Upcycled industrial cocktail cabinet

[Marisca]

The day I found an art deco writing cabinet on market place I knew instantly that this was going to be our future Industrial Style Funky Cocktail Cabinet.

Never one to just go into a project like a bull at a gate, I took my time to collect images and create a list of ideas of how i could make this Cocktail Cabinet unique and serve our needs for mixing up some cocktails on a Saturday night.

I photocopied images to glue inside each cabinet, covered each with black aluminium fly wire to add to the industrial design and mounted Alec Warm White LED Puck Lights for impact.

The whole cabinet was sanded back and prepared before painting it with chalk paint in Athenian Black.  I found some quirky parchment paper which I glued on for extra impact and than finished the whole cabinet with a Black Chalk Paint Wax.   To give the cabinet some extra height and industrial flair I attached some Adoored Black Steel Angled Corner Furniture Legs.

I am Super Happy with the finished result and excited to share it on the Bunnings Workshop Post.

 

[EricL]

Hello @Marisca

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's amazing to have you join us, and thank you for sharing your upcycled industrial cocktail cabinet.

Your collection of ideas has definitely paid off. What a beautiful conversion from the old brown finish to a nice classic black. The images and legs you've added have given the cabinet a nice personal touch. The cabinet lights really make a difference as you can now clearly see what's inside the shelves. Would it be possible for you to tell us the painting steps you took to get this nice finish on your cabinet? What inspired you to place those images on the cabinet?

Any other information you can share about the cabinet make-over would be highly appreciated.

We look forward to seeing your next project.

Eric

[KatieC]

Hi @Marisca,

A warm welcome to the Workshop community. Thank you for sharing your gorgeous upcycle project, it is creative and inspiring for many of us who do upcycling. The images you chose came out so well, did you print the pictures directly onto newspapers? I would also love to know your process in getting your clever cat onto the cabinet door, are you able to share that process? Really great job. 

Katie

[Marisca]

Adding some technical steps information to my post.

Preparation and Paint Finish

•    Sanding the components of the cabinet to be painted
•    Feature details were untouched and left in their original glory
•    Using Chalk Paint i was able to paint immediately over the sanded surface without having to use a primer first
•    Once 2 coats of paint were applied and thoroughly left to dry, the elbow grease began to apply the wax 
•    I applied Annie Sloan Black Chalk Paint Wax over all the surfaces that were painted with the black chalk paint.
•    Buffing each section thoroughly to allow the wax to shine and provide an even finish.
•    The wax was left to cure for 24 hours before any further work was done on the cabinet.

  

Images in the Cabinet

• The quirky images were searched and found on various websites
• Printed using high quality photo paper for clear definition
• Using PVA glue I glued them into the each individual shelf 
• Made frames around them using thick black cardboard and glued them over the images
• Finished each framed image by pop riveting black aluminium fly wire over the top

The Pirate Cat Image

• The pirate cat image is made from tissue paper which i bought on-line from Zazzle Australia
• 2 copies were used to lengthen the image to fit the whole height of the door
• Image Medium was used to carefully glue the tissue paper on to the door and allowed to dry for 24 hours
• A top layer using Image Medium was painted over the whole area using a sponge brush to finish and protect the image
• Blending the image in with the cabinet I used the Black Wax to blend the image into the door
• For impact I applied shadows to the original picture using Black Wax

Industrial Lights Added

Just recently I found the coolest lights on Marketplace to add to my forever evolving Cocktail Cabinet.

I think they look absolutely fantastic.

 

[KatieC]

Thank you @Marisca for the time you have taken to give the community an amazing detailed process to creating this gorgeous piece. Those industrial lights are SUPER cool! What a gem of a find 😊

I am looking forward to seeing more of your creative projects to come. 

Katie