She Painted Most of This Old Wood Cabinet Blue but Left These Parts Bare
Dark honey-toned wood covered this buffet cabinet from top to bottom, including the glass-door hutch, small side cupboards, countertop, drawers, and lower doors. Strong grain patterns made the wood a major part of its original look.
Instead of covering every surface, Instagram creator @farb.und.froh split the finish between deep blue paint and exposed wood. Patterned panels behind the shelves added another change inside the cabinet, while several original forms stayed intact.
The project took 25 hours, more time than the creator had spent on any previous cabinet makeover.
Wood Grain Covered Every Part of the Original Cabinet
The original buffet had two glass-front cabinets across the top, two small cupboards below them, three drawers, and two large doors at the base. Rounded trim, a thick center column, and curved drawer fronts gave the piece much of its shape.
Wood grain ran in several directions across the doors and drawer fronts. Rather than remove those features, the makeover used paint to separate parts of the cabinet and draw more attention to its structure.
Blue Paint Changed the Frame While Selected Wood Stayed Exposed
Deep blue now covers the upper frames, work surface, drawer fronts, lower doors, and most structural trim. Two small cupboard fronts remain bare, along with the rounded front edge of the counter and top edge.
Those exposed sections break up the large blue surface. Their pale wood finish also creates a sharp contrast with the cabinet’s former dark brown tone.
Pattern Continues Behind the Glass and Into the Drawers
Opening the drawers reveals another part of the makeover. Decorative patterned material lines the center drawer, matching the patchwork design used behind the upper shelves and open center niche.
Cream interiors keep the storage spaces distinct from the blue exterior. The mix also makes the pattern visible without covering every interior surface.
Lower Doors Keep the Cabinet’s Original Storage
The two large base doors now form one broad blue section beneath the drawers. Small round knobs replace the former hardware, while cup pulls mark the three drawers above.
Inside, the cabinet still has its wide shelves and center divider. Paint changed the exterior without changing how the lower half stores dishes, cookware, or serving pieces.
Patterned Backing Turns the Hutch Into a Display Area
Rows of square motifs cover the backs of the upper display cabinets and the open section below. Each square uses a different floral or geometric design in blue, cream, brown, and muted red.
Glass doors leave the pattern visible even when the cabinet is closed. Cream shelves cut across the design and provide a light surface for dishes or glassware.
Original Glass Containers Still Fit Inside
Small glass containers built into the cabinet remain tucked inside the right-hand compartment. The creator noted that these old containers survived with the buffet, preserving a feature tied to how cabinets like this once functioned.
Keeping them also avoids turning the makeover into a cosmetic shell. Parts of the cabinet’s former storage system remain usable behind the new finish.
Bare Wood Becomes Part of the New Color Scheme
From the front, the two exposed cupboard doors sit between large areas of blue. Their grain forms mirrored patterns around the knobs, giving each door a detail paint would have concealed.
The narrow wood strip across the counter repeats the same finish at another level, connecting the two small doors without leaving large brown sections untouched.
Paint, Wood, and Pattern Share the Finished Cabinet
The finished buffet keeps its original proportions, glass doors, storage layout, curved center details, and selected wood surfaces. Blue paint now defines most of the structure, while the exposed wood and patterned backing keep the result from becoming one solid block of color.
Image credis go to Instagram creator @farb.und.froh.