If you love to scour thrift shops for hidden treasures or enjoy restoring furniture with a modern spin, then this project is perfect for you! This beautiful vintage hand painted buffet looks amazing, and what’s even better is that it features a hidden keyboard tray.
Whether you’re looking for some thrifty DIY furniture painting tips or some unique home decorating inspiration, this project has something special in store for you! I get excited about transforming vintage furniture pieces into something new. Are you ready to see some serious furniture magic happen?
Searching for the perfect buffet
I was in search of the perfect buffet so I could hide Mr. DD’s keyboard. I had the keyboard in the basement of our old house. Mr. DD said he never played anymore because it was hidden.
So when we moved to the new house, I said he could have it in the living room, ONLY if I could find a pretty piece of furniture to hold it, instead of the ugly keyboard stand.
I was now on a mission to find an antique buffet with a long drawer on the top to hold the keyboard. I searched on Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist(when it was still popular) Does anyone still use Craigslist? Facebook has pretty much become the major second-hand place to find thrift furniture along with local stores.
I like to use Facebook Marketplace as you can reach a farther distance without having to drive around and maybe get lucky shopping at a local thrift store. I use both when looking for second-hand furniture and decor pieces.
We found this buffet 4+ years ago and here is how it sat in my living room until I finally decided on the perfect color.
How to convert a buffet drawer into a flip-down pull out
Before I ever bought the buffet I made sure that the keyboard would fit in the opening along with the pull-out tray with the drawer glides. Our keyboard measures 53w x 11d x 4h and the opening was 55w x 18d x 6h.
Mr. DD started by separating the drawer box from the drawer front and building the frame.
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He used the original drawer box and cut it down to be 2 1/2 inches tall. We purchased a 12 X 1/2 inch board for the base of the pullout tray. Using my favorite wood glue and the Ryobi air nailer he attached the frame pieces together. Also attached the bottom board, and attached the drawer glides to the outside edges.
Once the frame was complete, he marked and mounted the other half of the drawer glides to the inside of the buffet. Watch this video to see how to install drawer glides.
In order to attach the flat hinges to the buffet and drawer, he needed to slightly chisel out some of the wood. This needs to be done so that the hinges can close and the drawer fits inside the opening.
How to paint an old buffet
Now the magic happens with this hand painted buffet. After it sat in my living room for 4 years, I finally decided on the finish. I like to place the unfinished furniture and let them sit for a while. This helps in deciding on the finish as you need to consider all the other colors in the space.
I was originally going to paint it a bold green but quickly knew that a bold color would overpower the mantle. The mantle is the focal point of our living room and you should not have 2 strong focal points competing in the same space. This is when I decided to keep a creamy color similar to the other painted furniture pieces in the room.
I painted the buffet with a paint blending technique. This is where you blend different colors of paint together while the paint is still wet.
I painted the drawer as well in case we ever move the buffet to a different location in our home. We may not need the open area for the stereo equipment.
If you would like to learn how to properly blend paint, I teach the paint blending technique in an online video paint workshop. I used these colors(Cheesecake, Sunday Tea, Dark Roast, and Soiree) to create the paint blending on the buffet. After the painting is complete, I sealed the buffet using my favorite high-performance flat sealer.
I also used my “No stripping” stain method to darken the top of the buffet.
No one ever knows that we have a hidden pullout keyboard hiding behind that drawer. We finally let our grandkids know what was behind the drawer.
If you’re on the hunt for a beautiful buffet to add to your home, consider finding a vintage one and painting it yourself. You can even turn a drawer into a secret keyboard pullout!
Check out our other blog posts for more painted furniture inspiration.
- Favorite furniture painting techniques
- How to bleach wood furniture
- Repurposed headboard benches
- Furniture painting insider tips and tricks
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Amanda says
Fabulous! I love the blend of paints.
Designed Decor says
Thank you!