Curio Cabinet Makeover with Milk Paint and Mirror Spray Paint

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So I have been super busy this weekend making over this curio cabinet, decorating my home for the holidays and building barn doors for my kitchen pantry all while growing another human being inside of me and chasing after a 2 year old. Cannot wait to share with you my barn door DIY tutorial, but until then I would like to share with you how I made over my curio cabinet. And because I happened to finish the curio cabinet while also prepping for the holidays… you get a little sneak peek of my Holiday dining room decor.

My mother gave me this antique curio cabinet years ago. She used to be a shabby chic fantatic, but she decided to branch out to more modern decor. And, as always, I adopted this poor little piece of orphan furniture . Here is how it looked before I got my hands on it.

There was nothing wrong with it, but it did not really go with the vibes of my decor. It just wasn’t my style. So. I thought if I painted it grey, it would give it more of a contemporary look.

It still wasn’t working for me. Then, I got some inspiration from a photo I found on Pinterest. The piece was a transitional hutch painted blue with mirrored doors.

Materials Used

General Finishes Milk Paint in Persian Blue

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Sherwin Williams “Riverway” – diluted with water for “whitewash” effect applied on top of Milk Paint layer
Rust-Oleum “Mirror Effect” Spray Paint- for glass piece
1 piece of lattice- to create wood work over glass piece/mirror
Miter Box- to make proper cuts for lattice
Paint Brush
Painter’s Tape- to tape off glass when spray painting

So, first I painted the curio cabinet in “Persian Blue” from General Finishes
milk paint line. To give it more depth and character, I then decided to paint it in Sheriwn Williams “Riverway” using the whitewash technique. I diluted the “riverway” with some water and applied one coat of the mixture.

I had a mis-hap while trying to shove newspaper behind the detail work covering the front of the glass…a portion of the wood detail broke and I said to hell with it! I started ripping the rest of it off and went about my business. It was kind of gratifying, and I never liked it anyhow.

To get the mirrored effect, I had the brilliant idea of using “mirror effect” spray paint from Rust-Oleum shown below.

I thought the paint would actually allow for a finish identical to that of real mirror. I was sadly mistaken. Once it dried, I realized it was not a literal solution but, as it is labeled, a mirrored type of “effect”…. more of an abstract concept, to my disappointment.

See what I mean? It doesn’t bother me too horribly, but one day I will replace it with a custom cut of mirror. Until then, I will look at it from only the best angle and pretend it is a mirror.

For the wood detail over the glass/mirror type surface, I glued some thin would pieces I got from Home Depot. My sweet husband made the cuts for me with his saw. Power tools freak me out! Of course, before I placed it on the cabinet, I painted it with the blue combo I refered to (“Persian Blue” Milk Paint from General Finishes and Sherwin Williams “Riverway” applied in a whitewash technique. )

And voila! You now have a coastal-contemporary curio cabinet.