This week, I’m sharing some of my favorite painted hutches that we’ve redone over the years! Just for fun! You can click on the name for each hutch and it’ll take you to the post with all the color and how to information for each piece.
Please take a minute to check out our online shop for repurposed furniture for your home.
Thank you all for following along! If you’d like to get this blog in your email once a week, please sign up for our weekly newsletter by adding your email in the little box below my picture.
If you’ve enjoyed this post, please like FunCycled on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest if you don’t already. Keep up to date on the newest finds, vote on colors and give your input on our creativity. We share fun tutorials, great before and after, and new design inspirations.
We offer interior design, kitchen cabinet painting, and custom built tables, barn doors, and repurposed furniture. Thank you, again, for working with us and for taking the time to spread the word about what we do.
This week has been a busy one for me! So sorry for the late post. It’s only the start of summer and I’m remembering how tricky it is to balance summer fun and work. :) I love both so much so trying to enjoy the sunny days to the fullest while also keeping up with work. Thank you for your patience with me. 💕
For this week’s makeover, I wanted to share a beautiful transformation we finished recently for a returning client; Lisa!
Here are her dressers before:
We painted the boxes Thicket AF-405 by Benjamin Moore, sprayed them with a protective clear coat, and cleaned and reused the hardware. Then we sanded and stained the drawers with a Gray first then Brown stain. We also added Lapland by Benjamin Moore to the middle border, which goes all around the dresser, to slightly contrast with the Thicket.
This dresser set was done as a custom order! Thank you for the business, Lisa.
Please take a minute to check out our online shop for repurposed furniture for your home.
White Tall Dresser
Kitchen Cabinet Painting
Navy Tall Dresser
Mustard Secretary Desk
Aqua Buffet
FunCycled Stays Airbnb
Thank you all for following along! If you’d like to get this blog in your email once a week, please sign up for our weekly newsletter by adding your email in the little box below my picture.
If you’ve enjoyed this post, please like FunCycled on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest if you don’t already. Keep up to date on the newest finds, vote on colors and give your input on our creativity. We share fun tutorials, great before and after, and new design inspirations.
We offer interior design, kitchen cabinet painting, and custom built tables, barn doors, and repurposed furniture. Thank you, again, for working with us and for taking the time to spread the word about what we do.
How was your week? As you might have seen on our facebook or Instagram page, after many many years of camping with our 1974 Lark Pop up camper, we decided to upgrade this year to a retro style camper. Check it out!
We are still trying to think of a good name for it! We feel so thankful and blessed to be able to get away as a family and with friends… into nature, to relax and refresh.
For this week’s makeover, I wanted to share a dresser set makeover that we recently finished and put up for sale on our website.
Here are the dressers before:
The main thing I didn’t like about this set was the sea shell inlay on the dressers. I also didn’t love the hardware. So we filled all the details of the seashell with Bondo. It didn’t go well actually – we had to carve it back out and redo it which took SO MUCH time. It was worth it though because check out the after photos.
For this piece, we used Benjamin Moore’s Simply White, lightly distressed it, and sprayed it with a protective clear coat. We also added all new hardware.
If you want to see how we paint furniture, check out our How to Paint Furniture post. Ready for the after photos?
The low dresser and end stand sold right away, but the tall dresser is available now to purchase!Contact us to purchase!
Thank you all for following along! If you’d like to get this blog in your email once a week, please sign up for our weekly newsletter by adding your email in the little box below my picture.
If you’ve enjoyed this post, please like FunCycled on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest if you don’t already. Keep up to date on the newest finds, vote on colors and give your input on our creativity. We share fun tutorials, great before and after, and new design inspirations.
We offer interior design, kitchen cabinet painting, and custom built tables, barn doors, and repurposed furniture. Thank you, again, for working with us and for taking the time to spread the word about what we do.
After years of painting kitchen cabinets nearly every week and helping clients navigate full-scale interior refreshes, I’ve learned one universal truth: hardware is the jewelry of the kitchen. It’s the final detail that can make a standard cabinet feel custom and a dated kitchen feel intentional.
While the options locally can feel limited, I’ve spent countless hours sourcing professional-grade pieces that offer that elusive “designer” look without the six-week lead times. Today, I’m sharing my curated “Designer Picks,” the hardware I personally return to for its weight, finish, and timeless silhouette. Whether you are leaning into a moody traditional vibe or a clean Danish modern aesthetic, these are the pieces that truly elevate a space.
Let’s dive in by finish, shall we?
Aged and Antique Brass
This finish adds an instant sense of history and “soul” to a kitchen, making new cabinets feel like a collected heirloom. It is my top recommendation for hiding fingerprints while adding a sophisticated, moody warmth to darker cabinetry.
If you like knobs more than pulls, here are some go-to favorite traditional black knobs. We have installed them in so many of our projects and they always remain timeless.
This finish adds an instant sense of history and “soul” to a kitchen, making new cabinets feel like a collected heirloom. It is my top recommendation for hiding fingerprints while adding a sophisticated, moody warmth to darker cabinetry.
Brushed Brass and Gold
For a modern, high-end feel, these finishes offer a consistent, glowing gold tone that acts as the statement jewelry of the room. I love the subtle texture of the brushed finish—it catches the light beautifully without the harsh reflection of old-school polished brass.
Yes! You can mix gold hardware even if your appliances are stainless steal or if you have lighting that’s a different finish. It can still be beautiful!
Pro tip from Sarah
Matte Black
Black hardware is the ultimate architectural choice, providing a grounded and modern feel that never goes out of style. I love using these sleek silhouettes to add a graphic, contemporary edge to natural wood or light gray finishes.
Here are a few of my top picks!
Champagne Bronze
If you want the warmth of gold without the “yellow” intensity, Champagne Bronze is your best friend. It’s a sophisticated, muted metallic that feels incredibly high-end and soft. I find this finish works best on “nature-inspired” cabinet colors like sage green, creamy mushroom, or soft terracottas, as it adds a glow that feels organic rather than flashy.
Satin Nickel
Satin Nickel is the timeless workhorse of interior design for a reason. It offers a soft, brushed texture that hides water spots and fingerprints beautifully, making it the most practical choice for a high-traffic kitchen. Because of its cool undertones, it is the perfect “designer pick” for a classic “Coastal” or “Transitional” look, especially when paired with crisp white or cool gray cabinetry.
For additional cabinet hardware options and recommendations, you can see my full collection by clicking the link below.
If you would like to know what it would cost, follow these three easy steps to getting your FREE QUOTE today! If you are even remotely considering a kitchen refresh, I encourage you to CONTACT US today!
Thank you all for following along! If you’d like to get this blog in your email once a week, please sign up for our weekly newsletter by adding your email in the little box below my picture at the top of this page.
If you’ve enjoyed this post, please like FunCycled on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest if you don’t already. Keep up to date on the newest finds, vote on colors and give your input on our creativity. We share fun tutorials, great before and after, and new design inspirations.
We offer interior design, kitchen cabinet painting, and custom built tables, barn doors, and repurposed furniture. Thank you, again, for working with us and for taking the time to spread the word about what we do. This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. As always, I only recommend products I genuinely love and trust.
Happy FunCycling Friends, Sarah ; )
Because home is where peace begins.
Note some of the the links provided are affiliate links, and I may earn from any qualifying purchases.
How are you? Do you have a traditional kitchen… maybe one that looks like this? It’s not ugly, but you’re sick of the wood cabinets and lack of backsplash? Or the two tiered height counter?
Diane started by hiring me for a design consult where we could talk through what she did and didn’t like about her kitchen. We agreed that a couple things could be moved and changed as well as the cabinets painted to give the kitchen a whole new look at a fraction of the price of a kitchen remodel (plus it’s much less messy).
Here are some changes that may seem small but make a big impact: 1. We took out the microwave above the stove and replaced it with a hood vent (so much prettier!) 2. We removed the outdated bookshelf on the end of the cabinets next to the sink and custom built one to fit a smaller microwave. 3. We took the doors from the cabinet above the stove and moved them to the wine storage cabinet above the fridge. We had to alter them to do it, but it worked out great. It gave Diane extra storage by removing the wine bottle holder. 4. We removed the high level of counters by the seating area and made it all counter height. Then installed shiplap on the back. Such a huge difference! 5. We added backsplash and new hardware. 6. We painted the kitchen cabinets Simply White by Benjamin Moore. 7. Diane ordered all new quartz counters.
Ready for the after photos?
Traditional Kitchen AfterWhite Quartz Counters + White Kitchen Cabinets + White Subway Tile
If you’d like to see how we paint Kitchen Cabinets, click here to check out our video on YouTube.
How to paint kitchen cabinets!
A huge thanks to Diane for choosing to work with us on this project. She was kind and thoughtful every step of the way!
Could your kitchen use an update? We’d love to help!! We can help pick out colors, finishes, product and do the cabinet painting, tiling, add new hardware. You can use our Contact Us form to request our design services or a quote for painting your kitchen. Please check out other kitchen projects on our For Sale page. We’ll need to see a picture of your kitchen, a list of how many doors and drawers there are, and where you are located to email you an estimate. This change ups the value of your home and gives you a whole new look at a fraction of the cost of new kitchen cabinets!
Thank you all for following along! If you’d like to get this blog in your email once a week, please sign up for our weekly newsletter by adding your email in the little box below my picture.
If you’ve enjoyed this post, please like FunCycled on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest if you don’t already. Keep up to date on the newest finds, vote on colors and give your input on our creativity. We share fun tutorials, great before and after, and new design inspirations.
We offer interior design, kitchen cabinet painting, and custom built tables, barn doors, and repurposed furniture. Thank you, again, for working with us and for taking the time to spread the word about what we do.
This past weekend, John and I celebrated our 18th anniversary. We decided to go back to our honeymoon spot for the first time in 18 years. The beautiful mountains of the Poconos! We stayed at the same inn and hiked the same mountains. It felt so good to unplug (because most places didn’t have cell service) and have no real plans, but also get to enjoy being spur of the moment.
One of the things that I forgot about when we were looking to book the trip was that the Poconos really aren’t that far away from upstate NY! We were there in less than 3 hours. Which flew by when we were chatting. Plus, I’m a car napper so OF COURSE I needed to get an hour nap in. 😂 John may disagree, but it felt like a really quick trip.
We stayed at The French Manor just outside of the Poconos. What I love about this spot is that it has beautiful views, the rooms are decorated really traditionally, but sophisticated, and the restaurant on the property is high end. Pricey? Yes. That, too! John doesn’t ever really ask for gifts; he just loves a good meal (You remember, he went to college for culinary arts, right?) and I love beautiful designs. So it was better than gifts for both of us! 💕
The weather was perfect and we arrived just before dinner.
The next morning, we went on a horse back ride that was about 35 minutes away. I LOVE horses so this made me really happy! I use to work at a horse farm when I was a little girl and my parents let me do riding lessons as birthday presents a couple of times. It was really fun!
After that we drove to Bushkill Falls to hike the 8 waterfalls on a little over a 2 mile hike. We hiked this spot during our honeymoon, too, and it was one of the highlights.
Look at all of this beauty that God created!
While we were there, we were able to snap a picture in the same spot that we took this picture on our honeymoon.
2013 (I know, we were just babies!)2021 in the same spot!
I was so excited to be in the same spot and snap a picture. Does that make me a hopeless romantic? I’m not sure! lol!
Then we enjoyed the salt pool a the manor and headed into their restaurant for a delicious dinner. This is the view from the outside dining area!
Inside the Dining Room
As we drove around the town, we were surprised that a lot of the stores and larger resorts have shut down or changed hands. They didn’t look as nice as we remembered. We still recommend this trip for a quick weekend away and here’s an itinerary we think you’d enjoy.
Stay somewhere with beautiful views like The French Manor on Friday and Saturday night.
Saturday, check out the local antique shops in the morning (many of them close on the early side and aren’t open on Sundays).
Go to Bushkill Falls or a couple other local hikes to unplug and enjoy nature!
Mosey home slowly through Rhinebeck, Hudson, and the Catskills. It’s low key, beautiful and there’s just something about being unplugged and surround yourself with calm for the weekend. Do you all have any favorite go to spots in the Poconos? Share a link to it in the comments if you do!
If you need any upstate NY design help, remember… I’m your girl! If you’d like me to help with the design in your home (can be done virtually to help anyone in the US), let me know.
How are you? I hope you had a nice weekend and were able to take some time to think about the sacrifice so many have made for our freedom. Such a humbling, overwhelming thought. I’m more than grateful for the freedoms we enjoy… that were anything but free.
On another note, I wanted to give huge thanks to Melissa Schuman from the The Record for the beautiful write up she did on FunCycled yesterday. Check it out online or if you have the paper from yesterday, we’re on the front cover. Yay! We feel so blessed to be doing what we love every day. A huge thanks to each of you for making it possible! 💕
For this week’s makeover, I wanted to share an ornate buffet makeover that we recently redid and is available on our shop page.
Here’s the buffet before:
I loved the ornate detailing of this piece so I wanted to keep the color fun, bright and let the glazing cause all of the detail to pop. For this piece, we used a turquoise color from the Chroma Paint line that you actually can’t get anymore.
If you want to see how we paint furniture, check out our How to Paint Furniture post. Ready for the after photos?
Turquoise Antique Buffet Turquoise Paint with Black Glaze
This buffet is available now to purchase!Contact us to purchase!
Thank you all for following along! If you’d like to get this blog in your email once a week, please sign up for our weekly newsletter by adding your email in the little box below my picture.
If you’ve enjoyed this post, please like FunCycled on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest if you don’t already. Keep up to date on the newest finds, vote on colors and give your input on our creativity. We share fun tutorials, great before and after, and new design inspirations.
We offer interior design, kitchen cabinet painting, and custom built tables, barn doors, and repurposed furniture. Thank you, again, for working with us and for taking the time to spread the word about what we do.
How are you? I hope your week is going well! I just wanted to take a quick break this week to show you a new table style we are offering. I absolutely love the legs on this table and we did a unique finish where we burned the table in parts to give it an authentically old look. It’s such as show stopper!
For this finish, we stained the first coat with Early American and the Second Coat Antique White by Minwax. If you’d prefer it to be more of a brown tone, just add another coat of Early American stain over top. Then we sealed the whole thing with two sprays of a protective clear coat.
Here’s what it looked like after we built it and burned it, but before we stained it:
Burning a table to make it look older.Burning a table top to make it look older.
You can order this table in a size custom built to fit your space. If you’d like to order it, please use our Contact Us form to request a quote for the size you’re looking for.
Thank you all for following along! If you’d like to get this blog in your email once a week, please sign up for our weekly newsletter by adding your email in the little box below my picture.
If you’ve enjoyed this post, please like FunCycled on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest if you don’t already. Keep up to date on the newest finds, vote on colors and give your input on our creativity. We share fun tutorials, great before and after, and new design inspirations.
We offer interior design, kitchen cabinet painting, and custom built tables, barn doors, and repurposed furniture. Thank you, again, for working with us and for taking the time to spread the word about what we do.
Say what?!?! Keep the cherry cabinets?? If you know much about us, you know that painting the cabinets are almost always my first go to, but in this case, our design client, Andrea, wanted me to make her kitchen feel more updated without painting all the cabinets. Part of doing repurposed designs is looking for ways to keep what’s existing and make it work again. In many cases, painting the cabinets is the way to go. In this case, the coloring wasn’t orange or yellow so I thought it was doable and got to work seeing how I could make it work for her.
Check out the kitchen at her design consult: (don’t mind my paperwork and laptop on the island)
Kitchen BeforeIsland Before Kitchen Before Eat in Kitchen Area
Not only were the cabinets staying, but the flooring was staying as is. The flooring had a mixture of green and gray in it so we decided to bring in some hunter green color in the space. That happened with the hunter green stools that Andrea found and I LOVE them.
Even though the majority of the cabinets were going to keep their original finish, Andrea was ok with painting the island Benjamin Moore’s Black, adding an X to either side. One side is a door so she can have storage behind it and the other side is stationary because there isn’t room for storage. She also had quartz installed on the top of the island. The outside counters are black granite already so I felt like they could work with the design, but the granite on the island made the kitchen feel outdated.
Check out the island alterations:
See how the gold, black and hunter green bring in all the coloring the floor, but make the kitchen feel updated now? Such a HUGE difference in this kitchen.
Another big change in this kitchen/dining area is the lighting. Check out the new light over the table.
Modern Gold Dining Room Chandelier
The backsplash in this kitchen was aluminum sheets and that definitely made it feel outdated. So we switched it out to an oversized subway tile with black grout. Black grout was key because it feels more modern and brings in the black on the island and dining room chairs.
When you’re working with existing wood cabinets and you want to modernize them, you should try a bold finish like gold and a more modern style to make a stark contrast against the cabinets and bringing them a more updated feel.
In the eating area, we kept the original table, but added new chairs and a new rug.
Black and Raw Wood Chairs
We also created a little gallery wall (we still have to add the flattened greens to the glass), but you get the idea.
Gold frame gallery.
Oh, and we custom built an oversized sign for her that said HOME. It’s about 4′ tall!
Home sign in modern kitchen.
Here’s the whole kitchen repurposed design!
Cherry cabinets with white quartz island.Cherry cabinets with black island and gold accents.
What a difference a good design can make in an outdated kitchen, right?? Thank you so much for the business, Andrea! I loved working with you on this and on your living room makeover. Oh…. and just so you can all see, we added green to her built ins in the living room off this room. Look how pretty! This color is Goodwin Green CW-555.
Goodwin Green CW-555 Painted Built In
Could your kitchen use an update? We’d love to help!! We can help pick out colors, finishes, product and do the cabinet painting, tiling, add new hardware. You can use our Contact Us form to request our design services.
Thank you all for following along! If you’d like to get this blog in your email once a week, please sign up for our weekly newsletter by adding your email in the little box below my picture.
If you’ve enjoyed this post, please like FunCycled on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest if you don’t already. Keep up to date on the newest finds, vote on colors and give your input on our creativity. We share fun tutorials, great before and after, and new design inspirations.
We offer interior design, kitchen cabinet painting, and custom built tables, barn doors, and repurposed furniture. Thank you, again, for working with us and for taking the time to spread the word about what we do.
We had a sad weekend with the passing of our 13 year old lab, Mel. She was such a sweet girl and we’ve had her our kids whole life so it’s been an adjustment since Saturday. We are so thankful for all the beautiful years we had with her though. Way back then, John picked her up from a house in Troy with a pizza box top sign that said “free puppies” and called me at work to tell me. I was 8 months pregnant with Josh then and I didn’t want a dog, but John wanted to raise our kids with a family dog. I took one look at her and there was no looking back! She’s been such a good dog for the last 13 years. Sweet spirited, never chewed anything up, house broken instantly (never made one mess as a puppy), gentle with both tiny kids, and trained our animals well. We’ll miss you Mel girl.
On a happier note, we just finished up a beautiful dresser makeover and added it to Our Shop page. Here’s the dresser before:
It needed quite a bit of external repair. So we repaired the missing veneer, sanded the wood smooth, and painted the whole thing with Benjamin Moore’s Polo Blue. We also painted the original hardware gold to make it pop off the blue. I LOVE how it turned out.
If you want to see how we paint furniture, check out our How to Paint Furniture post. Ready for the after photos?
Polo Blue Dresser Makeover Polo Blue Dresser with Navy Hardware Polo Blue Dresser For Sale
This set is available to purchase! Contact us to purchase!
Thank you all for following along! If you’d like to get this blog in your email once a week, please sign up for our weekly newsletter by adding your email in the little box below my picture.
If you’ve enjoyed this post, please like FunCycled on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest if you don’t already. Keep up to date on the newest finds, vote on colors and give your input on our creativity. We share fun tutorials, great before and after, and new design inspirations.
We offer interior design, kitchen cabinet painting, and custom built tables, barn doors, and repurposed furniture. Thank you, again, for working with us and for taking the time to spread the word about what we do.
