Happy weekend friends!
I am super excited to share this post with you all, this was my first solo project! Granted I probably asked Reid 1,000 questions along the way but hey, that’s how you learn! This is how it all started…as some of you know little boys are very busy and move FAST. Auggie is now to the age where he wants to stand up on everything. Before this project came into my mind I had an awesome Storables cart I designed for when I lived in my downtown Seattle studio. It worked as a little two person dining table and also storage (oh that big city living!) When I moved up north into our house I wanted to make use of it and ended up designing this sweet coffee bar as a present to Reid while he was on deployment! I love this corner of our house, everything about it makes me happy! As Auggie grows…so does our list of baby proofing, know what I mean? He has gotten to the point where he can stand up and grab the mugs off the top shelf…Mama needs those mugs for her daily dose (okay doses) of coffee! This being said…I started stalking Craigslist for an old piece of furniture I could transform into something awesome and auggie-proof!
I ended up finding this old TV stand for $40 and drew up a super non-professional design on a note card and went from there! I had a vision for what I wanted so once I found a piece that would work I went for it. Here’s what I knew…I wanted chicken wire, fun knobs, and a bold color to bring in some character to our white & grey color palette. It turned out above and beyond what I was expecting, of course it took WAY more time, money, and curse words than I had anticipated but that’s every project for you 😉 For all of you HGTV fans, don’t get me wrong, I love that station to death but damnnn it’s not as easy as they make it look! I’ll take one reality check please!
Materials Used:
- Orbital Sander with 80 Grit Discs
- Coarse Sanding Sponge or sand paper to get in the corners
- Wood filler–Recommend Elmer’s brand
- White paint–I used a cheap version from Ace Hardware, it took me 3 coats to do the inside of the cabinet so I would recommend something better quality like Behr Marquee (our all time favorite!)
- Chicken Wire — Any hardware store sells this, I get it from Home Depot
- Staple Gun
- Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Napoleonic Blue–this stuff is pretty pricey, about $35 for a can of it but the color is fabulous and it has great ratings, check it out here
- Annie Sloan Dark Wax– this brought out the wood grain and added a little darkness and shabbiness to the piece
- Rustoleum Oil rubbed bronze spray paint for the old gold hardware
- Painters Cloths
- Paint rollers
- Angled Paint Brush
- Frog tape
- Knobs –found at Hobby Lobby
- Side hanging hooks– found at Hobby Lobby
Below I’ve posted some pictures of the process…enjoy!
Here’s the cabinet in all it’s original glory as I began to take off all the hardware, doors, shelves, etc. 
I used heavy duty yard pruners along with my hands to take out all the wooden slats, then proceeded to fill each hole with wood filler, let it dry for 24 hours and sand it for a flushed look.
Ohhh the words I could use to describe the orbital sander…but this is a family friendly blog so we won’t go there 😉 Sanding is a long and slow process but I really recommend it if you want your project to look professional and last! I used 80 grit hook and grip discs for this piece. Also can we talk about my awkward claw in this photo? WTF.
Here it is, two long and sweaty days later, fully stripped down and ready for paint!
Back and insides painted white (let dry overnight) then Annie Sloan Napoleonic Blue Chalk Paint was applied with a handheld roller along with an angled brush to get in the corners.
Annie Sloan Soft Dark Wax was applied with a painters cloth to get the dark “shabby” look, I did my strokes with the grain but you can do it any way you like, or with a hard bristled brush. She has videos on her website if you want to watch more tutorials on painting/waxing techniques recommended for her products but I just kind of went with what felt right!
Staple gun was used to apply chicken wire to back of doors after paint & wax have been applied and allowed at least 24 hours to dry, this was my favorite part of the project!!! I totally felt like a child but staple guns are FUN. 
Finished look with chicken wire and safety locks added. This lock was found at Ace but you can really find them at any hardware store…knobs are from Hobby Lobby and I love them!
Now for the final reveal… (drumroll please)
And there you have it folks! A year ago I never would’ve thought I was doing my own handy project, but I dedicated myself to learning something out of my comfort zone and could not more pleased with the outcome!
Thanks for taking time out of your day to check out this post, we will be in touch!
As always, Sincerely the Smith’s