When we moved into our new farmhouse the office was not finished, so I just needed some quick storage solutions.
I found a 3 drawer wooden filing cabinet online locally for $30. Although it was supposedly in good order, when it arrived home after my husband collected it from the seller it was not at all what I would call in good order. It looked acceptable and I liked the hardware on it, but it was a bit rickety, the draws didn't run properly as the runners were mostly broken, and it had from the look of the construction been a flat pack assembly joined together with less than optimal methods.
It was part wood, part chipboard and part wishful thinking!
Anyway, it did the job for a several months until we managed to move forward with the office and we decided to give it a new lease of life and convert it into a 2 drawer cabinet so it could fit under the new built in desk. The hardware on it and the panelled drawers were it's saving grace, so it was time to turn this ugly duckling into a swan.
It got the practical make over it desperately needed - new drawer runners, proper construction techniques such as using screws and wood glue to hold it together, holes filled, damaged repaired and the odd looking top ledge removed. The aesthetic followed and after some sanding all over to create a rough surface for paint to adhere to my husband spray painted it white. I could have rollered it but I wanted a smooth finish to match the new storage cupboard we had bought.
Here it is sanded and the drawers covered up ready for painting.
I revamped the brass hardware that I liked by giving a light sand to clean it and create a better surface for the next step - painting it with Rustoleum's oil rubbed bronze - my go to colour for dark metal - slightly softer than true black and always looks good.
Here is one of the drawers painted and hardware being reinstalled.
Last step was to make up some labels to fit int he label holder and what once was an ugly rather sickly duckling has blossomed into the piece of practical office furniture it always dreamed of being!
Here it is in place, ready to be filled with all my office junk, er stuff! It makes me happy to see it looking so nice each morning when I walk into the office. Sitting there with it's clean white paint and tidy little labels, it makes me feel so much more organised than I really am!