My built-in has a first name....
it's "S-C-A-R-Y!"
So, the waiting game continues over here (cabinets AND stove on the 22 of September! Woot!), so in the meantime, small project numero dos: the family room "built in".
One of the challenges of our old house is that it's been converted to apartments many times over, and in that process, has been stripped of some of its character. Some of the moldings are not original, and if they are, they're painted white. And there are no built ins, which would have been super uncommon for the time period when our house was built. I'm sure, at some point, this house had some awesome built in cabinets or cupboards. But alas,they're gone.
But have you heard the term "fake it til you make it"? Well, that's what we're doing with an old closet in the family room. Basically, it's a closet with no door. Here are a couple of "before" shots. The first is after we'd painted the family room blue (it was yellow). The second is just a perspective shot,from the hallway, through the studs, into the family room, so you can get a feel for where this closet is in the house.
So, I wanted to beef up the "closet" and give it more of a "built in" feel for a couple of reasons. First: it's cooler and more period appropriate that way.
Second: we need a place to put our components for the TV.
Third: good excuse to use the miter saw. I heart mitering.
Okay, so here's how I did it!
Step One: Clean up the old shelves.
This was the scary part, because as you can see, the inside of the closet is black like DEATH. Who the heck knows what's lurking in those corners?? Sidenote: last night, I found a huuuuuuuge spider in our bedroom. That's right, our BEDROOM. Like, where I sleep. Correction: where I used to sleep...
Step Two: Patch holes
Step Three: Add big chunky trim to the front of the shelves.
This not only gives the illusion of big chunky shelves, it will also makes a little lip which will stop future TV paraphanalia from slipping off.
Step Four: Prime EVERYTHING :)
Step Five: Paint the shelves and new-fangled molding a nice semi-gloss white.
I chose to paint the back and side walls of the closet the same color as the family room walls to create a more unified appearance. Dude, that sentence was so "design-y". I'm souding pretty legit right now :)
Step Six: Step back. Admire your product. Maybe play some "I'm Awesome" music, like "Dreamweaver" or "D*mn it feels good to be a gangsta", from OfficeSpace.
I mean, whatevs.
So, the waiting game continues over here (cabinets AND stove on the 22 of September! Woot!), so in the meantime, small project numero dos: the family room "built in".
One of the challenges of our old house is that it's been converted to apartments many times over, and in that process, has been stripped of some of its character. Some of the moldings are not original, and if they are, they're painted white. And there are no built ins, which would have been super uncommon for the time period when our house was built. I'm sure, at some point, this house had some awesome built in cabinets or cupboards. But alas,they're gone.
But have you heard the term "fake it til you make it"? Well, that's what we're doing with an old closet in the family room. Basically, it's a closet with no door. Here are a couple of "before" shots. The first is after we'd painted the family room blue (it was yellow). The second is just a perspective shot,from the hallway, through the studs, into the family room, so you can get a feel for where this closet is in the house.
So, I wanted to beef up the "closet" and give it more of a "built in" feel for a couple of reasons. First: it's cooler and more period appropriate that way.
Second: we need a place to put our components for the TV.
Third: good excuse to use the miter saw. I heart mitering.
Okay, so here's how I did it!
Step One: Clean up the old shelves.
This was the scary part, because as you can see, the inside of the closet is black like DEATH. Who the heck knows what's lurking in those corners?? Sidenote: last night, I found a huuuuuuuge spider in our bedroom. That's right, our BEDROOM. Like, where I sleep. Correction: where I used to sleep...
Step Two: Patch holes
Step Three: Add big chunky trim to the front of the shelves.
This not only gives the illusion of big chunky shelves, it will also makes a little lip which will stop future TV paraphanalia from slipping off.
Step Four: Prime EVERYTHING :)
Step Five: Paint the shelves and new-fangled molding a nice semi-gloss white.
I chose to paint the back and side walls of the closet the same color as the family room walls to create a more unified appearance. Dude, that sentence was so "design-y". I'm souding pretty legit right now :)
Step Six: Step back. Admire your product. Maybe play some "I'm Awesome" music, like "Dreamweaver" or "D*mn it feels good to be a gangsta", from OfficeSpace.
I mean, whatevs.
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