Most of the pieces of furniture that I currently own are hand-me-downs, garage sale finds, thrift store bargains, and garbage-picked pieces. I think the most I've spent on a piece of furniture was $75 for my sofa that I got from a friend who was moving, and that's a lot more then I've spent on any other piece I own. What can I say? I'm on a tight budget. I just paid for my own wedding and am trying to save to buy a house. But I don't think anyone who comes into my apartment can tell how cheap I am. I love turning trash into treasure. And the pieces I don't have room for I sell online to fund my next purchase!
This disgusting, beat up wall shelving unit was found in the basement of my old apartment after my neighbors moved out. Not only was it dated, but it was very dirty and missing a handle. But it is solid wood, and I could tell that it had a lot of potential.
Before.
The initial cost was $0. I spent $6 on a couple tubes of paint from the craft store. I painted the back of the unit a vibrant teal. The sides and shelves I painted in a milky white color. I used regular old painters tape to protect the areas that I had already painted.
Halfway there!
The drawers I also painted off-white. They have a great carved detail on the front of them, which I decided to highlight with teal.
Drawer front.
I also painted the inside of the drawers teal as a happy little surprise. I bought new oil-rubbed bronze drawer pulls online for $4 a piece. Most of the pulls sold in stores are 3" center-to-center (or from one hole to the next), while these were a more difficult to find 2.5".
Finished drawer!
And this is how she looks now! Well worth the few hours of work, I think. While she matches the main color scheme of my apartment, I think she's worth selling. She could work great above a toilet in a bathroom for toiletries, in an dining room for wine glasses, or a home office to hold books and supplies. I'll be sad to see her go.
After!
