Home Decor

DIY Mid-Century Modern Credenza

March 27, 2016

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Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Ace Hardware. All thoughts and opinions are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of Ace Hardware.

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Raise your hand if you’ve ever owned or currently own a certain shelving unit from a certain Scandanavian homeware retailer. Yeah, you know, the square little cubbies that always seem like a good idea when you’re browsing the aisles. So versatile! Great as a bookshelf/bar cart/room divider! Now, keep that hand raised if that shelving unit is currently serving as a junk table/dust collector/eye sore in your apartment. There’s just something about the piece that makes it look unfinished, and no matter how hard you try, the darn thing just looks like it should belong in a dorm room.

This was precisely our problem. We bought it when we first moved out here 2 years ago and it has remained an eyesore in our apartment ever since. With no real strategy, it just collected junk and served as a place to put our random odds and ends.

BEFOREIt was time to give this thing an OVERHAUL and, well, there’s really nothing that a fresh coat of paint can’t fix! Our Kallax unit was black, which I felt was too dark/harsh for our mostly white and neutral space.

Lo and behold, Ace Hardware must’ve heard my prayers because they asked me to team up with them for their 31 Days of Color campaign! In an effort to encourage a healthy spring refresh or bold color improvements, Ace Hardware is rolling out a color of the day every day in the month of March. Such a fun idea and a fantastic way to discover new paint colors that you might not have noticed before!

To pick out my color, I headed over to The Paint Studio. There were so many gorgeous colors to choose from, but I decided on Rue Bourbon: a creamy light brown the color of melted milk chocolate, and today’s color of the day! I also added some drawers and cupboards to the middle cubbies and little white + copper legs to get it up off the ground. Not gonna lie, this was quite a time-intensive DIY that required a couple of trips to Ace to get materials. Also, big shoutout to Sawyer for letting me deconstruct our entire living room for a week and then helping me finish out this project. I couldn’t have done it without his help!

If you’d like to try out this DIY, here is what you’ll need!

SUPPLIESLay down the plastic dropcloth in your workspace and place the unit on top, making sure to leave ample space to work and move around. Start by wiping the unit down with a damp microfiber cloth. Then, using a mini foam roller, prime with the Smart Prime (it sticks to anything and everything, even faux wood!). Since it’s not made of real wood, there was no need to sand it down before slapping on the primer. Allow to dry for 30 minutes.PRIMING-2Next, using a clean foam roller, apply the first coat of Valspar paint. Let dry 1 hour between coats (my unit required two coats of paint). While the coats are drying, go in with more paint and the paintbrush to get the corners and crevices. PRIMINGWhile the paint is drying, tape up the wooden parts of the legs with the painter’s tape. Lay all 6 legs on the drop cloth and spray paint the metal caps. I chose to paint mine copper (duh), but feel free to pick another color! Allow to dry for 15 minutes before flipping over and painting the other side. Allow 1 hour to fully dry.LEGSThen, do the same for all 6 knobs. Allow to dry 15 minutes before flipping over and painting the other side. Allow 1 hour to fully dry.KNOBSOnce the unit is completely dry, install the drawers and cabinets, following the manufacturer’s instructions. Attach the painted knobs once fully dry.

Once the legs are completely dry, peel the painter’s tape off the tops and apply two coats of Smart Prime to the wood. You can use white paint if you have it on hand – I didn’t so I substituted white primer instead. Allow 1 hour to fully dry. While waiting for the legs to dry, install the 6 mounting plates on the bottom of the unit, making sure they are all evenly spaced. Once the legs are dry, screw them tightly into the mounting plates.

TA-DA!

AFTER-1 AFTER-5 AFTER-4AFTER-6 AFTER-2I hope this project inspires you to take something old and turn it into something new. I love the way our new credenza fits into our mid-century modern home decor, and the new paint color warms up the space beautifully. Remember, sometimes all it takes is a fresh coat of paint and a little determination!

 

ThePaintStudio_AtAceStacked_Gray

Another day, another color to inspire your home projects. Every day in March, Ace is unveiling a featured color and giving you a chance to win a $10,000 room makeover! To learn more visit thepaintstudio.com.

 

No purchase or payment necessary to enter or win.  Open to legal US residents residing in the contiguous United States and the District of Columbia who are at least twenty-one (21) years of age and who are homeowners.  Sweepstakes will run from 3/1/16 3/31/16.  Full rules located here.