DIY Home Projects

Seduced by the siren song of free, Angelica scooped up this cabinet—as the panels started falling off. Not to be deterred, she took some fabric remnants and transformed it into a versatile piece: From Angelica: This modest wine cabinet was a free find. It looked like all it needed was a fresh coat of paint and it would become a great piece for extra storage in our home. But as I got it out of the car, the panels started falling off. I could not complain as it was free!

Erin’s dining room suffered the same fate as most of its kind. Hardly used except for special evenings, it was a blah purgatory for clutter and unused stuff. It needed a style boost to get the family to use it more often. And here’s what it looks like today. Erin took her time getting it fully decorated, and gathering things for the walls. She also used a lot of items that she already owned — like the table and rug — and swapped from other rooms in the house.

IKEA’s VITTSJÖ line is a sleek and modern staple as is, but Lidia took hers and gave it a minty fresh look. From Lidia: Being a a big fan of interior design, I find myself in constant decorating mode. I really enjoy bringing to life an idea or creative project and recently found myself doing it with our small living room. After painting the walls and rearranging the furniture, I noticed my small living space could fit a coffee table and would be more inviting.

A vintage cart from a friend came with a challenge that Monica readily accepted: try to make it modern. See how she did after the jump! From Monica: A good friend of mine passed along an old, brassy, rickety cart with the challenge to revamp it and modernize it. We immediately agreed it would make an awesome bar cart for my new Milwaukee apartment! Challenge accepted. I started by removing the trays and setting them aside. I spent a nice day outside with gloves, a cloth and a can of Brasso.

Sarah scooped up this basic rattan chair for $10, but thought it could use a little more interest. She tried her hand at recreating a classic pattern for the chair back; see how it came out: From Sarah: After finding a plain rattan chair for $10 at the thrift shop, we transformed the boring back into a Chinese Chippendale inspired design. Using thinner dowel rods from the home improvement store, we measured, cut and secured them in place to create the Chippendale look.

What to do when you have a nasty old rug that you can’t replace? Sarah decided to paint hers, using a technique she usually reserves for getting paint out of the carpet! From Sarah: I needed a way to bring some rock-n-roll attitude into this music room, and I couldn’t afford to replace the nasty old beige carpet.

Kristi’s guest bedroom is a walk-through room, so a regular bed just doesn’t work. But neither was this plain futon, so she decided to build something more functional. So stylish, and we love that it’s on casters! From Kristi: Our guest bedroom is a small room, and a walk through from the kitchen to the back of the house, so a traditional full-sized bed wouldn’t work.

The previous owners had covered Lesley’s plaster fireplace with faux stone and a mantel. She decided to restore it with nods to her home’s Spanish and Art Deco styles. From Lesley: We bought our first home two years ago. It’s in a neighborhood full of period revival homes from the 1920s-40s. Ours is not Spanish or Tudor but has some elements of both styles.

This family uses their basement for watching movies, playing, and hanging out together. The space satisfied many of these functions, but with its hodgepodge of furniture, beige walls, and random floorplan, it was less than inspiring. With the help of 6th Street Design School, this bland space was transformed to one with patterned wallpaper, bright colors, ample seating, and function-specific areas. Bright, poppy, and fun, this space is much more energizing than its original incarnation.

Vintage card catalogs are just one of those items you have to grab if you see them for a reasonable price. Beth snagged a pair that stacked, so she decided to give the lower one a top so it could be used separately. From Beth: These card catalogs are like the holy grail of vintage finds! If you can find them, the prices are usually enormous. I lucked out and found two of these for a pretty good price. They were identical pieces with one sitting on top of the other.

Jill snagged this basic chair for a buck, and decided it could use some style. Instead of reupholstering, however, she made it a custom slipcover instead: From Jill: Comfy and functional but nondescript in style, this chair was the perfect piece for a makeover project. I picked the chair up at an auction for $1, my hubby fixed the one spring that had ‘sprung’ and I used it as my sewing chair for a few months.

Kathy saved this little cart from the trash, and decided to give it a new job, and a new (removable!) top! From Kathy: This vintage TV stand was on its way to the garbage when I rescued it. I was inspired by the printed side of a coffee bean burlap bag to create a coffee cart ideal for a small apartment or office. A little spray paint can go a long way.

Reeves wanted to add a touch of visual interest to this vintage dresser that needed a little love. She’s also got a great tip for painting on wood that will prevent color bleeding: From Reeves: I picked up this Dixie dresser from a local furniture sale. While I loved the mid century look and style of the piece, the finish needed some work and I felt that the piece needed a bit of color and a geometric design to add some visual interest.

Noticing there was a lot of unnecessary stuff (and wasted space) in her son’s closet, Ashley decided to clear out the clutter and add some fun. This just might be the coolest closet ever! I spent a lot of time reading in my closet as a child, and if it had looked like this, I’d never have left! From Ashley: The closet in my son’s room wasn’t useful or well organized.

When roommates outnumbered bedrooms, Brooke opted to take the garage. Now that she cleaned it, cleared it, and spruced it up, we bet the others are super jealous of her fab “glamping” space. From Brooke: I moved in to a three bedroom house with four roommates, and I opted to take the garage as my bedroom. I saw potential in the structure, regardless of its state. And I have always wanted to live in a barn… this is what it reminded me of.

Meghan inherited a hand-me-down dining set for her new home. While the table got a classic twist, the chairs now bring the wow factor: From Meghan: Having bought a new house, money was on the tighter side when it came to buying brand new furniture. My mother-in-law was nice enough to give my husband and I her old kitchen table. When I saw it, I knew I wanted to paint the chairs and redo the table. To start my makeover, I sanded and stained the top of the table in a walnut finish.

Handed down from Bryce’s grandmother, this headboard’s mid-century stylings are hard to ignore. With a little modernization, it has a happy new home in the family. From Bryce: My gran recently down scaled and passed this headboard down to me. She couldn’t believe my interest in such an old piece of her furniture. I immediately saw its retro mid-century potential and spent the weekend giving it a fresh look.

Aimee wanted a home office, but was short a spare room. So she transformed an extra master bedroom closet, small as it might be, into a super organized and fully functional area for crafting and work: From Aimee: I was in desperate need of home office space, but we don’t have a spare room. Luckily, I have two closets in our master bedroom, and only needed one for clothes. I was able to turn the second closet into a functional work space that is extremely organized.

Kids love a good DIY just as much as big people do, and it’s fun to see them get an opportunity to express their creativity. Last week I had the pleasure of visiting the Alexander Robertson School, on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, where Colorhouse Paints partnered with CITYarts, a public art initiative in New York, to create a huge mural on the wall of the school’s auditorium.

We love a good freebie-turned-functional piece, and this one is no different. Taiyo spotted this trunk in the trash and transformed it into a stylish staple: From Taiyo: I noticed this trunk peeking from a pile of other junk that my neighbors had thrown out. My roommate and I carried it back in the dark and hoped it’d look decent in the daylight, which it did. It took a lot of scrubbing to get rid of the grime but it was worth it!

This house might be perfectly nice on the inside but it was tough to get past the beige and boring outside, so these homeowners used some super-smart ideas to jazz up the exterior of their home and give it acres of appeal. You can copy these! So much better! So what exactly happened here? The bare windows got a dose of interest with added white molding, which really makes them stand out. More molding separates the first and second floor (kinda like a chair rail in a room!

If you love vintage decor, specifically vintage lamps, I’m about to make your day. I find so many great lamps in my vintage hunting but I had to start passing them by because as much as I love them, it drives me absolutely nuts trying to find the right updated shade for them. Finding the right shape and size gives me grey hairs. Then I discovered i like that lamp and their DIY Lamp Shade Kit.

After not finding the island kitchen cart she wanted, Meg spotted an abandoned IKEA BEKVAM cart in her garage. It served as a little island in her first home, and was now covered with paint, but otherwise was in great shape and a good size for her new space. After dragging it in the house, Meg decided to give it a makeover and new look. From Meg: [The cart is] now sporting 2 coats of General Finishes Queenstown Gray with Miss Mustard Seed furniture wax topcoat.

Havalah’s family room fireplace featured an extra-long mantel that also spanned some strange built-ins. With an update, this focal wall becomes much more functional. From Havalah: When we moved into our house, there was this funny looking mantel in our back family room. Then next to the fireplace, there were these two ‘holes’ like cabinets that were completely useless to us. We decided an update was definitely needed.

Normally a member of the tribe of wood painters, Krizia decided this dresser was too lovely to coat. She did decide to ditch the yellowing finish and give it a refresh, though. See the results: From Krizia: This is a dresser I picked up not too long ago from Craigslist for $60! The shape was so gorgeous and I loved the size and bulk of the piece. What I didn’t love was the dated yellowish finish and there were plenty of scratches and scuff marks everywhere.

The dark-and-orangey fireplace in Amber’s living room was not her style. With a little ingenuity, she managed to give it a lovely light facelift, for under $50. From Amber: When we first moved into our house it was dark! Dark walls, dark trim and a big boxy and dark fireplace with orange tile. Not exactly our style. We’ve been diligently working to lighten everything up, but the biggest eyesore was also the main focal point of the living room – the fireplace!

Aimee’s twin toddlers had done a number on her dining set, but she was hesitant to shell out for something new while they still have an appetite for destruction. Inspired by kitchen counter DIYs, this IKEA table gets a tough new top: From Aimee: I was the sad owner of an even sadder, hodgepodge dining set – Ikea table and chairs, Target bench. The tabletop had taken quite the beating, thanks to the 2-year-old-twins who eat at it 37 times a day.

I found myself in the vicinity of my favorite thrift store just before the doors opened recently, and while I wasn’t hardcore enough to stand in the sub-zero cold with the other bargain hunters, I made it in early enough to find this lovely hairpin Frankenstein-ish desk. I saw it in the back of the store and immediately scooped it up! I didn’t really have a need for (or a place to put) it, but I’ve never had the strength to pass up hairpin legs.

This small house near Nashville had been left unloved for awhile. Claudia decided to give it the makeover it deserved, including some much-needed curb appeal: From Claudia: This is one of two projects that I just recently finished in the area of Nashville, TN. The cottage had been vacant since 2010 and in a huge disarray.

Jill was looking for a budget-friendly option to add a modern industrial look to her home’s new addition. Enter the IKEA STUVA, a smart DIY tabletop, and just check out the result: From Jill: We just finished adding a little over 300 sq. ft. to our small house, and have now begun the process of furnishing the space. I loved the idea of a wall to wall desk for the office, but I couldn’t find a modern/industrial looking desk that fit both my budget and needs.

Marlane spotted this broken wardrobe at a thrift store. She decided with a little love, it could be a solid replacement for an IKEA piece. From Marlane: I got this 1930s wardrobe for $50 at my local thrift, broken pieces and all. It seemed like the wardrobe had once been dropped, but other than that it was in good condition. Definitely old, but not a priceless antique. When I got it home, it was a lot more broken than it had looked!

Transforming IKEA furniture — and especially the BILLY bookshelf — has been done before. But when I saw this hack, I was truly impressed. Prepare to have a bunch of superlatives spewed your way, because it’s really that good… Gwen from The Makerista recently redecorated her friend Laura’s living room and, as part of the project, brought someone in to create these remarkable “custom” library shelves, using the IKEA Billy as the base.

This little mid century cabinet had seen a shabby paint job. Nicole decided to fix it up and add a little more functionality to it. From Nicole: This cabinet was badly painted and beaten up. It previously had a door on the right side from what I could tell because there were notches and holes from hinges. The drawer and legs were the best features of this piece and I knew with a little love it could be great.

Steph snagged three of these chairs for cheap at Goodwill. She happened to have some fabric—another Goodwill find— just waiting for them. See how they look now: From Steph: When the kids went back to school, I knew it was time for a new project. These chairs were 50% off at Goodwill so I bought all three. I thought about upholstering each in a different vintage fabric, but decided to use some yardage I had found a few weeks earlier at another Goodwill.

After hauling this unusual but beat-up chair frame around for 15 years, Tami finally found the inspiration to fix up this old broken heart (-shaped chair!). From Tami: Many years ago (15 to be exact) I was driving my son to school, after dropping him off and looping the block I saw this skeleton of a chair next to the trash. I stopped to pick it up, thinking I would take it on as a project. Well after lugging it around for many moves, neither my skills or budget matched up.

This old headboard was glamorous once, but it was in bad shape when Eri found it. She decided to give it a beautiful refresh, with a happy, colorful twist: From Eri: This headboard was found about a year ago in a bad condition begging for help. It had this disgusting old varnish that just made it look dead. It was stripped with paint remover, then used Annie Sloan paint and wax to add some patina and refinish the wood.

Lindsay scored this cool vintage wire chair with the help of her mom. It was destined to be a fluorescent accent in her home office, and it sure pops: From Lindsay: When designing my new home office, I had a very specific thing in mind. Unfortunately, I also had a very small budget for my chair. I scoured thrift stores searching for just the right thing. Ideally, I wanted metal, wire if possible and vintage was a plus.

Despite its peeling handles and faux wood shelves, Shannon had plans for this thrift store bar cart. With a little love and crafty touches, it now shines: Besides polishing the brass, she painted and stenciled the faux wood, and wrapped the peeling handles with patterned tape. From Shannon: Before the holidays I found a beat up little bar cart at a local thrift store. It was a little grimy and had lost its luster. Not to mention the ugly faux wood shelves and peeling handle grips.

The MALM line at IKEA is a true furniture workhorse: it’s inexpensive, it’s practical and best of all, it’s endlessly customizable. Just take a look at what these readers did to their chests, dressers and beds. You won’t believe the humble beginning of these unique pieces.

With chipping wood and torn silk, this bentwood bench was unloved. Lisa revived it into a total statement piece, where it turns heads and causes smiles: From Lisa: My friend fell in love with this gorgeous bentwood bench when it was languishing unloved in a workplace powder room! The original silk covers were torn and the strange olive stain to the timber was chipped and ruined. The boss said she could have it!! How lucky!

This vintage Danish chair didn’t make it through the ’90s unscathed, yet Lisa saw past its poor choice in upholstery and restored it with a more period appropriate style. From Lisa: I recently got this Danish modern lounge chair as a partial trade for something I was selling on Craigslist. It had been re-upholstered in a fabric that was not period appropriate, and it was missing two buttons, but I saw potential.

When Cate spotted this bamboo dresser, it was in bad shape, sporting a dual-finish black paint job and lots of wear and tear. But with elbow grease and a bold new hue, this piece sports a proud new look: From Cate: I found this bamboo dresser hiding behind a clothing rack at Goodwill on a furniture sale day. My first reaction was YIKES.

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Allow me to present our favorite Apartment Therapy Valentine’s Day tradition, the sex chair roundup. Introduced in 2001, the Tantra Chair is the best of breed (and I’ve put it below the fold this year), and has the most convincing argument that this thing is truly romantic. Its stated purpose: “The Tantra Chair is a modern chaise designed to enhance the advanced sexual positions of the Kama Sutra.

Whew, that was a whirlwind of a month! Did you finish your January Cure project? I’m happy to report that this wall is no longer bare, and my books are no longer in boxes. Check out my “built-in” bookshelves: This wasn’t the bargain project I was expecting it to be (it cost about $125 total, since I had to do some stocking up on basics like screws, sandpaper and paint brushes) but no out-of-the-box shelf would fit just like these do.

After Dana graduated from grad school, her plain IKEA desk was more of an embarrassment than something she enjoyed. With the trusty DIY combo of spray paint and contact paper, this blank slate goes glam: From Dana: I had this desk sitting in my apartment for years and while it was useful to do homework on, once I graduated from grad school, I didn’t really have a need for the plain desk anymore.

When a local mill was closing down, Ashley snagged their stock of industrial carts. See how she refinished one for her living room: From Ashley: These carts were in rough shape when I got them and were in desperate need of a deep clean. This was the kind of job for a power washer. However, it is important not to get carried away with the power washer to the point where it starts splintering the wood. Once the cart was clean I sanded the whole thing down.

This old dresser had lovely detail and potential, but badly damaged drawer fronts prevented a traditional restoration. Some fresh coats of glossy white later: From Nicole: This dresser had a badly worn veneer with chipped edges and deeply scratched surfaces. The drawers were in bad shape, so they were sanded, patched and painted. The top was in decent shape so it was sanded and oiled along with the legs and decorative trim on the drawer fronts.

Jenna Sue tackled this wall as part of a larger makeover of her entire master bedroom. The entire room lacked any special features, yet she wanted to make it a rich, interesting, and inviting space. With that in mind, she set out to make this wall a focal point of the room… Previously flat as a pancake, the wall now has texture and architectural interest, and elevates an otherwise bland bedroom into a sophisticated space. The gray adds a lot of warmth, making it cozy and relaxing.

Carroll really wanted a narrow cart in the kitchen to act as a coffee station. When finding something already made was going to be more than she wanted to spend, the decision was made to DIY, starting with this table that was a little on the short side. From Carroll: My projects almost always start with a functional purpose.

Aniko’s white IKEA wall unit worked fine in the dining room. But the second she saw West Elm’s reclaimed wood buffet, she knew she could refresh this basic piece into a showstopper—and save over $1,100 in the process. Aniko got the wood for free from a local business, and spent $17 on stain and lacquer. That’s a pretty hefty savings! Check out her blog, A Place of My Taste, for more photos and a tutorial on how she made the oversized art that hangs above her new buffet.

We know that some of you have very…err…strong opinions about painting wood furniture, but the owners of these dramatic before and after projects might disagree with all you naysayers. Especially on damaged or cheap wood, a coat or two of paint is an easy, cost-effective and super-cute strategy to refresh tired pieces. Watch me prove it seven times. Claire’s campaign nightstands got a new blue and a new purpose in another room.

This children’s rocker had definitely seen better days… like during the bygone decades when marbled vinyl was a thing. Charlotte plans to reupholster a lot this year, and thought she’d literally start small and tackle this kids chair. See how she did: From Charlotte: I’ve had this yellow vinyl rocking chair in the basement for… a while. But 2015 is going to be the year of upholstery for me so I decided to start out on this little piece.

A $20 IKEA “as-is” bed frame had served its purpose, but Kerry decided to give it a new use. By adding cushions and wrapping the mattress, she now has a sweet reading spot: From Kerry: I’ve had this ultra bland Lillehammer IKEA twin bed frame for several years. I’d gotten it in the ‘As Is’ section for only $20 to help stage our home when we sold it.

After facing decades of moves and time in storage, Sheila decided to restore this chair her husband’s parents bought in the 60s. It’s now ready to take on another 50 years: From Sheila: My husband’s parents bought this chair around 1960 shortly after they were married. It eventually landed in my husband’s childhood room and then followed him as he grew up. During most of our life together the chair was stored away.

A simple shoe cabinet was becoming a dumping ground for recycling— and not much style. Jeremy decided to use temporary wallpaper to transform this little corner into something more rustic mid-century: From Jeremy: I bought the shoe cabinet from Wayfair to, obviously, reign in our (fab) shoe collection. While it’s been great and done its job admirably, it’s not very attractive (and it ends being a place to dump our recycling!).

Many might have passed over this sad vintage sofa, but not Janet. She had glam plans for this junk shop find, including a BIG seat refresh: That oversized seat cushion makes it all the more glamorous, don’t you think? From Janet: I found a fabulous, battered, worn out vintage French Louis XV-style sofa at a local junk shop. So I stripped it down, sanded and painted the woodwork and reupholstered, with a little help from YouTube and my Dad.

When Rachel found this chair in her parents’ garage, she just had to save it. Once belonging to her great uncle in the 1940s, this former home for mice had such stunning arms, it needed a new lease on life. From Rachel: I found this chair in my parents’ outdoor garage a couple of years ago. I was immediately drawn to it because, just look at those gorgeous arms! It looked like it had been a house for mice for a while.

Although her boyfriend was not convinced that this was the sofa for their apartment, Miranda had big plans. First to go, that dated skirt: With a black slipcover, a graphic black and white fabric, and an ottoman to match, the sofa feels fresh and modern with more room to stretch out. From Miranda: We looked for a couch for what felt like forever!

Janet was looking to replace her IKEA LACK coffee table with something with a little more style. She saw some potential in an unlikely find — the BABORD shoe rack. From Janet: I had just moved into a new place, and I was dying to replace my ever-ubiquitous Ikea “Lack” coffee table with something more unique. Seeing as how I didn’t have any funds to purchase the slat bench of my dreams, I used my old, beaten up (also Ikea) shoe rack to make this!

Claire scored a deal on a pair of campaign nightstands, that, despite the brass being in good shape, could use some refinishing. She didn’t really need the bedroom storage, so she put them to use in the living room: From Claire: I came across these two nightstands in a booth at the Mission Antique Mall in Prairie Village, Kansas. The booth’s owner was there and she gave me a great deal on the set (less than $150).

What to do when your place is a total blank space? Kristin overcame the unlimited possibilities of her white-and-concrete living room, and went big and bold with graphic wallpaper. See how it looks now: From Kristin: There are good things and there are bad things about moving into a house with white walls (not even a backsplash in the kitchen!) and concrete floors. The good: It’s a totally blank canvas.

These IKEA nightstands were still in good shape, if not particularly stylish. Aya tackled them with a quick and easy refresh that’s totally on trend: We can’t get enough white-and-wood mix, and it looks particularly great here. From Aya: I’ve had this Ikea nightstand for several years and since it was still in really great shape I didn’t quite want to get rid of it. It had turned a little drab and boring so to spice things up, I painted the drawer fronts a matte white.

Lucia found this old wooden cabinet with sliding glass doors, and immediately saw an alternate use for it. Instead of a wall-mounted unit, she transformed it into freestanding furniture that better suits her needs, all for a minimal cost… The transformation wasn’t technically difficult, just time consuming. After sanding off all the varnish, Lucia spray painted the inside white. The exterior got several coats of water-based wood stain.

I spotted this gorgeous Thonet-esque chair while strolling through an antique mall a few months ago. It was in supremely rough shape, but I had a vision and at $8 I just couldn’t pass it up! If the chair had a makers mark I might have thought about restoring it and finding someone who wanted it in original condition, but it didn’t —so I grabbed some sandpaper and a can of spray paint and got to work!

Project by: Brittany and Justin Location: Springfield, Missouri The TV room in our 1930 bungalow is the room in the house that gets the least amount of natural light, so we wanted to create a bright space with a colorful touches to hang out in the with our three chihuahuas. The previous owners had installed several built-in pieces—including a desk, shelving, and a decorative room divider—so we started by clearing the room.

It’s a definite skill to look at something boring and busted, and still see potential. Pair that ability with some actual time and hard work, and you get some truly remarkable furniture makeovers. Here are ten DIY furniture projects that inspired us… 1. Above, Before & After: 2 Contemporary Cabinets Age Considerably…Overnight 2. Before & After: Recycled Pallet Pops With New Purpose 3. Before & After: Rita’s Really (Really!) Amazing Closet Transformation 4.

Parents are proven problem-solvers and potential-seers. That’s why some of our most amazing Before & After furniture transformations are for nursery and kids’ rooms. Let’s look back at some of 2014’s best rescues and restorations: Click on the slideshow to see the projects. To learn more about each project (and see more pictures), click the links in the captions. → Welcome to Apartment Therapy’s Best of 2014 roundup!

Luann spent just $40 on this thrift store chair and a great deal on discounted fabric to boot, but you’d never know it. Check out the expensive-looking (and, dare we say, nature-inspired) final results. From Luann: The finish was worn down on the arms and gunked up with…gunk? I sanded the wood completely down and stained and polyed it. I got a good deal from a fabric outlet on this fabric which is, in my opinion, perfect for this MCM chair.

Since Shehzeen picked up this media console for free, anything she did was gonna be added value. Even so, we never thought it could look this good. From Shehzeen: I had it for about two years before I decided that it needed a bit of a facelift; it was way too dark for me suddenly. I painted it over in a white, added some gold to the legs, installed them asymmetrically and I think I’m sufficiently thrilled. See more at The Desi Wonder Woman. Thank you Shehzeen!

Tanya did something amazing to find exactly what she was looking for: she asked. She posted a want ad to her local classifieds and lo and behold, someone was looking to unload this beauty. We bet the seller wants it back now! Check out the transformation. From Tanya: I wanted it so much, I didn’t even haggle (she was asking $250). I saved up, and then spent $400 on a professional upholstery job. Years later, this is still a favorite chair.

Pam found this love seat in a thrift store and fell in love with its great bones. It was in perfect condition except for the dated, faded upholstery so crafty Pam gave it some love. Pam says, “All it needed was a good cleaning and a tailored slipcover in a sassy blue cheetah print to spring back to life.” Hear that, folks? This is a slipcover! Masterful work, indeed. See more at Pam Morris Sews. Thank you Pam!

If you’ve ever come across a painted wood storage piece and wondered how you could restore it to the naturally beautiful look of wood and do something fresh and unique to it, you’ll find inspiration in this credenza Martha got creative with. From Martha: The original finish on this piece was a fading white with many scratches all over it.