Remember this post? I found two vintage fretwork cabinets for a steal at Everything Goes in Staten Island a while back.
To sass them up a bit (and to give me some hidden storage), I silver leafed the inside of the existing glass panes.
The original wood (it was sort of a fruit wood?) was not so pretty and I knew I wanted to paint it out. While I actually really liked the contrast of the dark color of the wood against the silver-leafed glass, we don’t always have the best sun light in our apartment, so I needed to go lighter with the color. I also needed something in the cool color family to balance out the gold tones of our yellow striped rug.
I ended up painting the cabinets a pale icy blue (Benjamin Moore’s White Ice OC-58), but I think I’m going to change the color this week — more on that later.
I love how the panes look kind of like antiqued glass now. You can see very blurry but not true reflections, which makes me happy to know I won’t have to actually watch myself when I’m parked in front of ridiculous reality shows (or when I’m doing my Tracy DVD’s
Another upside is that fingerprints are a total non-issue here like they would be with traditional mirror panes. I can’t see any of the Evie-sized smudges at all.
P.S. Do you see a little sneak peek of the navy buffalo check I’m considering for our dining chairs?
Oh I love that new look of the cabinet!
Looks really pretty!;)
Lovely greetings…
http://pudel-design.blogspot.com/
I liked the contrast better with the wood..would like to see what color you plan to change it to next..I'm totally inspired to silver-leaf the glass doors of one of my cabinets! keep us posted of the next development..do check out my post on a gorgeous destination today when you have a moment! xx meenal
Im liking the direction..are you going darker?
Yes! I remember that piece and have been checking back to see the "after". I love it. I used your silver-leaf demo on a china cabinet. Your great!
Looks a-mazing! love the pattern of the wood.
GREAT job Jenny! I've been waiting to see how this comes out so I could try it on a buffet. LOVE that it looks like antique mirror. Thanks so much for sharing!!!
Looks great. I can't wait to see more!
It turned out absolutely gorgeous!
I love the pale blue! It has such great lines, I'm sure any color would look good. The honeycomb mirror looks great, too!
i love the before and after! what a chic piece. xoxo jcd:: enter to win my jewelry giveaway !!
very cool transformation!!! i love your blog by the way ;)
I love the silver leaf. It never ceases to amaze me the ideas that people come up with. Nice.
It looks awesome! I love the silver leaf. Great idea and great transformation!
Woooohoooo! Before and after day is my favorite day on LGN!!
LOOKS AMAZING!! I bet they bring so much light into your space! Lovely!
Thanks for sharing!
Brilliant! You have such a good eye.
All your projects turn out so well!
Love the cabinet! The silver leafed doors are a brilliant idea!
Oh, Jenny. It's all so gorgeous! I love the rug with it. You're right that it needed a cooler toned paint to balance the gold rug. It's really pretty.
And I LOVE the silver leafing idea!
Love it – so glad that you painted it!!!
Oh yay! I've been excited to see these photos! Looks lovely and totally doable from a DIY perspective (though I never would have thought of that myself!)
Love your blog Jenny!
These cabinets were such an amazing find! The color looks really pretty. The fabric on your dining chairs was the first thing I noticed lol! I'm a sucker for upholstery!
that is so gorgeous.. i am very jealous of that find!!
Oh my gosh, I love it! But why are you changing the color again? I think it's lovely! That thing must have been a beast to paint! Save yourself the time and just enjoy it's current state of beauty!
Love all your projects. Your blog is my favorite.
hugs
Brooki
ah, I see a glimpse of the honeycombed mirror you just got from Pier 1 —
love the texture it adds to your space!
That cabinet is absolutely awesome. Love the silver leafing–yes it does look like antique mirror!
Wow Jenny!! I love it!!
You inspired me to try something similiar…but when I did the silver leaf I couldn't get it to overlap to look right.
I love yours, though!!!!
I do remember the original post and eerily enough was thinking about it late, late, late, last night! I'm considering doing that to our tv console. I HATE seeing all the junk inside.
What a great idea! I love it, really really really love it!
I have an off the wall question about re-doing furniture… do you sand it and paint it indoors or do you have a crew of really stong men to haul it to the garage or patio and back so that you can work on it?
I ask this because I have some items that I want to sand and paint, but I can't move this kinda stuff alone and was wondering how everybody else handles this sort of situation.
Hi Lisa – I don't sand thing before I paint them usually – unless the surface is uneven. And I don't most of my painting inside. Low VOC paint helps there.
xx
Please don't change the color…I love it and the color really compliments the silver leaf glass doors. I think it is just stunning.
WOW!!! You have such a fantastic talent! Love the cabinets!
Wow, you have some serious talent and a huge dollop of patience! Your cabinet turned out gorge :) xx Cat
where is the striped rug from?
love how the cabinet turned out! and yay for buffalo check!
The cabinet is gorgeous! I never would have thought to silver-leaf mirror. It's such a great look :-)
This was such fun to see a sneak peak into your home. I love the cabinet and your ABC rug looks phenomenal. Can't wait to see more!
Love the cabinet! I wonder if it would be possible to get the silver leaf to look even more antique and patchy somehow for a project I am working on. Thanks for the great inspiration!
They look great, and totally like your inspiration pictures!
I love the look! Great idea silver leafing the panes. I have done a dresser and a lamp but not that! Don't you hate it when you think you a colour will look great and then after all that work, you don't like it? I had that this week as well while painting my bathroom.
Wonder what colour you ended up with?
You're Amazing, with possibly the best taste ever!
Adore the cabinet, Jenny fabulous job!!
I do have a Giveaway from The Zhush I know you will love!
xoxo
Karena
Art by Karena
Oh Jenny, the transformation is amazing! Thanks for sharing!
cool cabinet! And I love the rug. Where did you find it??
Looks like a page out of Domino Magazine! Love the direction, can't wait for the whole room reveal!
Wow, the cabinet looks FANTASTIC!!!! I'm obessed :)
looks amaze! as always. glad to see i'm not the only one hanging on to my vhs tapes! :)
As always, Jenny, you never cease to amaze us with your vision. This is a beautiful piece!!
Oh, I LOVE it!!!!!!
Pretty! I have been waiting to see the "after" of this!! Love it!
xo
kelly
i love the silver leaf detail, it adds so much and any time there is some metallic involved… i'm a huge fan.