China Cabinet on the Cheap

This is a little project I did a while ago (with some help from my dad).  We have such beautiful wedding china and no way to display it.  A store bought china cabinet was not only on the bottom of our financial priority list but they are also all way too big.  We were living in the worlds tiniest apartment at the time and with our constant moving (thanks Army) I knew we would probably be limited on space again in the future.  After a little thrift store shopping I came across a secretary style desk with a glass display hutch (all one piece) and because it had a broken leg (that I wanted to remove anyway) they let me have it for $50.  My usual helper, my husband, was overseas at the time so my dad offered to give me a hand with the saw and let me take up some space in his garage for a bit.  I am pretty handy with most power tools but I was nervous with the saw on this one since there wasn't much room for error, dad to the rescue.  Don't be afraid to ask for help on your DIY projects (or DIY with help)

BEFORE.  Believe it or not, this is what the 'china' cabinet looked like after some work had been done.  I know you are thinking I am crazy for even considering buying this thing but I really could see the potential (and it was really cheap).

It originally had this scroll work attached to the legs but one side was broken and it was a little too ornate for  my style anyway so we chopped them off.

The entire piece had been painted multiple times and the white finish was actually  more of a yellow and the bright teal interior was just too bright!  I gave it a good sanding and a coat of primer to block out the teal before applying the final color.

The great little cubbies weren't fun to paint but they are very handy for storing  random small pieces.

Nothing special about the drawers, just wanted you to see the boring drawer pulls that it came with.

AFTER! The finished product.  All it took was a new coat of paint and a little handy work (thanks dad) and it is a beautiful, apartment size china cabinet.

And, since it is actually a desk if we decide to get an actual china cabinet in the future we can just re-purpose it to another room.  I think it would be so cute as a desk in a little girls room (one day).

We use it to display our wedding china, grooms cake topper (UF mascots, Albert and Alberta, GO GATORS) and a few pieces that were my grandma's.  I also keep a few shadow boxes underneath that hold mementos from our wedding and my husband's year in Iraq (more on those later).

I found the new glass drawer pulls at Anthropologie and they add a great little sparkle and finishing touch.

See,  the little cubbies are great for holding small dishes and what not and the flip out desk serves as a great bar.