Close to three years ago I came across this beauty in a local antiques store, She was hidden in the back corner and covered in what looked like years of dust and grime… I immediately decided I had to have her! She’s handmade, which you can tell from the slight imperfections in her build (meaning if you take one of the drawers out you better put it back in the same place because those babies are not one size fits all!). The top windows had crusty old chicken wire, and the hardware was covered under years of rust but at seven feet tall I could tell that she would be gorgeous with a little bit of elbow grease.
Unfortunately I was living in Colorado at the time so even though I couldn’t wait to take her home and make her pretty, she had to go home with my mama… where she sat in the barn for three years! Bummer.
All that means is that when we finally dug her out she was covered by an additional three years of dust and grime… yuck! After a good bath we started to fix her up, carefully clipping out the chicken wire, removing the hardware, and painting the entire Pie Safe. It took about a week to finish the entire project but the end results were well worth the wait!
The photos really can’t do it justice. Now she’s the prettiest painted pie safe I’ve ever seen!
We were lucky enough to salvage the existing hardware (& by we I mean my hubby). I fell in love with the shape of these hinges, however when we first saw them they were completely covered in rust. It took a good soak in Naval Jelly and a good scrub with a metal bristle brush
(enter the hubby) to get these babies to sing again. If you ask the hubby I’m sure you’ll get a different answer, but for me the process was completely worth it.
We painted the exterior with two coats of Greek Blue Chalk Paint (Annie Sloan, of course), while the interior is Paris Grey. I knew that this piece would be perfect to display my white and blue china so I wanted the interior paint color to be light enough to contrast with the exterior, but dark enough that the china would be visible.
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Now I just need to get glass cut to fit the upper doors and she’ll be finished! So far she’s my favorite piece of furniture in the new house… shhh don’t tell the other furniture!
Linking up with: Miss Mustard Seed & Best of DIY
Wonderful find and a beautiful transformation. Congrats!
Thanks Victoria, I love the way it turned out. I’m glad you do to!
What a wonderful rescue! I can only imagine the history that piece has seen. After all those years of waiting, your patience has truly paid off. It’s gorgeous!
Thanks so much Lani! I love old pieces with much life to them… I wish they could talk! Then we could learn everything they’ve seen! I’m glad you like it, it’s one of our favorite pieces around here… maybe our most favorite! My husband still lists it as his favorite project to date.
I share your sentiments on the hardware – especially the latches! You did a great job restoring this piece and your hard work definitely shows. Great color choices. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much for your sweet comments Jennifer! I love how the colors turned out… My hubby was worried at first! Silly man! Glad you love it!
She is really beautiful Besty. Don’t you just love handmade pieces with all their quirks and wobbles? Nothing comes close and I can see why this beauty is a favorite of yours.