We recently scored this old office credenza at Jubilee Furniture for just $10. It needs a lot of love: the veneer has to be replaced, and we're thinking of painting the drawers and cabinets a bright white. Still, we're really happy with the sturdy bones of the piece and the price can't be beat...
Old office pieces like this one are easy to find on craigslist and in thrift shops. Ours is the perfect size for our living room and has a ton of storage space inside (which is why we bought it).
Right now, a couple of giant black monolithic speakers flank it that we'll eventually replace with smaller tabletop speakers. That should open up some space and make this area feel less cluttered.
In this photo you can see the stripped veneer. We're planning on fixing this with veneer edging that can be cut to size and easily adhered to the tabletop.
This photo gives an idea of the room's larger layout. The credenza and TV face the sofa, while the two orange chairs create a conversation area. The floating credenza along the wall holds most of our books. It still needs some work, but we're enjoying the mix of vintage and contemporary pieces in our living room.
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sigh. i paid $200 for the same steelcase credenza about 4 years ago. mine is burnt orange with walnut veneer top and i LOVE IT! great find!
view Aaron's profile
GOD theres nothing better than coming home to a beautiful piece of furniture and then thinking, man it was $10 bucks! nice find!
view E.M.H's profile
whoa, I have the same cradenza at work which was a hand-me-down from another office. I'd be curious to see what changes, if any, you make. Congrats on the find.
view damask's profile
Don't paint it, that's genuine metal and veneer! Don't change the way it was originally intended, furniture of this kind is meant to be left intact, the design is so pure, it's an antique, it's... hahaha, just kidding, LOL.
It's awesome, you're very lucky, hope to see photos when it's done : ).
view jendavid99's profile
looks great! i gotta get me to jubilee.
view selena's profile
great price, looks great
view plasticorange's profile
great score
view LaDonnaNichole's profile
don't change it! i'll buy it from you! haha
view closertotheocean's profile
thanks, all. Maybe I'll leave the color as-is, although it was actually already painted once before (a slightly lighter shade than the original color that's still visible inside the cabinets).
aaron, I would LOVE to see photos of your orange one. It sounds amazing!
view sarah c's profile
I love what you've done with the filing boxes underneath the floating credenza. Very clever and a very nice space overall! Kudos.
view ChrisToronto's profile
please don't paint. that color is beautiful, and original. believe it or not, some things in life are better when they aren't glossy white.
view amt230's profile
my bust, just read your post above - not original (although sometimes what looks like another original color on those metals can just be a primer or early coat). nonetheless, it is so nice as is.
view amt230's profile
$10? Seriously?
I'm jealous!
view gordon's profile
Fabulous find!
You know, you could easily replace the whole top with a nice quality wood and, with a fresh coat of paint, you've got a killer piece!
Or, you might want to get on craigslist.com and see if you can get some left over/scrap counter top.
view modtramp's profile