haha! Thanks for sharing!
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