Pages

home profile party links featured

Jun 8, 2011

TV Cabinet in Graphite


Our old tv stopped working, so we finally broke down and bought a flat screen tv; every man's dream, and every woman's decorating nightmare.

While I was brain storming on where to put the tv, I thought we could re-invent some bookcases.  We had three tall bookcases that we purchased over 20 years ago.  I was just tired of the bulk and dusting the shelves.  I thought we could whack off (technical term) the shelves, use the bottom enclosed portions and put a new wood top on the full length to combine the three units. 
 


I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Graphite.


This was the first time I used chalk paint, and I'm thrilled with the results.


New pulls and knobs were also installed.



I love how it turned out.  Creative thriftiness at its best.

One big glitch we had is that our cat, Smokey, kept jumping up on top of the tv (yikes).  He would do this repeatedly, and we were afraid he'd scratch the tv, or worse, that it would tip.  So Mr. Wildwood quickly installed a shelf above the tv, which we call Smokey's Mantle.  The shelf needs to be sanded and sealed yet.

Do you ever have to decorate around your pets?

Click on the Party Links tab to see where I am linking.

Thanks for visiting,
Katie







Domestically Speaking

36 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is WONDERFUL! Love Smokey's mantle :) We have kitties....yes, you have to decorate around them. You did a fantastic job of making it look so nice. Our tv is mounted to the wall (making it really difficult to rearrange, but they can't knock it over. I have one sleeping on the satellite receiver right now, so always kitty hair dust!
We have a long cupboard that used to be in an old store. It looks alot like your new joined bookcases! I love changing things up too!
Hugs from Iowa,
Michelle at Pine Needle Hill
Come over and have a cup of coffee....

Courtney ~ French Country Cottage said...

Love your tv cabinet~ the color is wonderful and loving chalk paint~it looks fantastic! Would love for you to come share this at Feathered Nest Friday at my blog sometime! :)

Carol @ Driftwood Blue said...

Hi, Katie! Just got on your blog, read this post and had to comment. Yes, everything must be done with the cat in mind. Our cats could be twins! Mavi Kedi (blue cat in Turkish-my nephew named her)will get into anything. Luckily, we don't have anything to really climb high on, but she visited the top of our friends' 10ft tall Christmas tree, so she does have the tendency! Thanks for visiting my blog at Driftwood Blue-sorry it's not pretty yet! I'm a new follower!

Rosemary@villabarnes said...

Hi Katie,
Love what you did here. Inventive and beautiful. Thanks for visiting my blog and for the lovely compliment. I didn't see a follow gadget on your sidebar, so I became your follower by clicking above your header. Come back and visit me anytime. Looking forward to your future posts.
xoxoRosemary

Jane@Cottage at the Crossroads said...

Your TV cabinet looks fabulous. And yes, we decorate around our pets, too. We screened in the front porch just for our 2 cats. Well, maybe for us, too.

Karen said...

That is brilliant and it looks fabulous! Love the color and yes we do decorate around our pets.

Brenda Watts said...

How clever and looks wonderful great job..and oh yes pets rule here, I have cat trees everywhere and am in the process of building a 3 level kitchen Island to thwart a counter-surfing Labrador.

Decor & Harmony said...

Love it! I love your technical terminology too! I thought my pets were spoiled you've got me beat :)

Scribbler said...

What a great idea, that chopping off the tops! Did you save those to repurpose? I have such a collection of junk... The cabinet looks divine, which I was thrilled to see, since I just invested in this paint.

Allison Shops said...

It looks great! Perfect for the TV. They are not so bad, really. Everyone has them nowadays.
Hope you'll drop by and see the tile floor Jane wrote about for Met Monday.

Allison
Atticmag

Unknown said...

love this tv cabinet. the color and the size it's perfect for the space... im looking for one like this myself.

Kati @ Housewife_Swagger said...

this turned out so cute!!!!!

Youaretalkingtoomuch.com said...

Love this and I think I may copy! Thank you for the inspiration. If I use chalk paint....I will credit you! Love, Me www.youaretalkingtoomuch.com

Joy@aVintageGreen said...

The shelf above the tv - inspired.

Great remake from shelving units to TV storage/stand.

Found your blog from Restore Interiors.

- Joy

kathie said...

What a fabulous idea!! I've been pondering what to do with our huge entertainment center, and I might be following in your footsteps! I painted a dresser in graphite today & loved how it turned out, too. The wax really makes the color pop. Love your piece!!

Handy Man, Crafty Woman said...

This looks really great! I'd love it if you would link this up to our Wicked Awesome Wed. party if you have some time.

Cassie Bustamante said...

it looks beautiful!!!! love the wood top and it is perfect for a tv stand!

The French Hutch said...

Wow, your cabinet turned out great. I'm going through the same thing. I'm trying to decide how to handle this problem of where and what to do with the new big boy moving into our home. I love what you did. It looks great and your kitty is happy too........I'm visiting over from WUW

~Emily
The French Hutch

Liz @ the Brambleberry Cottage said...

It turned out great! And I like your paint and stain choices. Now that's the way to conquer the old one-eyed monster in style, Katie! ;)

I'm visiting from WhisperWood Cottage and would like to invite you to join my linky party each week. The party starts on Wednesday nights, and any "family friendly" post can be linked.

By the way, I just joined you as a follower.

Blessings,
Liz @ the Brambleberry Cottage
http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/

Julia @ 551Eastdesign said...

I love the dresser but I think my favorite part has to be Smokey's Mantle. HILARIOUS! It's too bad they aren't easier to train:)

Mel said...

wow, that is the most beautiful buffet/tv stand ever! I definitely saved the picture and will be trying to con my hubby into building me one! ;). thanks for sharing!

Jenny Lynn said...

I the way it turned out. How did you mount the wood on top of the units after you cut the shelves off? I need to do something with our flat screen. It currently is sitting on top of a coffee table. Our cats love the warmth of the TV... I am always shooing them away from it. The shelf for your cat is very inspiring.

Courtney ~ French Country Cottage said...

Hi there~ just stopping back by to say thank you for sharing this at Feathered Nest Friday this week- hope you will come share again soon! :)

Abramyan Avenue said...

This is such an awesome idea. My husband too bought a huge flat screen and we have NO WHERE to put it. I prefer the look that you created. He wants an entertainment center. I'm not too hot on that idea. Right now the TV is sitting on an old coffee table. Our kids have lots of gaming stations and games and DVD's and a karaoke machine so you see wires everywhere and that drives me NUTS!!!! I love that your TV cabinet can hide all of that!!! And it looks beautiful too!! LOVE IT!
Have a wonderful weekend!
-April

Rachel said...

This turned out great! This is exactly the kind of thing I'm looking to do in our loft but I haven't found the right piece of furniture yet. And don't you love chalk paint! It's fabulous! I just finished my ding room table with the graphite. Come check it out sometime ~ Rachel(absolutelylovingmylife.blogspot.com)

Unknown said...

It looks great and like it was made for that space. I'm wanting to use the graphite color on my dining room table. After you waxed it, did you get that hand-rubbed sheen when you buffed it out, or did it stay pretty dull in color? I can't really tell from your pictures and I'm wanting my set to have the sheen to it, but I'm concerned the chalk paint and wax won't have that luster.

Handy Man, Crafty Woman said...

Thanks for linking this to Wicked Awesome Wednesday.

The Charm of Home said...

Your TV cabinet turned out great! I love that chalk paint color. It looks very nice. Thanks for linking this up at Home Sweet Home!

Sherry

Ashley @ Domestic Imperfection said...

I love the way this turned out....I so wish you had before pictures! I love the color, I'm wanting to paint my lower kitchen cabinets a similar color, and so far bought about six sample colors trying to find the right color. Too bad the chalk paint is $$$, I would need a lot for a whole kitchen! Great idea!

Ann said...

I love this piece! What a great idea and I am so pleased to see how the graphite color looks on a large piece.

Anonymous said...

Nice an lovely Cabinets!!
Keep Share More!!Awesome Post!!
Television Cabinets

Shaunna said...

It's probably just my computer, but I can't get pics to come through. ? Sorry...dying to see it....I'll keep trying! From the sound of it, it's beautiful!
;-)
shaunna

Amy Chalmers said...

Great idea! I love how this came out, and I am really liking graphite color too!

Ela said...

I love the colors that you use in painting your furniture. This one is so rich and I love it. Great work! I am following you now.

If you have a chance, please drop by on my blog http://scrapidoodlelicious.blogspot.com/

Maury @ Life on Mars said...

This is stunning! I love the doors on it and the color is perfect! Great job!

Unknown said...

Just love this!! I am new to chalk paint....I found out about its glories only yesterday so really new. I have since purchased three colors and both waxes. One project will be on bath cabinet and one in kitchen. I know the wax will protect it but I have two questions. 1. How do you know which color wax to use? 1a. What does each wax do as far as color change or enhancements? 2. If I want extra protection it is possible or advisable to poly or marine poly over the caulk paint? I appreciate any feedback on this. Thank you!