You don’t have to painstakingly sand, prime, and paint an old hutch in order to update it. My mom has a gorgeous very large hutch. We are renovating her dining room and wanting to update it. We went back and forth on painting it or not, weighing the pros and cons. Ultimately repainting it was going to be too much work. Plus, it already matched the new hard wood and dining room set, and even the french doors.
So we decided to come up with other ways to update it. Below are 9 ways to update a hutch without repainting it.
1. First, we took the glass out of it. This automatically made it look more in style.
2. Second, we took everything out of it and centered it in the room to be a focal point instead of having it in the corner.
3. Third, we installed under-mount lights. Tutorial Here.
4. Fourth, we staged it well. We used the rule of odd numbers, similar colors, and balance. Before, there was a lot of clutter on the shelves. We did our best to fit as much as we could on the shelves without adding clutter. We put the rest in the big cabinets below and boxed or donated the extra dishes.
5. Fifth, we gave it a good cleaning and used furniture polish on it.
Another few ideas we are thinking about doing is:
6. Adding strips of decorative molding on to the shelves. The bottom shelf has this and we are still thinking about possibly putting it on the top 2 shelves.
7. Add Crown molding to the top of it to extend up higher and/or touch the ceiling.
8. Add lights to the top of the hutch that throws a glow up around it. (We tried this but the hutch is too close to the ceiling to get the desired effect). If you are interested in the look below I found it on this blog here.
9. Change out the hardware. Since the hardware (vintage) styles have come back around we decided to leave it. If your hardware is outdated try to find unique and complimentary handles and pulls. If you are just missing a piece or have a broken handle you can actually fix it! I saw this tutorial this morning on Pinterest and thought it was genius. Click here if you need to make or replace a handle.
Updating a hutch doesn’t have to be expensive or take hours and hours of hard work. Making these small changes can really make a big difference by putting in only a small investment of time and money.
We lost the photo of it before with the glass, pushed in the corner, with a lot of clutter and no under-mount lights but please trust me when I say that the change was very drastic. With these updates, this hutch went from a bit of an eyesore to a gorgeous room focal point.
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I’m not sure why you would remove the glass. Glass reduces the amount of dust that’s exposed to rarely used dishes.
Lisa- You are right the glass does protect the china, but my mom has had this hutch for over 35 years. It was old when she got it. The glass was not the best quality and it really just was nice for a change. We were pleased with the look without glass but other hutches look beautiful with it. Thanks for the comment.
To each their own but I think painting a piece is the easiest way to update it and it really doesn’t take that much time or effort. Try Annie Sloane chalk paint. But, as I said, I am glad if the look is right for you.
Rachel, thanks for the recommendation. There was a thick coat of lacquer on this. It would have required stripping, sanding, priming and painting. But I do love the chalk paint look. Further, it is my mom’s dining room and she put in new flooring that matched perfectly. Thanks again!
I think you did an excellant job.
Thank you! I appreciate it!
Losing the glass and the way it is stage it is reminiscent of those big Country French cabinets. If one looks beyond all the white stuff there are number of classic French country pieces in dark wood. I think it creates a more authentic antique French, less cutesy-cottage look. Are the dishes Haviland? I have 1 full place setting. It is sooo pretty and rich looking in the hutch with the Wedgwood. Nice classic pieces. The hutch looks like you gave it a good polish it absolutely shines! I’m wondering what you used. I think the hardware is perfect as is, although sometimes we just want a change. I think all your points are good. I think silver, polished or tarnished, or pewter would look awesome in it. And I agree sometimes you can’t or just don’t want to repaint.
I’ll check and see what brand the plates are. Thank you so much. I agree with your opinions and ideas!