aviary hutch cabinet makeover
Marc and I have had a hutch cabinet in our family room for almost a year now. It has shown itself quietly in the background of some of my photos.
We had been using it to house all of our books, DVD’s, candles, Bibles and photo albums, but after doing some furniture switching, we had a larger bookcase that didn’t jut out as far from the wall. Since we live in an 800 square foot in-law suite, space is premium, so we decided to swap out the hutch for the bookcase, which allowed me to give the hutch a Milk Paint makeover!
Hutch in aviary milk paint
Now I don’t have an official “before” photo, but imagine a tall hutch cabinet that’s a medium tone wood that had brass handles and a white interior. It was a perfect candidate for Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint and for my color choice, I went with Aviary.
Aviary is the newest color addition to the Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint line. It’s a gorgeous smokey blue/gray that was inspired by the antique birdcage shown in the photo above. The paint on the birdcage is original, and Miss Mustard Seed loved it so much that she mixed up a color to match it!
Aviary is bluer and cooler than Trophy, and doesn’t have the beige tones of Schloss.
The hutch was meant to be this color!
I staged this piece to serve as a holder for dishes, but you could place whatever you wished inside.
the interior – general finishes antique white
The interior was painted white when I bought the hutch, but it needed to be touched up in spots. I used General Finishes Antique White Milk Paint to paint on a fresh coat of white for the interior. I actually didn’t seal it with anything, because General Finishes Milk Paint is very durable once cured. We had ALL of our books on these shelves and the GF Milk Paint held up very well with that kind of use. So when it came time to paint this piece to sell, I didn’t have to touch the interior because the GF Milk Paint had held up beautifully!
new hardware
This hutch was outfitted with shiny brass Chippendale style pulls (my least favorite style) and it didn’t have a latch. The right door always swung open because there was no key to keep it locked.
To make the hutch functional and fashionable, I swapped out the Chippendale pulls for a set of oil rubbed bronze cup pulls and two knobs for the doors.
I also installed a catch for the right door so it stays shut when you close it. You can see it on the shelf in the photo below along with a peek of the drawer liner I used for a pop of color!
The two smaller drawers are installed on a hanging track, making them a bit unique! I made sure to rub all of the runners down with a Wax Puck to ensure they slide in and out smoothly.
The glass on the doors is original. It has a wavy quality to it that is quite charming. You can see it a bit in the reflection. See how it’s distorted? That’s because the glass is wavy!
Coming to morgantown market
This hutch cabinet will be brought in to my room at Morgantown Market soon. I plan on swapping it with the Wildflower Dresser.
For more pieces painted in Aviary, visit these blog posts:
