Fall Nesting and a Cabinet in Antique White & Dark Wax

Every September when the kids return to school, do you spend a few weeks purging, organizing, and decorating? This is you nesting. It’s your female intuition creating a calm before the holiday storm. It’s you getting your home and life in order so you can enjoy the holidays with your family. If you haven’t started Fall nesting yet, it’s not too late.

For the past few weeks, I’ve felt like my soul has been on fire. I’ve been moving from one project to the next. Not spending a ton of time on any of them; instead working efficiently and getting them done as if I’ve spent hours on them.

They’re all types of projects. I’m already pairing down the remaining furniture refinishing projects in my garage and cellar so I can have them all complete by early November. I always aim to finish by the end of November and before the first snow falls, but I’m way ahead of schedule this year.

I’ve been completing one marketing project after the other for my commerical real estate job. I’ve been completing finance and marketing projects for the local Boys & Girls Club. And I’ve completed the Mom projects for my kids like medical appointments & supply orders (contact lenses, hearing aids, insurance, etc.),

With all of the “jobs” we moms have, we have to work efficiently.

But let’s get back to the purging, organizing, and decorating before the holiday storm.

I’ve been walking around my house for weeks, trying to look at my home as if I was a visitor just walking into it for the first time. This is really hard to do and you may have to ask a friend to do it for you.

Try it. Stand by your front door and walk in as if you’re a visitor. What do you see? How do you feel? What do you loooove? And what feels off?

Can you move furniture pieces around your home for a fresh look? Do all of the furniture pieces [not match, but] have a cohesive feel as you move from one space to the next?

I did this. I stood at the front door and looked directly at this brown cabinet in my entryway. The dark color stood out in a room mostly filled with lighter woods. The brown marble top clashed with the matte black wood frame above it and the gray marble fireplace in the dining room (not my favorite design choices, but too difficult and expensive to change so I work with it). And the distinct turned columns on either end.

Everything about this piece of furniture contrasted with other furniture pieces in my home which are either modern or old world finishes with chunky but clean lines.

So it was time to let it go. This was not an easy decision. It’s a great cabinet! It’s really well made and opens to tons of storage. It was a practical decision though, because it made my home feel… off. And I know once it’s out of my house, I won’t miss it.

Finally coming to terms with selling it this past Friday night, I pulled out some General Finishes Milk Paint in Antique White and painted it. The stain really needed to be touched up and I was in the mood to paint so I added three coats of the milk paint.

I really love milk paint. It covers pretty well (much better than chalk paint), adheres really well (much better than chalk), and levels out to a smooth finish really well (yes, much better than chalk paint).

The antique white color went nicely with the chocolate brown marble top, but it was a little flat. So using a tiny artist brush, I decided to add some dark antiquing wax in the crevices to tie in the brown top to the base.

Instructions: Place a small amount of the dark wax on a plastic plate. Dip the end of the artist’s brush in wax and paint the dark wax just into the recessed crevices. Take a clean, cotton rag (aka tshirt) folded flat, and rub it over the area. Do not scrape into the crevice with the tip of your finger; instead use a flat hand and wipe across it so the dark wax stays in the crevice but you smooth out any excess and lightly blend it around the area. Work in small sections.

I didn’t apply wax to the large flat surfaces, but did apply it around the drawers and the areas where the doors rubbed. The wax will harden and help prevent the paint from rubbing off when these are opened and closed.

The result is what looks like a $1,000+ cabinet you’d see on the showroom floor of Boston Interiors, Pottery Barn, or Jordans Furniture.

This cabinet is now for sale in Entri Ways online shop, priced at just $400.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links to products I use myself.