Friday, March 27, 2015

Finished and Out the Door: The Grey Dining Hutch

This grey dining hutch was hanging around our house since early last year.  I bought it at Goodwill.  It was filthy and reeked of cigarette smoke, but it was in good condition otherwise ... perfect for a makeover and a quick resale ... or so I thought.


Dorothy and Alice think that they're helping.


The filth and stink was remedied with a good scrubbing and sitting it in the sunshine for a few days.




I discovered while I was working on the hutch last winter (in my dining room, using the dining table as a workbench, because it was too cold at the time to paint in my basement workshop), that it is a perfect match for our Blue Buffet ... except the hutch is oak and the buffet is maple.


The  hutch and buffet were both made by Cochrane.




The body of the hutch is Annie Sloan's 'Paris Grey', and the inside is 'Old White' ... very lightly distressed and clear waxed.  I stripped the oak top and refinished it with clear oil-based polyurethane for durability, and replaced the colonial-style fake brass hardware with brushed nickel knobs and bin-pull handles.








This hutch was one of the stars of my booth at the Lucketts Fair last May.  I wish I had kept count of how many people were lured into the booth and ooohed and aahhhed over it ... saying that the hutch was beautiful, my price was fantastic, then walking away.  My husband is an expert salesman, and even HE couldn't convince anyone to take it home with them.  At the end the weekend, the hutch came back home with us.  (To be fair, I wasn't the only one with this problem.  There was very little actual buying going on at last year's fair, according to the other vendors that I talked with, and a lot of us took home pieces that we had been certain would sell quickly.  Live and learn.)


That little vanity with the Bakelite handles is still available, too.


The hutch was stored in the living room before the Fair, and it returned to the same spot afterward ... and there it sat for months and months ... and I went on to other things.




Last month, in the spirit of continuing to work on finishing what I start, I listed the hutch on Craigslist to see what would happen.  In about a week, I received an email from a nice lady who was very interested in buying it.  Bad weather and scheduling conflicts got in the way for a while, but we remained in contact via email and telephone and we finally worked out a day when she could come by.  She loved it, of course, and she told me that it is exactly what she has been looking for!  It's a small world, because this little hutch now lives in the same neighborhood as my parents, around the corner and about two blocks away.

I still have a lot of leftover stuff in the basement and garage from when I was painting and selling.  Getting a large item like this hutch out of the house is an accomplishment ... baby steps, one thing at a time, finish what I start ... I'm working on it.

25 comments:

  1. It's really beautiful, Connie. It reminds me of my old step-back cupboard. Dorothy and Alice know how to compliment such a lovely piece. :) Deb

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  2. I could take lessons from you. i have an awful lot of WIPs (Work In Progress) Ofcourse they are all packed away now and i don't have to look at them until i unpack them
    in Arkansas. :)Love the hutch. So glad it finally found a home. Hugs! deb

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    1. Deb, one day I may get brave and share the hoarder's paradise that is my basement and garage ... that will make you feel really good about your WIP situation.

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  3. It really is pretty and I love the light color. It was just waiting for the right home, I suppose. Your cats are so cute, always finding a place to watch and/or help.

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  4. That photo with the kitties - so cute!! Beautiful job on the hutch - glad it found a loving home. Speaking of finding, glad to find your blog. Cheers from DC~

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  5. That hutch was lovely. I smiled at the picture with your cats!

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    1. I smile at that picture, too! The cats get in the way a LOT while I'm working on things ... and I wouldn't have it any other way.

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  6. Congrats on the sale of your lovely hutch, Connie. It sure is a beauty that I'm sure the new owner will enjoy. ♥

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    1. Thanks! It was frustrating to have so many people pay attention to it at the show, only to pack it up and bring it back home. Makes me believe that it was waiting for exactly the right home, which it appears to have found. She was SO glad to get it. Makes me happy,

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  7. I love this cabinet and would so have bought it from you if I lived closer! I am keeping my eyes open for something just like this. I loved the grey also! Oh and the 'girls' helping are so darn cute!
    hugs,
    Linda

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    1. I thought it came out really well. I like the grey a lot, too. The cats are always cute … just not always so helpful. Don’t tell them I said that. :)

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  8. I love the hutch! I have lots of things in my basement too and I'm just going to either use it in my own house or donate it.
    I have so many other things I want to do and create that I need to decide what's most important to me and thinking about painting what's down in my basement just depresses me. Please post photos of yours so that I feel better! LOL!

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    1. Yeah ... one day I may go all True Confession on ya and post photos of my stash(es) throughout the house and garages ... yes, garages ... we have two. Made it so easy to find a place to stuff a new treasure, in addition to all the stuff that we moved here with us in 2007 and didn't bring into the actual house. I have been on a tear of donating, tossing, giving away, and (like this hutch) selling. Making slow progress.

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  9. PS - LOVE the cats and ADORE their names! :D

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  10. Love the picture of Dorthy and Alice, really cute! It sounds like the hutch went to the right home. :)

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    1. The buyer was thrilled to get this, and I was really happy for her (and happy to see it go out the door).

      Dorothy and Alice make a career out of doing things that are cute.

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  11. Putting love and care (and elbow grease) into something makes it difficult for me to get rid of. The only thing that has ever left here, was something I did for someone else... and they weren't nearly as nice as your things.

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    1. No chance of keeping this ... I'm on a roll with finishing things and making space. I'm gonna ride this wave for as long as it lasts and see how much I can get done. The little bit of $$ that I get in return helps, too.

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  12. That is one lovely hutch! You did a beautiful job. I'd have a hard time parting with that. How neat that it is in a home near your folks.

    Have a great weekend ~ FlowerLady

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    1. The joy of making room in this over-stuffed house and garage WAY outweighs the feeling of ‘maybe I shouldn’t have sold that’. Also, I intentionally painted this a color that I don’t use in our house much, in case I had a change of heart and felt like keeping it.

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  13. P.S. I love the photo of Dorothy and Alice 'helping'.

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  14. Connie, looks really beautiful! Great job Miss perfectionist!
    Can you come paint for me...? ; D
    btw--I love YOUR hutch with the two layers of drawers. Don't think I've ever seen that before.
    Catherine

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