Vintage Chifferobe for Toy Storage

The Twenty Seven Dollar Vintage Chifferobe

Chic on the Cheap: How to Hide Those Toys

After months of sitting in my garage, my "vintage chifferobe" is finally finished, and better yet, it's making our family room feel even more cozy. This piece continues my stream of trying to find affordable furniture to fill our new home; you can read more about where I picked up this piece here. Or the quick version: I bought it at an Estate Sale for $27. Adding in the cost of paint and materials, it cost me around $50 total. Not bad for a piece that takes up a substantial space in one of the most lived-in rooms in the house.

Basically, I painted this piece using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in "Florence," using a couple coats of Annie Sloan clear soft wax after the paint application. I've said it before, but it's worth saying again, ASCP is my favorite paint, in essence, because of its RICHNESS: richness of color, of texture, and of variability. You can do so much with it. I invested in two of Annie Sloan's books (Quick & Easy Paint Transformations and Creating the French Look), and that's helped me get some ideas. But there are also classes out there. Near me, Daniella at Junktique Recycling offers them frequently. I'm planning to finally get to one this summer! 

Every time I've used ASCP in the past, I chose to distress my pieces at the end. For the chifferobe, I just wanted a clean, sharp finish, so all I did after painting was apply a couple coats of clear wax. I also chose to paint the outsides of the drawers and inside of the cabinet, too, because I plan to use this piece as toy storage, and I foresee a lot of unclosed drawers in the future... so why not give them a little love, too? I used Behr "Oregano Spice" for the green on the inside to save some money (in an ideal world, I'd have used ASCP in here, too). 

The chifferobe remains to be the perfect hiding spot for a little one, just like the women who sold it to me said they used to do with they were children.

 

The knobs were an unexpected part of the project, but I'm so happy with how they turned out! I had planned to simply buy some new hardware to "dress up" the piece. But after going to the store and choosing what I liked, I realized the hardware would cost me about $40! More than the original cost of the piece... I couldn't rationalize that purchase, so reluctantly, I put the knobs and drawer pulls back, and resolved to figure out a more creative solution, hence, the DIY Nautical Rope Hardware. I bought some rope for $5 and, using the rope and hot glue, I outfitted the original hardware (you can find that tutorial here).

I'm happy with how it turned out, but still wish I knew more about its original form and function. When was it made? How was it used? If you know any of that, please fill me in!

Vintage Chifferobe DIY Part I

Vintage Chifferobe DIY Project

...making some progress, at least

It's really hot here today. And I want to be productive, especially while the baby's napping, but I don't know if I have it in me to do any more work. Even if I started painting, it's so humid I don't think the paint will ever dry!

So today I am posting pics of my current project, in its current state. I picked up this chifferobe a couple months ago at an estate sale. 


It was the last day of the sale; a bunch of siblings were selling the last of the items from their parents' house. I really just stumbled across this sale, because I happened to see a sign on my way to church (rushing there after an early-morning free craigslist pickup). After church, I told my husband I would just quickly run by this tag sale, and since I offered to bring the baby with me (and we had driven separately anyway), he didn't roll his eyes TOO much, and I was on my way.

As soon as I pulled up, I noticed this beauty. I loved the shape of it. I wasn't sure what it was from the curb, it almost looked like an old ice box or something. But I didn't really care. The sign said "Vintage 70's Chifferobe -  $40." Well, I loved it. I didn't love the color (which I do think is cool, it's just not in my comfort zone). And thanks to the $10 bill my husband had given me for something (that I ended up not using), I had a solid $27 in cash in my possession (I rarely carry cash... it's sorta bad... I rely on my debit cards way too much). So I offered my $27, and they happily accepted... and helped me load it into the car and tie the trunk down (because it didn't fit with the craigslist chair also inside-LOL-apparently my husband's big eye roll was reserved for when I pulled into our driveway after this). The back story on the piece (I love the back stories): they'd had it in their house growing up, and that they used to hide inside the little closet part when they played hide-and-seek. And would you believe, after becoming accustomed to it in our garage for the past couple months, my kids have been doing the exact same thing. I believe it was meant to be :)

It sat in the garage for a while, but I think I'm finally ready to do something with it. I decided that, when I'm done painting it (and finding new hardware-maybe at the Country Living Fair next week?), it will live in our family room. I'm hoping it can be a pretty exterior to hide all the papers and toys and supplies that have a tendancy to make their way up from the playroom on a regular basis... and instead of fighting it all (I really wanted to keep the family room toy-free since we have a designated play room now), I will embrace it (but at the same time hide it).

There you have it, the Vintage Chifferobe, Part I. BTW if anyone know anything about this kind of furniture--how old it might be, what it was used for? Please let me know!