A Little Updo
I'm sure that I'm not the only for whom this is true but sometimes in my most overwhelming times and deadlines, I really, really need to do something else for a break. It makes everything else go faster, easier and better, it seems. So last weekend I decided I was finally going to give my very old and outdated hutch a little updo. The top of the hutch was oak and the original bottom was something I gave to a friend since I wanted something bigger with more presence and storage space. This bottom was a white piece that I had found at the flea market this summer. It had been sitting in my dining room since then, taking up space!
A little dark grey chalk paint for most of the hutch and some creamy white for the interior and we were done.
I can't even tell you how happy the end result is making me.
If I'm not doing what I am supposed to be at any given time… well, you might just find me with a cup of tea at my dining room admiring my "new" hutch.
I know, I know, I am easily pleased.
… my favorite chicken collection.
… my favorite new Weck Jars. Now if I just had the time to can something that would be even better!
… love that little touch of light green these days. Doesn't it look wonderful with the orange and bright yellow?
If there is a random little project that you have been wanting to do but haven't had the time… well, go for it. I think it will make you feel so accomplished!
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Patsy | 5th Oct 12
Love it! I have a hutch to “updo” myself! Thanks for your inspiration!
pam | 5th Oct 12
Very pretty. Your home is a sweet little oasis. Well not so little but you know what I mean. Every little bit lovely.
Miss Jean | 5th Oct 12
Gorgeous! It’s full of Fig Tree colors. I love the way you have it staged. So glad you have something beautiful to enjoy.
Denise | 5th Oct 12
Love it…beautiful!!! My hutch holds my colorful collection of depression era dishes. After many years, I still love to look at them…every day! 🙂
Norma Wlos | 5th Oct 12
Lovely! Perfect for the season.
Nicola | 5th Oct 12
The colour is wonderful: it seemed to make every other colour shine! (is this the paint equivalent of natural linen?) love it!! x
sherri | 5th Oct 12
It’s just lovely! I love all of the jars and accessories on the shelves too…perfect!
Chris | 5th Oct 12
Love the green, orange and yellow. Inspiration for the next fabric line perhaps?
Barb | 5th Oct 12
Would never have thought of putting grey and white together but they combine so well,love all your treasures on the hutch makes it pop even more.Sometimes just a lick of paint can do wonders for the soul just like fabric can 🙂 Barb.
Tatkist | 5th Oct 12
Adorable!
I love your photos so much!
Hugs,
Tatyana
Amy DeCesare | 6th Oct 12
I love your photography, too. Such beautiful vignettes and pretty color. Always a cheery start to my day, when I visit your blog!
Kallie | 6th Oct 12
Oh my gosh!!! I am so in love with your “new” hutch!! I so wish I could paint our dressers that colour as well!! Amazing job you deserve to take the time and just sit with a cuppa and enjoy!!
Jane | 6th Oct 12
Very nice. The painted interior certainly gives your collection a wonderful backdrop.
I chuckled when I saw the scale, I have the mate. My MIL used it for many years and I inherited it. It is on my kitchen counter and still gives an accurate measurement.
I think it was originally purchased with an accessory to lay a baby in to get weighed. My DH being the baby, so it is at least 74 yrs. old!
Sharon | 6th Oct 12
Beautiful. Calming, too.
cocoquilts | 6th Oct 12
Lovely!! Great paint combination on your new hutch!!
And don’t you love those Weck jars!! Fell in love with them this summer and found a recipe for Vanilla Peach Confiture that is so delish and looks amazing in those jars!
Hugs, Colette
Lou | 6th Oct 12
Beautiful~!!!!!!!!!!!
Ginger Ashworth | 6th Oct 12
Joanna, you have done it again . . . created a masterpiece of form and function. Your hutch is Vintage Lovely. And then, sharing with the world—your artistic contributions inspire so many people. You mention that you painted the inside a “creamy white.” I note what you state in your new book “With Fabric & Thread” [and I quote!]:
“I love the warm side of each colour and . . . the ones I am drawn to again and again are the ones that I consider to be warm. As I begin to create a palette, whether it is for a fabric collection or for an individual project, I always start with a cream base. . . Fabrics with a cream base . . . have cream as their lightest tone and are warmer in general . . . For me, the colour comes first and the rest just falls into place.”
Thank you, Joanna, for sharing your designs AND your colour sense!
Susan K. | 6th Oct 12
Love the colors! I like the creamy white interior being different to the exterior so that the contents are the focus not the shelves.
Helen LeBrett | 6th Oct 12
Love your “new” little hutch; the colors are wonderful!! Wish I had you near for color consultation!! 🙂 And I love your wonderful little collection of chickens (my maiden name was Hennis, and I’ve always been fond of chickens :-)!!
Have a great weekend, and thanks for sharing!!
Pam Gardner | 6th Oct 12
I really like it-I have several things that need that “up do”- where does the time go?
Viviana | 6th Oct 12
Inspiring!
kate brown | 6th Oct 12
It came out beautiful!
Brenda Sanders | 6th Oct 12
Very pretty & your things inside are beautiful!
janita | 6th Oct 12
delightful 🙂 love everything!
Janita
Shannon Wallace | 6th Oct 12
I just adore it!!!! I love the country feel and look of it, and wish that hutch was at MY house! 😉 Great job!
Mary B | 6th Oct 12
Is this a hint for an upcoming line? I remember those sweet colors bowls ended up as a line . . . California Girl wasn’t it?
jeanne.langston@gmail.com | 6th Oct 12
you’re hutch is simply beautiful . I have a huge pine one–
Dare I paint It?
jeanne.langston@gmail.com | 6th Oct 12
your hutch is simply beautiful . I have a huge pine one–
Dare I paint It?
Mrs.T | 7th Oct 12
Oh, the light green with the orange pumpkin — I absolutely love it. What a beautiful color combination!
Janan | 7th Oct 12
Just this past week I too have been working on a project. With help from my hubby, he did the sanding, we worked on a chiffarobe cabinet that came from my grandmothers house. The door was warped and beyond repair, so it had to be discarded, but thats OK cause I will store my antique quilts in this side anyway. The top door still has the original mirror and I will leave it slightly open with all my pincushions sitting neatly inside. We painted it white with cream (of course) accents, and I will be off to the hardware store this week to search for new knobs for the drawers. Inside the drawers I can store all my threads and Fit Tree patterns. I will email you a photo when its all finished!
Libby | 8th Oct 12
Your hutch is just beautiful ~ I would sit there with a cup of tea admiring it myself ~
Bari Jo | 9th Oct 12
Wow – this looks great – and you just gave me inspiration to redo our old hutch… it’s little… beat up… but sentimental because it was my husband’s grandmother’s… I really like how you did the cream inside and the gray outside… I would sit there with my tea for sure! :O) Great job!