I have always loved the idea of refinishing old and run down furniture. This barn red closet purchased at an auction at Paris on Ponce was one such piece. It was originally brown, and painted red (minus 4 inches from the bottom). It happened to look like it was dragged in mud  There were nails askew and the hard wear needed updating. The door was also crooked due to the hinge being bent. It definitely needed a little TLC. I happen to have a partially used can of Robin’s Egg Blue Paint lying around, so I cracked it open, grabbed a brush, and got to work.

As I started to paint, I started to notice all the little cracks and chips in the wood. I wanted to keep these details noticeable  so I carefully brushed over them with a dry brush to keep some of the red showing through. When I got to the door, I thought it would be nice to keep the red frame, as I thought the colors looked really nice together. The inside of the closet was a bar for hanging garments and a shelf above that. I decided to be a little anal and paint some of the inside blue as well. Then I got to the hard wear. I removed all the pieces to correct the bent hinges (by hammering) so the door would hang correctly and painted them taupe with gold shimmer glaze. I left the screws the original color.

Now, when I purchased the cabinet I had the mind to use it as a closet for myself. When I finally got around to painting it, I happened to be 7 months pregnant. What a perfect closet this would make for a baby! I didn’t know the gender, but on a hunch I purchased a wooden ‘S’ from the craft store to hang on the door. The ‘S’ for my baby girl name. I painted it the same color as the hard wear and dry brushed the ridges with the same red as the door frame. It was to hang on the door, covering an unsightly hole. The plaque above the door, featuring a quote from the beloved tale Alice in Wonderland, happened to be a gift for my baby and was given to me at my baby shower (which was mad hatter themed more on that later). It just so happened to fit perfectly there.

Voila! I now have a place to store baby things. And what a ca$h saver this project was!