Our Hopeful Home: DIY Chalk Paint Corner Cabinet Styled With Ironstone

Welcome to the reveal of my DIY chalk paint transformation of a pine cabinet into a farmhouse hutch that's perfect for displaying pieces from my ironstone collection. Over 20 years ago my husband and I purchased a tall pine corner cabinet. We lived in Pennsylvania at the time, and it was not unusual for us to come across Amish craftsmanship at local flea markets and craft shows. My decorating style was pure country back then and the cabinet fit the bill perfectly. But we all know that country has become farmhouse, and this cabinet transformation is no exception.

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For the past 15 years in our current house it has been sitting in a corner of the dining room. This photo was taken pre-dining room renovation.

farmhouse corner cabinet dining room ironstone collection

Here's how the dining room looked after the renovation. As much as I've loved the cabinet over the years I finally felt like it needed a new persona, a new look, a new purpose. What better way to transform it than with some crisp white chalk paint?

SHOP THE LOOK

1. Bird Cage Chandelier

2. Corner Cabinet

3. Midcentury Modern Buffet/Sideboard/TV Cabinet

4. Farmhouse Scale

5. Large Bubble Glass Bottle

6. Faux Olive Branches

I also wanted it to match this great estate sale find that I purchased for the other corner of the room.

Since I knew I was going to paint the cabinet white but the backdrop gray I used painter's tape to tape off the different sections. While I wanted the front of the cabinet and the shelves to be white, I wanted the inside back of the shelves to be gray, creating a nice backdrop for pieces of my ironstone collection.

gray paint farmhouse cabinet ironstone collection

This is the color I used for contrast: Elephant Trunk gray. It was one of the sample colors I tested when we were renovating the living room and dining room. A full can would be cost prohibitive so today I would recommend Rust-Oleum Chalked Ultra Matte Paint in Aged Gray. I've used it for many paint projects and love it.

One coat of the gray paint looked extremely light. I was actually concerned at first that it was too light,. But after two coats I was convinced it was the right color choice.

Here's the cabinet after one coat of white paint, as well as two coats of gray. The white paint I used is also from Rust-Oleum -- Rust-Oleum Chalked Ultra Matte Paint in Linen White. I recently compared their Chalked line of paint to their Milk paint. I determined that the Chalked paint gave a bit better coverage with less coats.

And here it is after all coats were completed but before the doors were put back on. Note that I did not paint the inside of the cabinet or the inside of the cabinet doors. I wanted to replace the door knobs but haven't found the right ones yet. I replaced the old knobs on the estate sale hutch with some beautiful crystal knobs and I'm waiting till I can pick up another set for this cabinet.

painted corner hutch dishes tureen creamers

You can also see here where I painted the inner detail on the cabinet doors with gray for contrast. I found it really difficult to keep the gray paint from seeping over into the white areas, even though I used painter's tape. I'll be going back over it all with a detail painter's brush to correct any paint "overages" and give it a more finished look.

be grateful script felt banner flowers antlers

I like how the felt banner adds a nice pop of color. It's perfect for this fall season as well.

Having set out to create a piece that would showcase my ironstone, as well as fit in better with the rest of the room, I think I did a pretty good job.

I just love the brightness that it brings -- not only to this corner, but to the whole room as well. I couldn't be happier with my DIY chalk painted farmhouse corner cabinet, now beautifully styled with ironstone. The contrasting gray background really showcases the collection.

So which do you prefer?