Salvaged wardrobe I considered for the kitchen remodel.
At this point I am waiting for THE THING.
When we started this house, I did not know about THE THING… I did not know that if you wait, giant fanciness will show up on Craigslist and enrich your life.
It makes me sad to think of all the fanciness I missed out on before I was enlightened… But all I can do is try to make up for it now.
At this point, I am a little frustrated that THE KITCHEN THING has not shown up yet, but I know it is all part of the process.
If you read my post about Pilar Guzman’s kitchen-of-magnificence, you know that I am enamored with the idea of an antique wardrobe repurposed into kitchen cabinetry.
If you read my subsequent post about finding/salvaging our own giant Victorian wardrobe, you know that INDEED, we ARE the people who know how to remove this from the wall.
NO PROBLEM.
This was part of a three-piece set that LOOKED really promising… I do not love/want painted wood, but the price and sheer amount of material was enough to make me go see it in person.
Plus, if we are painting, it gives us the flexibility of rebuilding/redesigning and adding new wood without worrying about (the impossibility of) matching stain/veneer/old wood patina.
But when we got there, the first wardrobe was really a piece of junk… (you KNOW that I will covet anything that is remotely fancy, and something has to be a real dud to not set off any kind of fancy-alarm.)
It was barely taller than I am and only slightly longer than 6 feet.
The Wardrobe Troll said– I do not think so. Boring. NEXT.
I did like the piece on the third floor – it was LARGE… I would’ve been happy to take it home and store it in the garage for all eternity, but Paul said we couldn’t do that.
I took a bunch of measurements, and spent the next few days trying to figure out how I could reconfigure the cupboards into an island… (Well, half an island– the half you see when you walk into the kitchen.) If we removed the upper and lower horizontal sections, we could maybe use them in another spot and turn the face of the cabinet into the right-height for an island.**
**Insert 57,000 other ideas that were similarly-vague-but-glorious-in-my-imagination-and-totally-ignoring-reality-of-crappy-condition-of-cabinetry.
Also, here I would like to say that it was FILTHY. To get to the third floor, we had to climb over a MOUNTAIN of construction debris.
If you scroll up to the second photo at the top of this post, you can see that seller-guy began gutting the attic after taking the picture for the Craigslist ad.
What you cannot see is that apparently he shared my approach to projects:
- begin with abandon.
- throw it in that there pile over yonder.
- be so focused on just one element that it isn’t until Paul comes home that someone puts a stop to the tornado of chaos.
Plus, this guy CLEARLY did not have a Paul. Sad for him in many ways, but also nice for him because he did not have anyone insisting that he must keep the area clear! Be orderly! REMOVE ALL NAILS from scrap-boards in some demented effort to safety-fy all of the trash… No matter that I have suggested a superior plan any number of times:
Put the nail-sticking-out-boards in the trash.
THEN DO NOT STEP IN THE TRASH.
When we left, my hands/pants/shoes were black from moving stuff to see what drawers were missing/climbing/wading through piles of plaster and lath, and Paul just stood there and talked to the guy about his plans for insulating the attic.
I said– can you give me a hand here? And Paul was like– I really want nothing to do with this idea but I know it is pointless to try to tell you all of the ways it will not look good… So I am just going to let you burn yourself out.
Looking at that photo above, all I can see are the nails sticking out of those boards. And even I –hater of tedious tasks– think that those should be picked up.
October 8, 2014 @ 7:22 pm
So did you get fancy thing #2? I’m unsure from your post if you took any of them home or not.
October 9, 2014 @ 10:32 am
No, after fidgeting with measurements and trying to figure out how to make a backside to my imaginary island… I decided it was not THE THING.
October 8, 2014 @ 7:50 pm
Victoria, I too am “a little frustrated that THE KITCHEN THING has not shown up yet”. Since I base all my household purchases on what you tell me is fabulous and Victoria-approved. Hence the replicated mirror and great new (old) metal tufted bench.
October 8, 2014 @ 8:23 pm
Is it weird that now when I find fancy things on craigslist I immediately think VICTORIA!!! Like this: http://annarbor.craigslist.org/fud/4670075072.html
I feel like we should be friends over our CL addiction- although my humble cottage doesn’t do fancy, though we do a lot of second hand furniture/doors/sinks/cabinets/everything.
October 10, 2014 @ 6:58 am
Right up until this week I didn’t worry so much about old nails, but Monday one went right through my sneaker and I’ve spent the week with a hole in my foot and one in my arm from the subsequent shots. Which is not nearly as productive as building the knife drawer insert and planting spring bulbs. Let that be some sort of lesson about it not being good enough to remove only half the rusty nails from old 2 x 4’s when you are rebuilding the kitchen, and then moving on to something more exciting.
October 11, 2014 @ 10:12 pm
You are 6 feet tall!? So that explains the big fancy things! 🙂 In pictures you come across as petite, or maybe everyone else around you is even taller?!?! I do really like where your mind is going with this. When you find the right thing, the quality thing with some kingdom-ness to it, it will be fabulous! I am on a similar search for a Chinese or other cabinet to replace an ugly oak 1980s desk in a corner of our kitchen. You know it when you see it!
October 11, 2014 @ 10:19 pm
And oh yeah I work in safety and even though it’s a PITA I always remove the nails or render them harmless. Sometimes I bang them sideways with a hammer so they curve back into the wood. Even if the boards are going to the garbage, I worry about the garbagemen and recycling center folks.
The only time I ever did not remove nails, I left the boards piled up face up across the walkway to our front door. It was getting dark and I figured I’ll remove the nails the next morning. I did not plan on anyone coming over. But after dark, the doorbell rings. I open the door and am horrified to find a lady with soft fabric moccasins on!!! WTH? On that day? The only day in 10 years that I’d laid boards with huge nails face up in front of our door! She was trying to find someone’s house and got lost. She had no idea she narrowly avoided disaster. I warned her to walk back to the car a different way and I will never ever leave boards with nails in them again. Someone was trying to send me a message??
October 13, 2014 @ 3:30 pm
I found my THING and it was absolutely worth the wait! My 1979 era ranch house is the proud owner of a vintage 1910 hardware store cabinet. It was so worth the search and months it took to be found – at 11′ long and 21″ high it fit perfectly into the space left from the pony wall we demolished. Don’t give up my fellow lovers of repurpose/recyling.
November 5, 2014 @ 11:08 am
Ah, the nails! We purchased an old bungalow to use as a rental house and I was doing all the remodeling. I am HORRIBLE about wearing practical shoes, and usually wear flipflops while I work. About a month ago I stepped down from a ladder onto a piece of trim with a three inch nail…went right through my heel. As I turned to put my weight onto my other foot to pull the nail out, I stepped on another nail with the other foot. Right through the ball of my foot. I bled like a stuck pig and could barely walk the next day!
February 11, 2015 @ 12:33 pm
Hi!
I must leave a comment as I recognize myself in the story about the huge mirror. (Besides I think that a room without a mirror is lacking something.) You did really well when you actually get your husband to agree driving to this place, because in my family that has always the tricky part. Excellent catch! Very well done! Nice husband! I think the story about the mirror is very charming.
September 17, 2015 @ 8:33 am
Every time I randomly Google using a salvaged piece, this time it was “salvaged ideas for pantry” your blog pops up with another great piece! Being in Florida, we don’t have nearly the great selection you all have but a Florida girl can live vicariously through you! Feel free to send any great pieces you pass on down this way. We have beautiful beaches and amazing sunsets (we won’t mention the gators, hurricanes, or humidity though). Can’t wait to see the next project.