Who doesn’t love a good game of before & after? The above is our “before”. I bought this armoire in college while moving into an apartment with a microscopic closet. It followed me through 2 more apartments, serving as the world’s cutest TV cabinet. My first home? TV cabinet, because after not owning a TV in college, the one I purchased (and kept for over a decade), was exceptionally small. Onto Florida, where it lived in a guest room, holding quilts and linens. Back to Indiana, where it served a myriad of purposes over a 9 year span, finally landing in my sewing room.
Now…here we are, staring at this red alder wood with square handles armoire for the 20th year. If it’s to continue onward, it must coordinate with a white room with rainbow accents and a hodge podge of white and black furniture. It’s huge. It’s heavy. And it may need to be shorter to work in this space. I’ve moved the attic space and vases around…again. The girls’ latest “dig through Mommy’s scraps” project needs to be folded and put away, but I’m more in the mood of “I might just yank everything out of it, put off everything I’m supposed to get done this week, and make this furniture different.” Plus, sewing corners are always a mess. It’s crafting law.
I’m giving you the chance to weigh in. The girls and I have gone around and around and can’t make up our minds. Sara wants it all gray. Kelly wants it all rainbow. I wish I could make it look more urban to match the room, but I don’t want it to be a dark behemoth of a thing. Enter as many comments as you wish, either here or on Facebook. I’ll throw them all in a random number generator and the winner will win some custom made cards. Examples of some of my original creations can be seen here and here and here. I promise something bright and happy, and as many as I can stand to create before burning my fingers off with my glue gun.
Enter your design ideas by noon on Saturday, March 14th! Please enter different ideas as separate comments. Let’s get creative, my friends!
9 responses to “The Before & After Game: A Giveaway”
I would paint it a neutral color but then on the door panels I would add some fabric to it. Use the starch method that way you could change it out whenever you wanted and won’t damage anything.
Another thought would be is to add some dimension to the piece like on the doors and or drawers. You could add some latice, scroll work or whatever design you wanted. Attach it with the command velcro strips so you could change out design whenever you wanted.
How about decopatch? I will be glad to help!!!!! We can find fun papers in all different colors!!!
Chevron with pale gray and white! Then change out knobs to something fun the girls get to pick out. And paint inside white.
My vote is that you leave it as is and take a well-deserved nap.
Doug wins. 🙂
Paint it a barn red, then cover with white. Sand down the edges and here and there to let the red shine back through. Can’t take credit…saw it in a magazine and dying to try it on something…anything!!!
Take the doors off. Paint the entire thing white including the inside. Then you can either: 1) paint the interior black – making a dramatic look, or 2) distress the white and on the inside shelf area get some black fabric (0r grey) fabric storage bins. I picture you have the fabric bins be the color….and easier to access and more modern than with the doors on. Fill the baskets with sewing items. Then change out the knobs on the drawers to some cool alphabet letters or trendy knobs. As for the rainbow colors – well that would be all the fabrics inside all your bins!!!
Paint it white and chalkboard paint the doors! (the girls can use rainbow chalk markers to write on those doors!!!) See how I am trying to make everyone happy!??