Pot Cupboard Makeover – learning to embrace lifes wobbles

“There is something fundamentally wrong with this new frying pan” Mr M called out from the kitchen, “is there” I replied “yes” he said “it wobbles”. And so it would seem on this occasion, my bargain hunting skills had failed me and buying cheap had not paid off. As he wrapped up the frying pan to be returned to the store and retrieved the old one about to be discarded, I unwrapped yet another packing box left untouched in the garage from our house move, well over a year ago now. And in it, I found all manner of forgotten treasures including a dirty little pot cupboard with what appeared to be an attack of wood worm. And it too wobbled and I wondered whether this upcycle might just be a step too far…

I am sure we’ve had this little pot cupboard for at least fifteen years. In that time it has seen a great many uses including storing endless garage paraphernalia for Mr M and countless cans of spray paint Master M would save his pocket-money for and then empty their contents over the walls of his little den in the garden. It was art I was told. At least the graffiti phase was contained to one small space and on our premises. The sad and sorry state I found the pot cupboard in presented me with this weeks challenge. So lets get started with our kitchen craft.

Since deciding renovating and building our new home is not imminent, I have created a list of jobs to do. So big is this list, we may as well have built. I have decided to give myself another headache by revamping a 1970’s damp avocado bathroom, on an extremely tight budget and without replacing the offending suite. Part of that revamp includes reinventing and repurposing existing storage and this pot cupboard just happens to be a rather useable size. In a bid to create a rustic and shabby chic look, I asked Mr M to cut out the front panel on the door so I could use chicken wire as a feature. And so with whizzy saws and drills in hand, the panel was removed and I sanded down the rough edges and dusted and wiped away cobwebs with a solution of white spirits .

I hadn’t bargained that fifteen years in a garage would give the pot cupboard wood worm, so next I applied a generous coat of wood worm killer all over it. Mine was an old tin, you can get a shiny new tin here. And I paid particular attention to the areas most affected and waited, patiently, for twenty-four hours for the solution to dry.

Next it was time for a coat of faster drying primer, just a forty-five minute wait this time, before the first coat of paint can be applied.

I also recently discovered a huge tin of acrylic satin paint in the garage too. Neither Mr M nor I are quite sure where this came from. What I am sure of though, is this particular shade of grey is just perfect for the bathroom makeover. Think Farrow and Ball Ammonite and you are getting warmer. And so I set to applying two coats to the pot cupboard. My little helper never too far away as ever.

I left the pot cupboard to dry over night and then used a sheet of coarse sandpaper with a block, to rub away where the paint would naturally flake and wear and then I waxed to protect it. I used the same wax I used here, which provides the added bonus of a delightful smell too.

We then attached the pre-cut chicken wire in place with a staple gun and banged the staples in tight with a hammer.

I had removed the old blue enamel door handle and its replacement, a vintage glass affair salvaged from a demolition project, was in fact the wrong size. Since the door handle does not need to lock or twist and is there purely to look beautiful, Mr M filled the hole with this and fixed the handle in place with the same.

On a recent shopping trip I purchased these storage baskets which are an excellent fit and disguise unattractive ‘stuff’ we all have in our bathroom cabinets. And of course there is always a place for pretty bottles.

And hydrangea and towels…

And not forgetting essential pretty pink flowers in dreamy jugs…

And here she is, finished and ready to play her part in a forthcoming bathroom makeover…

I love this shade of grey on my pot cupboard and have added a few more projects to my never-ending list which will be treated to the same touch of glamour for the bathroom makeover. I can think of worse colours to tone with an avocado suite which is going nowhere for a while. And the little wobble? Learn to embrace life’s little wobbles that’s what I say. Otherwise where would we all be? Kitchen craft is all about taking something old and making it new.

And now I have a plea to those of you still reading. A great many of you tell me in all sorts of wonderful ways how much you enjoy reading this little blog of mine and my analytic stats show me I have readers all over the world. I am both truly grateful and humbled by this. If you are happy to do so, I would love for you to say hello and leave a comment here on the weekly post from time to time. I am told Google likes to see interaction on a blog and it makes for others to be more likely to find Whitewood and Linen if they search a topic I’ve written a post on. And I would certainly love to get to know you better. In anticipation you may be happy to do this, thank you. And if you don’t want to that’s fine too, I’m grateful you stop by each week and I just thought I would ask.

Next week, we’ll be out in the garden and I’ll be showing you a new and exciting project we are working on not far from dear Belle. I hope the week brings us all a dose or two of sunshine and until next week, enjoy whatever you have planned and stay safe x

Check out our other posts on kitchen craft to really welcome spring into your home…