Painted Pine Hutch

Years ago I had a friend named Kathy whose sons were in the same classes as my kids in elementary school. Kathy and I were in a bunco group together, and she was also in our book club before she moved out of state.

Kathy had a unique, effortless sense of style. She was a full-time working mom, but could throw together an elegant book club lunch in the middle of her working day without seeming the least bit flustered by it.

Her home was unique too, and many of us were struck by the beautiful china cabinet in her house that she had filled with books. It was so unexpected. Her home was full of that kind of thing.

Kathy’s china cabinet full of books was the inspiration for this hutch I recently bought off of Craigslist to put in my family room. I wanted a piece for the wall that faces our fireplace wall, in order to provide some balance. And I knew that whatever piece I found, I would fill it with books.

I spent several months checking Craigslist, using search terms like hutch, cabinet, and bookcase. I wasn’t sure what I was looking for when I stumbled on this pine hutch.

The hutch was the perfect size for the space and I loved the details like the seeded glass in the doors. I was also dreaming of what I could do with all the storage it would provide.

The drawback was the color, which was too orange for me, but I remembered this very similar hutch at My Sweet Savannah that I’ve always loved, and I knew I could paint this piece the same way.

You guys, this project was way, way out of my comfort zone. I’m a horrible painter and the hutch was in new condition, so it took real courage for me to put a paint brush to it.

But I have heard over and over how easy chalk paint is to work with, and I told myself that even if the whole thing was a flop, it was just a piece of furniture after all. Go big or go home.

There were definitely times during my week of off and on painting that I thought the whole thing was going to be a failure. But now that it’s all finished and filled with photos and books, I’m happy I took it on.

I’m thanking Kathy and Melanie at My Sweet Savannah for their inspiration. And because painting is like childbirth, and you quickly start thinking that wasn’t so bad, I’m already planning another (much smaller) project.

Linking up with Metamorphosis Monday and Wow Us Wednesdays.