paint this hutch that is!
It holds plates....
and wine glasses....
or spoons
That's what it did originally!
It is solid wood....
Solid Walnut, to be exact!
With dovetailed drawers...
that have a stamp in them by the maker....
not just a sticker!
This drawer is specifically made for your
best silver....
It's lined!
with specific places for
spoons....
forks....
&
knives....
along with a cover, to help them from
tarnishing too quickly!
There are three drawers for your special linens....
and an open drawer for your casserole dishes....
and platters maybe....
There is a shelf, but the brackets are missing!
(the only flaw)
It has beautiful detail....
like the dental molding....
and the zinc (not leaded) original glass door fronts....
Along with the beautiful crown molding at the top!
The hinges and knobs are original....
along with the shelf holders...
they are hammered metal....
It is solid....
heavy solid wood....
that's not press board or veneered wood,
trust me....I helped carry it in!
It's also....
alittle small scale for my kitchen....
my ceilings are 11 ft tall.
Anything will look small scale here!
But it has history....
it was the Grandmother's,
they inherited it....
it sat in their garage "a few years"....
now it is in our Home,
for new memories....
Yes, I want/wanted a buffet....
to paint black!
But, I find I can not do that
with this piece!
And yet....
it is now Home....
where it belongs....
loved and taken care of
as it should be!
(the wood looks brighter in these pictures then in REAL life)
What would you do?
By all means- if you don't want to paint it, LIKE EVERYONE ELSE IS DOING, then I wouldn't.
ReplyDeleteIf YOU are in love with it right now. After bringing it home.
Then I say LIVE WITH IT! Live with it, Love it, and admire it just the way it is.
Fill it with your family heirlooms.
Fill it with your favorite dishes.
Fill it with all the things you love.
And then, after it is all said and done- pass it down to one of your children and let them deal with having to paint it!
Naw!
If you like it like it is- I say leave it.
you can always paint it later.
I think it's a beautiful cabinet just the way it is. I love all the details and how roomy it is. I think painting furniture has become a hobby. I just bought my dream Hoosier cabinet. cleaned it up as you did, and I LOVE it.
ReplyDeletexoxo
Janie
It IS lovely. I would keep it as is for now. You may find that after you have had it for a while your ready to make changes, if not, then you haven't made the mistake of adding paint. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteThat's a beautiful piece of furniture!
ReplyDeleteJust do what makes your own heart sing. I love some of the painted furniture, but it doesn't all have to be painted! Some pieces stand on their own just the way they are. By the way, your guest room is perfect. What a cozy place for guests to curl up and relax. Great job! Dawn
ReplyDeleteI agree, follow your heart. What is this obsession of everybody wanting to decorate to look like "everyone else"?!
ReplyDeleteOnce it's painted you can't go back to the original finish....color trends come and go....just think....if you had acquired this in the 80's you might have painted it mauve with dusty green accents....that would have been sad :(
Be bold, be yourself....love what you love with no excuses.
Hi Lisa!
ReplyDeleteYou have gotten yourself a real "find" there. Right now, that little voice inside you is giving you a mental list of how much you like the piece as it is. How lucky that piece is, to have found its way out of a garage and into a special place in your home to be treasured and loved just the way it is! (People should be so lucky to have someone say, "I wouldn't change a thing...love you just the way you are! lol) And, how lucky you are, that if you change your mind, you can always paint it later. You also have the option of just changing the hardware for a new look...that's what stands out to me and perhaps dates it a bit.
I have a shop on Cape Cod and my main business is, Pieces of Dreams, painted vintage furniture. But, if you look thru my shop, you will see a mix... don't paint everything and I feel it looks a lot more interesting not to have everything painted...(I know that goes against the grain of what others do to get "the look", but I have my own. If you look and see some of the hutches/china closets in my shop, I don't think you would paint them either.) I have done hutches, by the way,and they come out beautiful but are a lot of work! I think if you were to paint it, that black would be the way to go because it is a classic that doesn't get dated and shows off your dishes, etc. However, keeping it the way it is and stepping back and admiring it after you "dress it" with all your treasures, may just make your heart sing! Hope I helped and thanks for the visit! Karen
Oh dear...I certainly get it, now that you've restored it to it's former glory you shouldn't paint it! I hope you are aware that an Ethan Allen piece is quite a treasure, very expensive and extremely well made!
ReplyDeleteIt is lovely. I do know what you mean, though, I have a few pieces that my plans were to paint, but I can't seem to bring myself to do it.
ReplyDeleteTeresa
An Ethan Allen hutch?! I would say that if it didn't "clean up" well, then by all means paint it. If, once you cleaned it up, you're happy with it . . . then by all means DON'T paint it! Go with your heart!
ReplyDeleteI know I am a bit late here in weighing in, opinion wise, but I say to leave it alone! It's beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI must add though that I am truly not one to follow the pack. When everyone loves something, I tend to go the opposite way as I don't understand wanting to copy others. I like what I like, and I don't care much if it's popular.
(Hence our kitchen is right out of 1985...)
So there you are, another opinion.
Take care,
Sue