Built In Kitchen Cabinet Makeover

Good morning At the Picket Fence friends! Julie, here from redheadcandecorate.com. Before we get started today I would like to extend an invitation to you to subscribe to our free newsletter. I’m now offering our 12 page “Cottages & Bungalows Fall Home Tour” as a free gift when you sign up.

Now lets get to the fun part…Do you remember that show “Starsky & Hutch” that aired in the 1970’s? I was around 5 when it was popular and I remember having a crush on “Hutch”. Oh, he was so handsome, and brave, wasn’t he? It’s funny because now I am way older than he was in the show. Wait, maybe that’s not so funny.

So, why bring up Hutch , you ask? Well, because I have a crush on another “hutch” only this one lives in my house. I’m referring to our built-in hutch in our kitchen. It’s one of the reasons we fell in love with this house and it has never looked better. So, I thought this would be a great time to tell you all about “Hutch” and all he’s been through.
Here’s how it looked when we moved in…

What are your first thoughts? Mine were, “Wow, that’s beautiful woodwork, but it’s so orange.” Notice how you can hardly see the antique clock on the top shelf, and the lines and wood craftsmanship don’t shine like they could. Everything blends in and disappears.
So, right before I began blogging, I took the plunge and painted the hutch. It was super easy to paint because the maple wood was extremely dry. Sanding was not required, and I even left the doors on the hinges when I painted it. Here’s how it looked after…

Very fresh, clean, and shines up against the black armoire to the left. However, did you notice that I got tired and didn’t paint the inside of the seeded glass cabinets? See how dark they are? They stayed that way for years until I finally gained the energy to empty out all of those glasses.

Here it is dressed up for Fall last year and it’s one of my favorite designs ever. My creative juices must have been flowing that day. Actually, I did it at night when I was relaxed and sipping wine. That must be the secret.

To achieve this rustic Fall look, I first took everything out/off the hutch (I had the kiddos help me with that). I find that if the slate is clean, I can envision things much better.
I began decorating with the jars on that little shelf in the middle and filled them with raw popcorn kernels and a tea light candle. A few of the kernels did fall into the fire, but they did not pop (FYI be careful). Lighting the candles back there really extends your eye deep into the hutch.
Then I searched the house for anything white that would fit. I decided on a party theme complete with the cocktails & treats (non alcoholic cider champagne is from the dollar store).

Here’s another angle…

I love the coziness and welcoming vibe it all gives off. The wood logs (we use a lot this time of year) add the rustic outdoor element that I am so fond of. This decorated hutch would be perfect for a small get together with family & friends. If I wanted to keep it up for the Fall season, I could always fill the tub with pumpkins & apples-or mail.

So, after we enjoyed the hutch for a couple week decorated this way, I finally grew tired of the theme, and was ready to clean it up and bring the real glasses back in for Christmas. Then bam. I received the e-mail of a life time from Cottages & Bungalows asking if I was interested in doing a “Fall home tour” the week of Thanksgiving for Fall 2016. Oh dear, it was so exciting, but got a little challenging looking for mums in November.
We ended up finding the mums (in a snow storm), the caramel apples, and the photo shoot was a huge success. If you would like to read our 12 page “Cottages & Bungalows” Fall tour you can read it on my blog now. Just click here: “Cottages & Bungalows Harvest Homecoming“.

Here’s a sample page and the star…”Hutch”.

*** Some of the links in this post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. Read full disclosure policy here.
Thank you for hanging out with me and my guy “Hutch” here At the Picket Fence. Here’s where you can find some of the products I used to get this look…

Glass Knobs

Mercury Glass Owl

Popcorn Bowl Set

Chalk Board

Chalk Markers

Black & White Scarf