A "Diamond in the Rough"

My friend Derya and I found this great little consignment shop called "Chic & Unique" here in the SLC. We have been there quite a few times and have brought home some pretty good finds! I already posted a picture of my coffee table I got there for $50 and which I LOVE! but, probably the best one is a cabinet that I got there for just $200 and it looked rough!

I went in the store every week for over a month drooling over the cabinet, the price went from $425 down, down, every week and I kept waiting until I moved in my house because I had no place for it, and was so afraid it would be gone before I could get it! I don't really know why but it just begged me to take it home.

before

the front of the drop leaf

One lady in the shop told me that she intended to paint it and I was heartbroken, really worried they'd paint it before I could get it. I'd talked about it so much that my husband finally agreed to go look at it with me. He, too, liked it and thought it had potential. So he agreed I could buy it and we were finally moving into a house and I knew just the place for it!

this gray stuff was all over it

The drop-leaf door was locked when the consignment shop got it at an estate sale, and so they drilled it out to open it, what you see above is the "patch job" they did on the hole (the reason they thought it needed painting). The gray matter that was all over it looked like someone had spilled paint and then wiped it with a dirty rag and just smeared it down the face and side of the cabinet. You can see in the shelf how it was sort of hazy. It all wiped off with just water on a sponge!

I was sure the folks in the shop had tried to get it off and failed, but apparently they hadn't even attempted it, because it was very simple to get off. I was thrilled!

Inside the cabinet was an old light with huge bulbs and the wiring looked a little sketchy to me, so I bought a strip light with LED bulbs to replace it. I also had two glass shelves cut to replace the big wooden one which obviously was not original to the cabinet. I put it in the corner of my living room and filled it with my wine glasses and other barware and VOILA!

The "gray matter" washed right off!

I LOVE the outcome!

I love the way it turned out! It is a great storage piece, plus display!  This is just proof that you can find great things at great prices if you are willing to gamble on a diamond in the rough!

it's not perfect, but it stays open all the time anyway