Modern Mint DIY Buffet Makeover

Your home should be the happiest place on earth - second only to Disney World, I guess.  Why?  Because when you come home from a long day at work, from being out and about in this chaotic world, you should not be greeted by more chaos.  You should be greeted by a home that reflects your personality.  Your home should be a sanctuary - the one place where you can rest and escape the drama, heartaches and stress of this world.  That's why today I am going to show you how (and why) I took my wood buffet/server and transformed into a mint beauty in this DIY Buffet Makeover!

I recently interviewed another Designer for my "Inside Design" series and she noted that in the mornings she likes to sit with her cup of coffee and just enjoy the room she is in.  Do any of us do that anymore? Do any of us just sit and enjoy our surroundings?  I think most of us would say no. We're typically so busy rushing from one thing to the next.  We've lost the art of just being.  We never let our brains idle anymore.  We're always doing something - even if it just means looking at social media on our phone.

This is why I love the idea of a Sitting Room in our home - a room where we can just sit and be, by ourselves or with each other.  There's no TV.  There's no entertainment.  We can just sit and enjoy our surroundings.  This has been my main goal as I've overhauled my Living Room/Dining Room.  The point of the room is for it to be a space where we can be as a family or where we can entertain friends and be with our guests.  This is truly a sitting room.  We sit and relax.  We sit and eat.  We sit and play games.  We sit and just be.

The main complaint I had about my Living Room/Dining Room before was that most of the furniture matched.  It was all wood and mixed with the wood trim and ceiling beams in the space, it felt very heavy.  I really wanted to lighten the space and bring in some more modern colors.  So the pieces I did save - like my dining room chairs and my wood buffet - I rehabbed with some bright colors and patterns!

Here's what my Buffet/Server looked like before:

Here's How my DIY Buffet Makeover unfolded:

Prep the Area, Remove Hardware, Tape, and Sand

First, I prepped the area.  Ok, actually it was already mostly prepped since I had just finished repainting the living room.  But I had to have my husband help me get the buffet up on some rolling dollies.  That way I could paint to the edge.

I took off the cabinet door and hinges so that I could paint more easily.  Sadly, I didn't do this at the top where the ledges open up and I regretted it once I started priming.  I also taped off any areas that I didn't want to/need to paint with painter's tape.

I removed all the hardware because I wanted to clean them and shine them up a bit.

And then I started sanding.  I don't care what anyone says.  I am a firm believer that you have to sand each piece of furniture before painting so that the primer will adhere well.  I sanded my piece with 160-grit sandpaper.  Although 120-grit sandpaper would have probably been better!

Coat with Primer

Since the existing piece is a dark wood and I was using a light mint paint color, I knew that the "paint-and-primer-in-one" magic of Behr wasn't going to cut it.  I did two coats of Kilz Latex primer to prime my piece before painting.

Paint with Color of Choice

I decided to go with a bold, modern pop of color rather than my usual safety net of navy blue.  When I chose this mint color, I felt really confident about it...until I actually had the can of paint in hand.  Then I freaked out!  This was a huge risk and buying a color like this is SO risky.  But in the end, it definitely paid off!  The color I used is Behr Chilled Mint.  I chose Semi-Gloss for the finish because I knew this piece would get a lot of wear.  I wanted a finish that would be easily cleanable as well as stand up to stains and dirt.  It took about 2-3 coats of paint to cover the piece.

Seal with Protective Finish

With any painted piece of furniture you have to seal it.  I did three coats of Polycrylic Protective Finish in Clear by Minwax to seal my piece.  Be sure to apply a thin layer and catch any drips around edges and corners.

Line Drawers with Removable Wallpaper

The last step of my DIY Buffet Makeover was to line the inside of the drawers and cabinets with a surprise pop of color and pattern.  Originally, I considered a bright floral pattern with multiple colors.  But since the outside was such a bright color, I decided to go with a clean, modern white and grey removable wallpaper with a geometric pattern.  I felt a little bit easier about buying and applying this wallpaper since it was removable and if it didn't work, I could just re-do it!

I simply measured the size of each piece I needed, cut with an X-acto knife and adhered to the inside of the buffet!  Make sure you have a wallpaper smoothing tool when you apply the paper.  It will help remove all those bubbles and crinkles as you adhere the paper to your surface.

And voila!  Done.

To say that I am pretty satisfied with this DIY Buffet Makeover would be an understatement.  It's probably the best thing I've done so far and I am so glad I took the risk with my color choice!  I feel like my home is slowly becoming a reflection of my personality.  And I love creating and using inspiring pieces in my home that will encourage others to try new things as well!

So what bold choice do you want to take in your home - maybe a black wall or bright patterned sofa?  Let me know what you are working on in the comments below!