Turn an Old TV Cabinet into a Stylish Armoire by charlotteshopgirl
For those of you who work from home or have an office at the house, you probably face the same challenge I do: keeping your office neat and tidy so that when you’re done working it can still look like a nice room. And if your office does double duty as a guest room, you need to be able to clear out fairly easily when guests actually come to stay.
My office is in the front of our house, in what is designed to be an open dining room. So you can see everything the moment you walk in the front door. Not to mention when my work day is done, I want to be able to mentally transition to home life (which commuters are able to do on the way home). This is actually a very important step for those who work from home; you must separate your work life and home life. Most times this can be as easy as shutting the door to your office and going to a different part of the house. And while my office doesn’t get used after hours, it can be seen from our living room and will eventually do double-duty as a playroom. So I’m taking steps now to get things organized and out of the way of little hands.
Which brings me to my latest DIY project. I needed a larger piece for my office that could hide some of the not so pretty necessities. So when I saw an old TV cabinet at Goodwill for $10, I snapped it up and set out to make it suitable for both office storage and styling inspiration.
Here’s how I did it.
Step 1: Choose your paint color. The cabinet was originally a dark faux wood with outdated brass knobs. I removed the knobs and painted a coat of primer. Then I painted two coats of “Creamed White” from Lowes in a satin finish.
Step 2: Antique the piece. At the recommendation of someone at Lowe’s, I used a dark brown (“Moose Mousse”) antiquing glaze to simulate the wood that would show through as though the edges had worn naturally or had been sanded. This is surprisingly easier than it looks, just dip your brush in slightly and wipe it almost dry. Gently brush edges where you would sand and voila…distressed edges.
Step 3: Attach your knobs. If you read my DIY necklace tutorial, you know already I’m a fan of fun knobs. Changing them out can do wonders for an old dresser or cabinet! For this project, I chose a glass knob in a flower design. You can find decorative knobs anywhere from Hobby Lobby and World Market to Etsy and Amazon.
Step 4: (optional) Add décor to the inside. I wanted the inside to have a little whimsy. I bought these gold dot decals a while ago on Amazon with the intention of putting them on one wall in my office. I’m glad I tried them out on this project first because getting the pattern right is important! (As stated in the directions, but who reads those?). I also added a chalk sticker to the handy inside drawer.
Step 5: Organize your new armoire. The options for an open cabinet are nearly endless. If using in a bedroom, you could add shelving to stack sweaters, shoes or handbags. Most TV cabinets will have pre-drilled holes for pegs on each side so all you’d need to do is have Home Depot or Lowes cut a piece of wood to fit. You could also add hooks or a bar to hang handbags or clothing. You could add hooks on either inside door to hang belts or even necklaces. The drawers could be used for socks, tights & leggings. I’ll be using them to hide office items as well as house some styling pieces: my camera and its accessories are in one drawer and clutches are in another. However you decide to organize your armoire, have fun with it and make it your own.
