When something like this cupboard is full of charm and personality… it is absolutely photogenic and you take a ton of photos. And then more. And then you play with all kinds of pretty things on the shelves and dream up just where that new to you antique treasure might land. Today it is all about the long awaited reveal of this antique beauty all cleaned up and wearing a natural raw wood finish today. Let’s start by taking a look back at where we started.
Before
The Before was not terrible. It really wasn’t. I have some dark stained antiques in the house and I do love them. But aside from this cupboard saying ‘raw wood’ to me when I first saw it- it also had that beetle issue. And a beetle issue means we had to strip the finish off the wood to get to the bare wood to be able to treat it for beetles. Otherwise- this piece wouldn’t last much longer.
We found a lot of damage when we stripped and cleaned everything up- and we also found that in fact, it had been refinished and repaired before. So while I normally would not strip or paint an original finish on an antique – this one was already redone and in order to try to save the pieces- they had to be bare wood to be treated for the bugs.
The After
Oh how I love this piece turned out. Did I mention that I keep taking photos and staring at it and am currently dreaming up just what is going to go on those shelves? It is such a gorgeous, tall stately cupboard with oodles of character- and I think the lighter finish really brings that character out so much.
The carvings are beyond gorgeous. Every little bit of them.
The doors are all covered in a similar design- just different sizes. The top doors are taller – the lower ones have a more squatty shape. I love the center details as much as the dainty curves- they are incredible.
The drawer fronts also have matching designs- and lots of pretty details in the hardware. This knob is the only one like it- the others are different.
The construction is quite rustic- which makes us think that it is quite old. Plus there were also hand written notes on the inside of the cupboard doors that seem to indicate it was quite old already when it was brought to the U.S.
I love the arched top and apron as well- simple, classic and elegant and I love how much of the old wood grain and character was revealed by stripping these pieces down. You can see a lot of the beetle holes in some of the photos- we did not fill them. They are part of the history and bring an authentic old charm in my opinion.
The doors and joints also have a lot of wear and detail. We did strip the finish a couple of times- and cleaned everything with ammonia more than I want to even think about. There are some dark areas that show more of the age of the wood along with splits and cracks. I absolutely love the authentic details.
Inside, there are shelves for storage – and all.those.drawers- each of which have a lock. This piece came with 5 keys that are in a drawer as well.
Where this piece landed
Currently, in my work room complete with a floor covered in dried flower petals and paint drips haha. We needed somewhere to set it while we waited for the wood to dry a bit and I may just leave it here to store bits. But I am not sure yet- so it is not filled up and styled.
Up Next
The antique mirror redo reveal and how this cupboard is styled. And you can see the Before before, In Between & the small cupboard Here.
I will also do a post about just how we stripped these pieces and why I chose to leave them completely raw for now- though I did use that white wax to finish another unfinished piece in the house and am in love with how it looks-will share that as well.
What do you think of this beautiful cupboard and how it turned out?
And in fun news… I opened up a brand new Facebook Christmas Decorating community this weekend all about Christmas decorating and inspiration. So many great posts already and I have SO much Fun planned for the holiday season. Would love to have you ( and anyone you know who loves Christmas) join us- you can find the group here: French Country Cottage Christmas
Happy Monday all.
That looks fabulous!!!
Wow! A stunning transformation!
Kudos for all your hard work!
Not on FB but looking forward ti your Next book….???? French country cottage christmas…??
; )
Courtney, your cupboard is absolutely stunning! Raw wood brings out all those Gorgeous dEtails. I am in love❤️
I think this piece is incredibly beautiful and I feel relieved that you and your husband were able to rescue and preserve it from further damage! It is incredibly lovely!
Thank you for the tips. I am an antique dealer and often “clean up” pieces. I love the charm. Danielle
Ihave a couple German shrunks from my son who served 24 years in Air Force. He kept the biggest. It takes a huge wall for HIS.it has that same heavy CARVINGs. Beautiful. Love what you did. Mine are UNDAMAGED. will get pics to post.
Raw has never looked better!! bravo! franki
Probably a stupid question but could i ever strip an antique oak table to the raw wood and get a similar look?
Yes, I think you could do that! I am not 100% sure what this type of wood is but the armoire in our dining room that is a raw finish is oak and it is gorgeous,
its such a beauty! you really saw past all the rough layers! i love where you put it as it seems to shine!
Looks just beautiful! Love that you uncovered the beauty of the piece.
Oh my goodness it is just beautiful! I love it!!
I am so jealous that you find these gorgeous pieces of furniture. I love what you have done to it…..truly spectacular.
Did you hear my jaw hit the floor????? This piece is really out of this world.
I love it with the raw wood state – it is absolutely stunning.
STUNNING! I love EVERYTHING about it.
Absolutely beAUtiful!
WOW!
i love it 🥰
It’s BEAUTIFUL
Absolutely beautiful!
Amazing transformation!
This could be right out of the pages of the “eloquence co” offerings ! gorgeous sums it up. Take good care, Ally
I Love the over-all shape of this beautiful french cuppboard, and all the carved details just takes it over the top. I love the “raw finish” and the “Bettle marks” as well so glad you put in all the hard work to save this piece.
I love the over-all shape of this beautiful french cuppboard, and all the carved details just takes it over the top. I love the “raw finish” and the “Beetle marks” as well so glad you put in all the hard work to save this piece.
Your antique cabiNet is truly gorgeous, the carvings are stunninG and the raw finish is beautiful.
Gorgeous!
I am in love! Oh the carvings, such beauty. I know it was a lot of work, however, it was so worth it, Kind of like child birth, lol
Hi Courtney!!
Now how GORGEOUS is this? I ABSOLUTELY love this cupboard for it’s uniqueness and grace.
Have a great week!!
Pam
xox
Love the piece! What a beauty! I’m looking forward to the Christmas ideas. Boy could I use some happy Christmas warmth about now.
So….how did you get rid of the burrowing bugs?
We had to treat it with an insecticide called Bora Care. I shared more about that in this post: https://www.frenchcountrycottage.net/2021/06/antique-cupboards-mirror-makeover-part-2.html
This piece is stunning!!!! Love it!!! can’t wait to hear how you did it!!!
Such a fabulous piece of furniture! How many hours did you put into the restoration. Where did you learn yhow to strip and clean around all the decorative work?
Gorgeous piece and Amazing work by you!!!
Cant wait to hear how youstripped this FABULOUS piece. I love it!!!
It’s a fabulous piece, and you made it even more beautiful!!!!!!!!!
Courtney, your effort in restoring this piece has created something truly magnificent! I love this raw wood look which really makes all those lovely carvings pop. Great job! Am so excited about your Christmas decorating facebook posts!
Beautiful, what a lovely piece of furniture
One word: Sublime!!