Two hutches?
We are still working on our kitchen renovation, I think the little details are taking longer than the construction haha! We just have to do all the trim/baseboards and I'm working on the furniture and decor.
I purchased and refinished this secretary hutch for the kitchen area:
I was was looking for a buffet I could refinish for the dining nook, which is right off the kitchen. The space isn't very big and our dining table is on the small side, so it needed to be smaller in scale. I finally found one the perfect size. It has the character I like and the sides even pop up to expand it. The only problem is, it has a display shelf on top for plates. I originally didn't really want something else that resembled a hutch, because I thought it would look weird to have two hutches in the same room. Both would be visible from the dining table as well. So I had every intention of taking the shelf off, but I feel a little bad about it since its original to the piece. Here it is in the dining area:
(Excuse the mess on the table, I'm working on black and white placemats to replace the old ones.)
We took the top off the buffet after the picture was taken. And I do feel like it's going to be a lot of work to refinish the top because the wood is unfinished where the shelf attached.
The finish is in really rough shape all over, so I don't feel too bad about painting it. My original plan was to sand and re-stain the top and paint the base. I like country primitive, and I'm going for a bit of a French country vibe in the kitchen. My table and chairs are black with a wood top and so are my counter stools at the island (the island base is also black). So my plan for the base was to paint it black, but paint the front panel detail a tan/cream color and add a flower detail similar to this:
Then have a lamp, a pitcher and such on top and hang a mirror or artwork above. I wanted to break up all the solid black furniture a little by adding the lighter panels and floral details.
But it then I ran across this picture:
and wondered if leaving the shelf on and painting the base and the shelf cream would work too. I'm just not sure how I feel about two hutch-like pieces in the same room. I'm also not sure if mixing cream and black two-toned furniture right next to each other will look right. But I really don't think I'd want to paint it black if I left the shelf on, because then it would really resemble my other hutch. I am doing mostly cream and black in the room. With a few pops of red here and there because my counter top appliances are still mostly red from my old kitchen. I toyed with the idea of painting it a dark red too, but my husband didn't like that idea and I'd kind of like to keep things more neutral anyway.
Heres another view of the buffet in better light so you can see the panels:
Curious us on others thoughts, would you keep the shelf? Which option of paint do you feel would fit the space better while still not being too monotonous?
Comments (11)
10 years ago
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- 10 years ago
- 10 years agolast modified: 10 years ago
I have a black French armoire in my kitchen, so I can understand not wanting to overwhelm the space with too much black.
I think there are many directions you could go. I would personally take off the hutch. You could possibly utilize it in another way. You could add a bottom shelf to it and either hang it higher above the buffet or elsewhere. (If you have the space, you could use it in a mud room or entry with baskets, and hooks at the bottom...maybe even painting it a vibrant color).
Here are a few examples of ways you could utilize the buffet area without the hutch.
You could paint portions of it black and leave the remaining wood. Put a round mirror above to change it up a bit.
Paint it...not necessarily black...and add an ornate mirror.
A framed chalk board or sign above.
Hanging it higher. Making the sides of the hutch not stick out so much at the bottom and add another shelf at the bottom.
Good luck with your project. I really love the buffet and hutch and looks like a beautiful addition to your home.
knitsewoften thanked designsaavy - 10 years ago
Designsaavy I love your ideas about re-using the shelf! After we took it off, I had been hoping we could re-use it in some way. The idea of putting another piece on the bottom and hanging it higher is brilliant because I really think it takes away the "hutch" look and gives more tabletop space, which I was also concerned about with the shelf attached. I have also thought about making another cabinet and attaching it to the shelf and using it in our familyroom/ rec room. I like the idea of using it as a shelf elsewhere too.
We must have similar tastes, because I already had the image of the buffet painted black with the wood front saved in my ideas! And that may be what I go with if I decide to paint and not do the flower motif. I also was heavily leaning towards hanging a mirror above. I actually found a piece I had stored away that matches the room and has a tiny mirror in the middle, so I think I am going to try that for now:
Eventually I'd love to try an ornate mirror too.
I was able to sand the top of the buffet down to bare wood and it blended in with the unfinished wood where the shelf was attached very well. I just need to fill the screw holes and decide what to do next. So I think the shelf is definitely gone for now. Right now I am torn between re-staining the top a slightly lighter color than it originally was, then painting the base in the color scheme I showed above with the black base, beige raised panels and doing a stenciled flower motif on them. Or, lightly sanding the rest of the piece (I sanded the top by hand and it took all day!) and doing a gel stain all over to freshen it up and hopefully blend the scratches. Hopefully the top would still blend in too.I'm really drawn to the painted version with flowers for some reason, I feel like it has a lot of interest and will really tie together a lot of the room. It also has a French country look to me. On the other hand, the buffet looks just like a mini version of the one I grew up with as a child... so I think that is part of what's making me consider leaving it in a more natural state. I'm just worried the original wood color clashes with my dining table and also blends into the room and floor too much. I seem to be going back and forth a lot on this one haha. But there are a lot of possibilities!
- 10 years agolast modified: 10 years ago
- 10 years ago
Well after lots of thought, I am going to do it in the style of picture one that Designsaavy posted
(wood door and top, the rest black) that way a minimal amount of it will be black, and the part I will paint black will be the areas that would be the hardest to sand. I was a little leery of adding even more black, but at least it will match all my other furniture!
I stained the top today. I'll post s pic when I get the whole thing finished! - 10 years ago
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