I think I preferred it before...

Oh no... :o/

what?

Not my cup of tea. I loved the mismatched wooden doors (and FYI: I am not against painting wood and think it's lovely if executed properly). I would've polished the drawers up a bit, possibly swapped the hardware with a modern update, and fixed the awful paint job. Maybe sanded it down and given the shell a dark stain finish. I think that would've looked quite elegant.

I love it! It's a great colour and I could think of many uses for it. Well done, Cassie.

ps: After seeing a close-up photo of the finished product on Cassie's blog, the blue she chose is quite lovely. I still prefer the original wood grain, but the photo here doesn't do the color justice. It's a very beautiful blue.

Can we just, on all future Before and Afters, have an automatic comment that says, "I like the Before better." It would just save time.

(I DON'T prefer the Before, btw!! That opening salvo just gets old.)

boo preferred before

I prefer the before.

OMG what did you do!!!!! Lost forever PAINTING WOOD equals DEATH

The after is so much fun. Grat job.

I believe it all up to the person who purchased it and apparently she had a vision. I'm not opposed to painting 'anything' but I agree with most that the before had alot more character. I even liked the mismatched door fronts. Possibly would have changed the handles/drawer pulls. As much I perfer the hues of blue, I still would have repaired it and left it as it was.
But Bravo to you for putting so much love and work into this piece.

The close up picture on her blog is a much better representation of the after. The one here is very blah. Doesn't show the fun handles and the actual color looks dull. She did a good job and this will be a lovely accent piece.

Not sure folks are opposed to painting wood, lol. Anyway I like the blue, but it looks better with the different colored panels. I would love it if it were painted different shades of the same blue...right now I do like it though.

I read her blog post, and agree that it had to be painted. If it were my choice, I would have gone with a brown, black, or white instead, but the blue she chose is yummy.

Don't care for it. It looks cheap in the after photo. It would have looked better with a dark stain or something rather than paint, but as long as she likes it, that's all that really matters anyways.

I loved the look of the drawers in the before photo, but I'm glad Cassie was able to refurbish an old piece and turn it into something she loves. Also, I love that shade of blue!

I went to her blog and I really like the crystal knobs. The color is also very nice. I'm not sure I would call it "modern" at this point, though. It looks more shabby chic to me with the sanded edges, etc. I like it and think it looks better than the before.

I think it's gorgeous, but then, I'm a huge fan of painted furniture.

That whole natural wood/veneer/MCM isn't really my cup of tea, but then, isn't that the point? If we all liked the same things life would be extremely boring.

Agreed... Not modern, more shabby chic. I liked the before. However, if the owner is feeling it, more power to her.

Normally I don't complain about painted wood, but this piece looked so much better before. Only OK after.

I definetely preferred it before

Nothing against painted furniture, but I personally do not like the "distressed" patches with this special piece of furniture. I would see it in some Mondrian-like color-combo for instance, to enhance the layout of the sideboard.

I mean no disrespect but I actually thought that the before and after photos were mixed up. The after looks like what you would see on the side of the road.

Before it was modern, after shabby chic. I like the mismatch look before but it is a nice shade of blue. Not my thing, but as long as she is happy then that is what matters!

The before was so cool and unique. Could have made it modern just by updating the pulls. The after looks kind of too shabby chic and generic for me.

Honestly I think it looks like the before and after were reversed. Before it was cool. The wood was pretty. I guess it is true--to each, his/her own.

The after looks fantastic.

I like the blue, but why, oh, why would you cover up that beautiful wood grain?

Hrmmm, I'm not really crazy about before, or after. Seems like a lot of work.

Definitely check out the original blog post, and look at a close-up of the before. Not as cool as it seems here. So probably in real life the after is pretty nice.

I really like the design of the sideboard, what a great piece of furniture to find!

while i totally appreciate the feedback i don't think the true before comes through- the paint job it had was drippy and poor, and the handles were cheap 80's style wooden handles that couldn't be reused, so i would have had to find knobs that fit the whole space to refinish, which is what i originally wanted to do to the wood, but i couldn't due to that issue. just wanted to let all the nay-sayers know and understand the why!

the doors were probably just veneer, and it appears it was chipped up a bit around the edges before. I'm typically against painting wood but in this case the before wasn't very attractive to begin with, however I don't like the after either, maybe it's the color.

I don't mind the after, it definitely looks better on her blog. Might have been nice to keep the two-tone effect by painting two blues. One for the main frame and a second colour for the doors. But that's jsut my preference

But either way it probably looks great in a room with other elements with it. Hard to judge it without the context.

Oh, dear. It had character before, and now it looks like a thousand other things from Pinterest.

I like modern furniture when it's good, but wow, that original is just breathtakingly hideous -- kudos to you for seeing past the horrible surface! It's infinitely more appealing in the after; I like that slightly unexpected peacock blue and the crystal handles, and you can see the lines of the piece so much better. I personally find the distressing distracting, but like the above poster I'm just not a fan of that look. Great save, Cassie! I hope you enjoy living with it.

While I dont mind painted wood, this color blue combined with the shabby chic distressing is not my style at all. In fact the majority of AT readers would not/do not like the look at all. So my question really is...... with all the fabulous transformations that are out there; why would this piece show up on AT?

With that said...Each to their own. I hope Cassie truly enjoys the fruits of her labor. She is the one who in the end must look at it everyday. I also applaud anyone who saves a piece from destruction.

Of what benefit is it to comment that you prefer the before? Do you want her to sand it back, chip the edges, break the leg again, stick it back by the side of the road and repost it for you? And it doesn't make your comments less rude to stick the obligatory 'but she likes it so that's all that matters' at the end. People put these photos up for inspiration, not fodder for your incessant need to be harsh.

I think it looks great. I hated the before, and I probably would have passed it up in the thrift store. Kudos to Cassie for having the forethought and imagination to see that it could be pretty!

Also, I'd hate to see the homes of all these people that preferred the "before" picture.

I love the peacock blue color, I think it would be perfect for a dining room.

shame

RUTHTOOTH-Hum...I've seen harsh comments from you....

LOVE your comment @RuthTooth, couldn't agree more. I'm willing to bet the people who prefer the "before" 1. Still have wood paneling on their walls, and 2. Have never actually taken the time to salvage a piece that was headed to the dump and simply sit behind their computers being mean to total strangers. Cassie did a gorgeous job on this buffet and turned trash into a beautiful buffet. Well done Cassie!

Love it! The color is refreshing and is a huge improvement to the piece! Not an easy task, good job!

Hear hear Mandie and @ Ruth Tooth! Cassie did a fabulous job! Didn't anyone notice that the top an legs were already painted? And that it's near impossible to strip a veneered piece?

Love the after!

Linda

I was really taken aback at first by the "after" - thought it looked awful. But i think the biggest issue is the photography. The lighting makes it look flat and blah. The close-up on the link makes the work look much more charming.

Perhaps the combination of the bright color and the distressing is also a slight disconnect for people. You tend to see that "shabby" look with softer colors, as though the whole piece has been worn by time, not just the edges.

At any rate, chapeau! to anyone who actually strips, sands and paints multiple coats to anything in that kind of shape, and transforms it into a loved object. Hope your hard work is enjoyed for a long time.

I love when a neglected thrift store piece is transformed into a thing of beauty! Now this sideboard provides a lovely pop of color in a dining room. People in my area (DC metro) pay big bucks for this type of refreshed vintage and antiques. Great job Cassie!

I'll just ditto what I said on a different thread about a piece that was refinished rather than painted:

"I'm not a 'no paint' pureist. I do love to see a piece refinished in a way that shows it off the best way possible and that was certainly accomplished here. Beautiful job and well done on making the best call for what was appropriate for this piece!"

IMO in this case, painting was the way to go and it looks great! Nicely done.

watching a transformed thrift piece happen is always fun! i am a fan of painted furniture and this peacock color is very stunning! i do believe the only thing that is standing in the way here is that we need a better picture -- i think then many would be dazzled! i applaud the project and the creator!

before is MUCH better....

Add me to the camp of people who hates painting wood even if it is banged up, but in my opinion the before was nothing spectacular. It was pretty crappy looking. I don't like the 2 tone look, and if I was unable to strip the painted parts, I would have just painted it. Since it was so bad looking before, I'm all for slapping a coat of paint on it. I think I would have preferred it with more of a lacquered finish though and some modern pulls (like red or kelly green with chrome knobs). The 2 styles seem to be fighting each other a bit, but overall a huge improvement.

Note to the apartment therapy writer: anything "modern" about the piece is gone after the paint job. And it doesn't seem like that was the intent here.

That makes me very sad. The matching woodgrain on those drawers was awesome, as well as the hardware.

Howards Restor-A-Finish would have worked miracles on the before . . . the stuff is amazing with beat up wood.

BEAUTIFUL!!! What an awesome upgrade Cassie, love that blue you chose! And the combo of distressing AND crystal knobs...just perfect!!
Karah @ thespacebetweenblog

After seeing the pics, I had an instant reaction. Once I started to read the comments including the criticisms of the comments, I wasn't even going to bother to say anything but then I realized, I and probably others come on here to not only give praise to but also feedback and suggestions to the post.

That said, I think the end result is a little flat. What could enhance it even more is if the drawers and doors were painted a slightly darker shade of that blue or even a stencil of a design in dark or light blue. Also, I think if the hinges were replaced(those types of hinges are really inexpensive), that would also pop. Painted hardware is my own pet peeve.

These are suggestions that Cassie could use if she wanted to enhance it further without having to undo any of her work or that anyone with a similar piece could do.

I love that color blue, and I love the knobs. They work well together.

Hard to tell from a photo, but the sideboard looks like a hepplewhite that had been revamped in the 60s. Those are not mid century modern legs. I think I would have tried to restore it, not refinish it.

@Ruthtooth.....this is not a "yes wagon." When people post projects on a public forum, they should expect criticism. Yes, criticism can be gentle. It doesn't need to be harsh. But it should be expected.

Guys --

"It was a shame that I had to fill holes, because I would have liked to have kept the wood grain showing."

Before you jump to conclusions about the project, it appears that in order to fix the piece, she couldn't leave the wood as-is.

@RoothTooth, MandieM and Linda, I tend to agree that saying "I prefer the before" is not very helpful. But this is what one can expect when one's work is displayed on AT. I do, however, think that negative comments *with an explanation* are very helpful, even if they refer to the After photo...

I don't think that these projects are posted solely for the benefit of the person whose project is posted to gather reactions. Many people look at these photos and some may be *considering* doing a similar project. The photos give them a "what if" glimpse, and the comments provide general reactions and suggestions.

Glad she's happy with it, but I'd never have done the distressing on such a clean lined piece.

I love the color and crystal knobs but hate the distressing. I think it makes a perfectly fine piece of furniture look tacky. I never equate distressing with "bright and modern."

PS: I think Cassie did a great job on this piece. Do see the pix on her blog.

I love the wood grain on the Before drawers, but everything else is meh and I certainly couldn't think of an elegant way to retain just those drawers while improving the rest of it.

I think the after is incredible. On the link you can get a better idea of the color. The bright color looks beautiful with the clean lines of the piece. I really like the distressing and the transformation.

Job well done :)

I much, much prefer the "after". The before is just too 70's drab.

Are you sure you did not switch pictures by accident?
It seems to the After should have been the Before.

I have nothing against painting over wood anything. Not all woodgrain is pretty. So I applaud her for painting over it. The sideboard has good bones and was in need of an upcycle...

...I'm just not in the camp that everything needs to be distressed...why give such a modern piece a shabby chic makeover? It doesn't gel at all and just made the paint job look sloppy. Sorry. Color is pretty though just the application killed me.

She painted the furniture and distressed the people who saw what she did.

The before is awesome!

Ha! I had typed out almost exactly what Canadianmango typed then hit delete.

I totally agree!

Looking at the blog, I can't tell the condition of the center drawers, the I agree that salvaging needed to be done.

I would have been tempted to paint the rest a contrasting/complementary color like Navy, deep red or even Tangerine Tango, but keep and repair the drawers. Putting a similar veneer on the top would have been cool, but easier option could be placing printed paper/fabric under glass. Then it would be a matter of finding just the right drawer pulls...

For a shabby chic makeover, I think some simple molding would make it look more finished.

The color is stunning and the workmanship is outstanding. Cassie is a talented and beautiful person and this piece proves how fabulous she is with breathing life into sad, old, run-down furniture. Way to go, Cassie...way to go!

People saying that the "wood grain" should have been preserved are confusing to me. It looks like it's just some really crappy panelling, what's to preserve?

I love the new knobs, and the color is really pretty, but something about the final finish isn't quite working for me. Maybe because the paint looks so bright and new. I think it might benefit from a glaze? In that picture the distressing sort of looks like... well, like the paint didn't take.

What's not to love about a bright happy blue sky.

~Bliss~

The distressing is completely out-of-place, given the clean modern lines of the piece and the color chosen. I'm all for painting old furniture, especially if it's not in great condition, but these results are meh.

Now, with a glossy lacquered finish, in white or grey or heck even acid yellow...

Are you guys kidding? The before is a total piece of crap. The after looks great.

Wish it were still 3 tones. Good work done though, I'm sure.

What Chesterandtrudy said.

Go over to the original post to see the beautiful blue color in a better light and the reason she had to paint over the veneer. I love seeing Goodwill castoffs getting a new life!

Oh man. Painting over the doors doesn't bother me, but not the Birdseye Maple!! Never paint over Birdseye Maple!

I assume some of you did not read the recent post from AT. This is supposed to be a fun, positive site. If you do not have something good to say, then say nothing. Be kind people...

I love the contrast of the distressed finish with the sparkly knobs. The color is enough to brighten up any room..........love it!

Great job, Cassie!

strange piece: before seems a mix of colonial revival legs & banding, w/an mcm front & 1975 drawerpulls (the drawerpulls had to go). would look better w/a dark walnut stain everywhere but the mcm front, to highlight the veneers, w/drawerpulls in the same holes, for balance, in 1940's/50's style. does not look better now; the drawer pulls are too small & not emphasizing the horizontal mass enough, and the blue looks better on the walls of the tv room post.

Humph... piling on makes for boring reading. Have a hot chocolate and a grumpy pill.

i really liked it. the after is way better. take a good look at the before. good job.

I love the after! That color is gorgeous and would add a pop of color to a neutral room!
Great job Cassie!

Not diggin' the after. Maybe it's the photo. If the after was in a room, then maybe it might look better. As it is, it's a miss.
The mismatched drawers are a design. The side drawers are boring but the center is nice. It's a shame to see them covered.

the before was better. the 2 woods was the charm. all it really needed was a dif paint color on the outer body and different hardware.

the after is just downright ugly. sorry!

I agree with ChesterandTrudy. Seriously it feels like everytime I read a Before and After post on here lately, the fangs come out. I can't even imagine how she must feel reading these. There's constructive criticism and then there's just bullying.

Re-doing any piece takes a LOT more work than people realize. I personally would have painted the outside white, left the wood, changed the hardware to a stainless steel handle and kept the pull shape b/c it compliments the MCM feel of the piece. But it's not my room that the piece is going in. Maybe it suits her room better as she re-did it? You don't have to love it, but don't demean someone in the process.

The before was kinda great funky fun. The after would have been great if more skill
was displayed in the painting technique, possibly an undercoat of another color, then
the application of the top coat with the undercoat showing through. The distressing need to be in more spots, the knobs look cheap, maybe a coat of crackle...respect the experiment, just bad execution.

WHAAAAATTTT??? is the "before" the "after" photo? or I missed something?

Oh no. The before is so much better.

It was better before if you were going to paint I would have painted around the wood doors and made a dark red or brown lacquer finish...
would have enhanced and contrast the beauty of the wood.

The 'only say nice things' commenters are tiresome. Anyone who's been through a design review or an art critique knows that you'll get good with bad -- and it will make you a better designer/artist. It's a learning experience.

I think the before is hideous. There's no way you'd see that in my house as it was before paint. I think it's wonderful to give old DATED furniture a nice facelift. In this case a much needed facelift. It may have a ''shabby chic'' look but it's modern by the fact that it's not something you'd see in a episode of Mad Men anymore. I think she did a wonderful job and I love the color. It's fun, bold, and an awesome statement piece.

I only wish the burl veneer had been preserved (and yes, I have actually preserved punctured veneer when it's that rare and gorgeous by 'painting' in the correct burl pattern). Did the poster mention the piece was painted before? Was it painted 'wood' in the front that had to be painted over? Otherwise, I think it's a real shame. Burl veneer is expensive and hard to use properly - plus older pieces that are unpainted are hard to find.

in her blog she says - "those horrible handles needed to be removed, and holes filled. It was a shame that I had to fill holes, because I would have liked to have kept the wood grain showing."

um, hello, you idiot, get fittings that match the existing holes!!! or fill the holes and faux that tiny speck of grain with paint/stains!! youre insane for painting over those fronts. seriously. and yes, im totally being harsh... AND YOU DESERVE IT!!! ><

excuse me while i go beat my head on my table for an hour or two.

oh, and if you have a look-see at the pics in her blog... she painted the hinges. not only is it ruined with paint and then more ruined with that ridiculous distressing, but she painted the hinges!