Transformed Art Deco Glass Vitrine with A Little Golden Bling!
Finding Treasures
It never gets old, refurbishing vintage furniture. You know, that moment when the final touches are put into place, and you step back to see the results. There are times when something is not quite right and it’s back to the drawing board. But in this case, I was very satisfied with the result, despite (or perhaps because of) the effort needed to bring it to this point. But let’s start at the beginning.
This is the top half of an old art-deco-style cabinet gifted to me by a friend unable to take it with him in his recent move. A piece inherited from his grandmother that deserved another chance in life. I was delighted and honoured to have been entrusted with such a gem, and a little daunted.
Choosing Styles and Materials
Already, I knew I wanted lots of gold accents and a rich deep blue-green colour to frame the gold. The greatest challenge was finding the wallpaper for the backboard. After fruitless searching, I started to consider creating a textured background myself and invested in structure paste and gold leaf to create the look. One final surge of exploration, however, resulted in finding the perfect backdrop. The structural paste was abandoned, but the gold leaf has been used to decorate the wooden frame around the glass doors, and the front and underside of each shelf.
Stripping and Preparation
The hardest work was stripping off the old finish from the doors. My initial investigation showed it was shellac, however, despite my best efforts, it was not easily removed by using denatured alcohol. I then tried scraping with my carbide scraper. This proved dangerous, given the curved fronts so I resorted to using a paint stripper.
To be honest, I hate using paint strippers. It is messy, and all too often, unsuccessful. I used what was at hand and it did an okay job of removing some of the old finish. I tried sanding off the remaining finish, but this risked damaging the thin veneer. I tried a different stripper and was successful after two more applications.
I still am not a fan of paint stripper and will do anything to avoid using it, however, under certain circumstances, it might be the only option. Since working on this piece, I have read that using Acetone can also work. Do you have other tips or personal experience with Acetone, then I’d love to hear from you? Please share and leave a comment below.
Painting and finishing
Finally on the home stretch of preparation, I sanded the door fronts smooth using 240 grit sandpaper and scuff sanded the body of the piece. The old hardware was removed, cleaned, and refreshed with gold paint where needed. The body inside and out was painted three times with Fusion Mineral Paint’s Chestler, a stunning deep blue-green colour with black undertones, with light sanding in-between.
After reattaching the front doors to the body of the piece, I then sketched out a simple design, wrapping around the side panel. I painted the design using gold paint and the gorgeous Fusion Paint, Chestler before adding the final finish. If I keep mentioning how gorgeous this colour is, it’s because I LOVE IT! The paint received hemp oil by Fusion Mineral Paint and the door fronts, hard wax oil by Oli Natura. Hemp oil is such a gorgeous finish, especially for dark paint. After applying and while still wet I sanded the surface with 320 grit sandpaper, creating a smooth, buttery finish with a wonderful sheen.
Challenges on the home Stretch
Just when you think you’re on the home stretch, several challenges occurred. Wobbly feet. Finding feet to fit the existing base was one challenge, affixing it without wobble was another. I added an additional wooden support bracket to support the feet at the back but discovered it was about 1mm lower than the front. Given I don’t have a full workshop space to create my bespoke pieces to compensate for all these little adjustments, my solutions need to be very creative. I will keep this one a secret but suffice to say, the wobble has gone. As for fitting the shelves back into place, three slotted in easily while two needed a little hand sanding to fit them back in.
Of course, there just had to be one piece that refused to play nice. It just did not want to fit back into its old home. At first, I went in gently, trying to preserve the finish I had painstakingly done. After nearly an hour of this craziness, I let go of my inhibitions and applied myself fully to the task. Let’s just say a little bit of glue and filler was needed to tidy up the damage done, some fresh paint and finish, and then finally this shelf fits. A celebratory dance occurred here.
Final Thoughts
I’m loving the end result. Upcycling and refurbishing furniture are such rewarding activities, and this is no exception. As always, it just needs to find the right person who falls in love with it too.
What do you think of this beautifully refurbished Art Deco gem? Share your thoughts in the comments below! Have you lovingly restored, upcycled, or refurbished a piece of your own? I’d love to hear about it—post a photo and share your story with everyone!
