When Michelle found these old tool chests at a fairground in Norman, Oklahoma, she immediately envisioned a way to restore them to their former glory and put them to good use. With a great deal of work and some serious elbow grease, they became what she calls her "keeper of treasures."
For some interiors the rustic industrial look might have worked, but the edges were sharp, the piece was covered in grime, and rust had overtaken the original finish. By refinishing the piece Michelle hoped not only to make the exterior more suitable for her decor but also to restore the smooth functionality of the piece.
With some sanding, a coat of primer, three coats of paint, and some added felt drawer liners, Michelle was left with a fashionable piece of furniture that could safely house all of her most precious pieces. She reports, "I filled all but a couple drawers, so I have room to grow... Now I just need to memorize where I put everything!"
(Images: Michelle Tisdale)
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LOVED the BEFORE...now it looks new and from SEARS. Bummer.
I can see how much work was put it to this project, but it was really worth it. This is fabulous!
Never fils no matter how sweet the after really looks the before trolls hit.
I see Ianarmal's point. Though I don't entirely agree, I do think that painting the drawers in an interesting way might make it seem less like something one bought from Staples. Maybe in a multi-colored way that makes sense for the jewelry?
Cool idea, but I agree that it now looks like something from Sears... Wouldn't have been my choice in color, but hey, its not mine!
Nice work
A for effort and use. While I can see the 'Sears' point; I'd probably have gagged if it'd been pink, purple or both.
What a great re-use! Excellent job!
Oh yes, by all means comment here about how it looked sooooo much better before, what with all the sharp, rusty metal edges. I agree; I mean who doesn't like a little tetanus with their jewelry? YOLO!!!
For real though, this is fabulous, regardless of the color choice. What a great rework of something destined for the landfill.
it's obvious a lot of efforts been put to this project -- good job! honestly though, I'm not loving the final product for this particular use. Maybe because it looks too "industrial" (?). It seems like it could be a better use for garage tools or art supplies.
I agree. You can fix sharp and rusty metal, but the original finish and wear gave the cabinets a lot of character. I'm a little disappointed with the red and silver. If it was an unexpected color like navy or turquoise I think it would look less like it came from Sears.
I like it.
Ignore the nay sayers.
Good job, thanks for sharing!
Take what like, and forget the rest...
+1 vote for the before
Wow...this took a whole lotta love and work to get it to look so nice regardless of the chosen color. The before being better??? YOU KIDDING ME!? don't think so.
Agree with ACRIMONIOUS JESS..
I truly don't think I would have taken these one. Really super job.
I am not liking this at all. Why would you put an industrial looking item inside your home?
How on earth could the before be better? are you blind? do you prefer furniture that's in an advanced state of decay? OF COURSE the after is better, this was a huge job.
Congratulations!
If you like an industrial aesthetic, then you would. I like industrial looking things, but it's my personal preference that the "before" could have been redone without resulting in a tool chest from Sears. It just looks a little too "new" to me.
JaRichtig, there are a ton of people on AT and elsewhere that look for things with wear and tear. Reclaimed wood, flaking planks of siding, and worn metal are really popular. Are you blind to how popular old and decaying things are among decor enthusiasts?
I don't think preferring the before makes anyone a troll. My first reaction to the after was "Craftsman Tool Box". Sure it took a lot of time and effort, but the color choices definitely bring to mind a tool box.
hmmmm, not sure about the before and not sure about the after either but what a great idea! You could store tons of jewellery in that thing.
Nice job and good idea for storing jewelry. I applaud you for bringing those rusty, no-doubt screechy drawered cabinets home and doing all of that work to make them look presentable.
What's wrong with Sears?
A great idea and a lot of work, but put me in the Troll camp. I do actually prefer the before, I think it's the texture on the silver doors as well as the red. I would have redone it in black, but it's not in my home.
I'm not even going to comment on the "Sears vs original" debate because Michelle is happy with her result. I did want to point out that she doesn't have to try to memorize where things are if she just put labels in the label holders on the fronts of the drawers. Some pretty cardstock, some pretty writing = crafty not Craftsman.
Nicely done!
I thought the same thing. I like the before but understand why it needs some TLC, but the after just looks like something you buy at the store or sears. I think it is just the color combo.
so many people so many opinions, we all have different tastes.
That said, I like industrial finds, to make a jewelry case out of it is genius.
Would there be complaints if I guy re-did this for his office? In its next life, (years from now) it can go back as a really nice find for someone with tools & Sears will probably be long gone. It's better than if it'd been done all girly twirly.
'a guy'
I think it was a fabulous save and a great new use. As I am just around the corner in Tulsa, I only wish I had beat you to it!
I admire all of the work but the color choices make it look too much like a brand new tool box. Different color choices would have made it better for me but if it works for you than more power to ya.
I'm in the "after" camp (the "before" looked like junk tool chests) and I don't understand all the comments about them now looking like they were purchased from Sears (Huh? Do those of you who wrote that hang out in Sears and know exactly what their tool chests look like?).
I think you did an amazing job and they are perfect for this re-use. I don't have that much jewelry so they wouldn't work for me and I don't have any industrial touches in my home, but I can completely appreciate what you've done and admire them. Thank you for sharing!
Lordy, can't folks see beyond the literal before and after photos? The point is a DIY effort that turned out exceptionally well, whether you like the use or color of the end result. Did anyone think, "oh, I heyy can revive that rusty metal thingamajig in the garage with some elbow grease and paint, and I know just where I'll put it."
The ability to make abstractions is one of the things that makes us human. Apparently the inability to escape from the literal is another one.
RUINED IS ALL I CAN SAY
WHY DO YOU POST STUFF LIKE THIS??
I definitely appreciate the effort, but I agree that the final product looks like a Sears tool chest.
I always see these tool chests and think - I wish i needed that great cabinet!
Not Sears at all. Very different shade of red and not chrome.
What good 'seeing' to visualize this use.
Maybe a similar piece would look cool if you grouped the drawers and did an ombre-like effect on the drawer faces? Or is ombre "out" ? I don't know, but I think the severity of the colors is a little off-putting for something like a jewelry cabinet.
I love the cabinet as a piece though!
This is painful. They were awesome originally. I would have to say that the After is awful.
What a labor of love! All those drawers, all that sanding (with all those trips to the hardware store for more gallons of Acme Elbow Grease). Between the original fresh from the barn look to the "It Came From Sears" look, I lean toward the Sears looks. Besides, Sears tool chests are hammertone metallic grey.
With repurposed industrial items, there is that fine and fickle line between kitsch and wow. I think this errs on the side of wow.
It's clear that these cabinets needed a lot of love, which they got. So - while I personally would have chosen a look closer to the original style, I can definetly appreciate a quality rework!
What a huge amount of work! Good for you for having a vision for those rusty cabinets!
The before pic looks better.. the rustic edges and dark color gave it character.. now it looks too new and very garage like. I would have opted for maybe an eggplant or taupe solid color and sanded down the edges to let some of the old dark color show through.
My jewelry is so jealous of that amazing storage piece! Loved it before, love it after, though red wouldn't have been my first choice, it's still fab!
Wow! Impressive. Having too much jewelry to store in any one place, I applaud your imagination and completion on a very well done DIY.
Impressive work, but the person who said it looks like Sears toolbox isn't wrong:
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00933768000P?sid=IDx01192011x000001&kispla=00933768000P&srccode=cii_17588969&cpncode=30-120353065-2&PDP_REDIRECT=false&s_tnt=39869:3:0
However, there's nothing wrong with that.
Love, it! I would have preferred decoupage.Well done.
Yeah, I probably would have gone with any other color, since it definitely looks remarkably like drawer sets that Craftsman makes. But if I didn't already have the Craftsman/Sears association mentioned by others here, I'm sure I wouldn't care. It's well-done, anyway.
looks like my dad garage now.
could have been way cooler if she just cleaned it up or went with a vintage colour. maybe a bright teal aqua. so boring now.
I love this! And these are usually pretty pricey in perfect usable condition; I've been looking at them for awhile for the same purpose for my jewelry studio and they're out of my budget. Question though, what I've had trouble with was the lead paint? I bought one off of Craigslist for next to nothing, that had a great logo, but chippy easy to remove chippy paint that tested positive for lead. The paint could have probably been easily removed after giving it a quick once over with a palm sander (maybe 30 mins of work?). Did you remove the lead paint any special way? Or were you sure it wasn't lead paint? From what I got out of my searching, metal chippy stuff painted prior to the 70's was most often painted with lead paint. Or maybe I got my info wrong. Anyways, I'd like to know what to do to properly rehab stuff like that. And I'd be ok with leaving the lead paint on them, because apparently it's ok if you can seal it. But if it's chippy, then you can't leave it on or seal it, correct? This is all beside the point though, I love your cabinet and it's inspired me. Ignore the whiny naysayers;) Same thing as a tool chest from Sears?! Seriously?! Hardly...
It cracks me up that people are saying that the after looks like it came from Sears. I would bet good money the piece originally came from Sears. I love it.
Michelle-
Perhaps you could use the slots originally intended for labeling so you don't have to memorize where each of your pieces has been tucked away? You may consider adding a little of the old whimsy back with "turquoise treasures," "favorite sparklers" or "beloved gifts." There's some great ephemera out the to inspire the design of labels too.
Impressive amount of work in any case.
Looks great Michelle! I love it! I have been collecting a lot of jewelry pieces as of late and am running out of places to store it! this is fantastic. I love that you painted it. It couldnt have been easy. Its a much cleaner environment for jewelry :) Question: I always thought you had to store the silver/metal jewelry in ziplock bags? Would love to know if that isnt the case?
I love it. I need it. I WANT it!!!
You did an awesome job!
YOU should be proud...REMEMBER, YOU did this for YOU and it works for YOU!
You were gracious enough to show the world something useful- a re-purpose...I applaud you! Love the red!
The colour choice is poor. It looks like it should hold tools in a garage-- not jewellery in a bedroom.
What an astonishing labor of love. Haters gonna hate!
Great idea! Find a cute label template for the original drawer slots to help with organization, or handwrite onto decorative tape for drawer labels. (Please update with pictures if you do!)
Cream or black external paint would go nicely with your room colors.