I’ve always been bugged by the placement of the thermostat in my formal living room.
It’s smack dab in the middle of the wall below the staircase. Obviously when the builders installed it, they weren’t thinking about aesthetics. They placed it almost in the middle of the wall, meaning that when I hang art there, it looks weird and off center — because it is.
But now you can’t see it!
Because I got crafty with some old cabinet doors that had been sitting in my attic for more than a year. Actually, those doors are from the armoire I have in my office. One of them was cracked and broken, which is why I removed it.
Here’s what the doors looked like before I painted them.
These were a perfect candidate for milk paint because while they’d been stained, they didn’t have a glossy finish so I didn’t have to use any bonding agent to get the paint to adhere.
I painted the panels in Typewriter from Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint, and the frames in gorgeous Flow Blue milk paint.
As I suspected, the milk paint did that cool chippy thing once I started sanding.
Since milk paint dries matte, I took a chance that I would be able to write on it like a chalkboard — and sure enough, I was right. I actually waxed the entire surface of the doors with Miss Mustard Seed’s beeswax-based furniture wax, and I was still able to write on the doors with regular chalk.
My message is a paraphrase of a passage from the “Velveteen Rabbit,” which was one of the readings we had at our wedding.
I say goodbye and good riddance to my so-not-pretty thermostat…
…and hello to its pretty new hiding place. (When we need to adjust the temperature, all I have to do is move the doors aside.)
You just never know what you’ll find behind closed doors.
I’m partying at the following places:
Clever Clever! And the doors look awesome! Love how they came out! Great post Amy!
Diane recently posted..Autumn Giveaway Winner
Thanks, Diane. Painting those door made me fall in love with milk paint again.
Twitter: southrntablejen
says:
This is just too creative! I love this look and wish my hallway was wider so that I could hide ours!
Jennifer recently posted..Monday, Monday
I bet you could come up with an equally clever solution! And I wish our builder had put our thermostat in the hallway. That would have been the smarter thing to do!
You are brilliant! I absolutely love this idea.
Aww, you’re too sweet. I’m going to go bask in my brilliance now!
Love this!! They look amazing!! I cannot wait to get the color!! I am so sad I sold off my armoire doors!! I was tired of moving them from house to house and didn’t know what I’d do with them… Now this is the 2nd idea I could have used!!! They look amazing!! ~ Lori
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Thanks, Lori. I’m shipping out your Flow Blue tomorrow!
You are going to love that color, too.
And I’ve been in your situation before — get rid of something and then find a great use for it. I’d love to hear about the other idea for armoire doors you found. I don’t have another pair, but for the right idea, I could go shopping…
Twitter: Blissdesigns4U
says:
Amy,
I love this, what a great post. You have inspired me & my daughter to try Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint. Love the screen to cover the thermostat!
You will love Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint. I love the look you can achieve with it, but I also still use chalk paint quite often. Can’t wait to make a road trip and visit your store. It sounds fab.
Amy, that looks great. Love the settee, too.
Kim recently posted..For Sale
Thanks, Kim. The settee was a long-ago find at one of my favorite local consignment stores, The Red Collection. It really epitomizes my style.
This is gorgeous, Amy! I’m thinking those doors might jump into my car tomorrow – they want to come live on my side of town. ;o)
Suzy recently posted..Sunday Worship
I’ll be watching you, Suzy! Can’t wait for tomorrow.
Great idea …and a very pretty one, too! Love the Settee and gorgeous pillow!
Rhonda ~Ramblings of a Southern Girl recently posted..Sweet Tea and Cherry Print Aprons
Thanks, Rhonda. The settee is a favorite of mine, and I’ve had that pillow for years. Both have proved to be very versatile pieces.
This is great. I love love it. Visiting from Sunday show case
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