Custom Cranberry China Hutch

Client photo of finished piece.

It is one of the greatest honors when I am asked to paint a custom piece for one of my customers. I had the chance last month to help a couple that had moved into their home a couple of years ago and was finally ready to do some updates. They asked me to come over to their home and give them some ideas on how they could change the look in their living room, guest room, best bedroom, and possibly their master bathroom. I don’t claim to be an interior designer but I do have ideas that might be different from them and I also know how to do things less expensively than some designers can as well.

We decided that the first step we would take would to paint their China Hutch a beautiful new color that would be the cornerstone of the colors in their dining room and living area. Together we chose the color from Fusion Mineral Paint called Cranberry. This is a beautiful darker red almost maroon color that perfectly matched the colors they already had chosen through accents in their home. Below is the before picture that I took of the China Hutch.

This is one custom project that I did need to go to their home to complete since it was built in and unmovable. I can say

that the first thing I did was to remove all of the doors and they went home with me to complete there. Then I proceeded to strip the top of the cabinet so we could stain it a darker color to match the more aged darker look we wanted. I do wish I had put up a large plastic barrier around the area because when I started sanding I made quite a dusty mess.

Look at that beautiful wood grain!

I was very happy with this look and knew it would look so nice and rich with the Cranberry Fusion Mineral Paint. Don't you agree?!

I finished the project on several trips but was done within a week. I did not want to inconvenience my customer's any more than they already were. One day I stained, the next day I painted the entire piece with one coat, then left it overnight to dry. I came back the next day and finished the piece but did not bring the doors or the hardware to install. I let it sit until the last day of the week to make sure that as I put the doors and drawers back in it would not mess up or chip the paint. When it was all done, the doors installed, drawers inserted and the hardware was installed, it looked perfect! I cleaned up the entire area, including sweeping around the dining room and making sure I had no paint drips anywhere. I took some pictures and then left. Neither client was home at the time, so they came home to a surprise finished cabinet!!

This piece was so big, it was hard to take a picture of the whole thing! Sorry about some of the crazy angles.

I wanted to share with you the review that they gave me regarding our experience and my completed job.

"We had an oak cabinet which had turned orange as it aged and had become an eyesore. However, it was well made and we used it to hold our dishes. A new one would have been outrageously expensive! Jamie saved the day by transforming it into a gorgeous burgundy piece preserving and staining portions of the natural wood. She was quick, reasonably priced, and great to work with. She transformed our dining area. Have her take a look at any of your outdated pieces. She has the imagination and talent to make them look spectacular! Thank you, Jamie. Laurie and Mark Dickinson"

Blessings to you this year and next!

Jamie Orsburn of My Back Porch