My dining area turned out to be the perfect size to add a hutch, and still keep the chandelier in the center. My cabinet maker built it. We did a stain, where my kitchen cabinets are painted, and it also contains the microwave, and wine cooler, is the coffee spot, and toaster area. Wish I had a picture for you.

Nancy

I want to put a hutch in my kitchen...the one I have right now. Your post reminded me of that, so I'll let you know how it turns out :)

Hehe. Thanks. I would want to reuse my old hutch (which matches nothing and is not a style I'd want more of) so I'm wondering, "do I plan for this thing or just hope I end up with a spot for it?" We have engaged an architect as we're going to add onto the house--do I want to actually tell her to be sure to include a place for this?

I can always stick it in a back room. But it does hold a lot of dishes and it holds them snugly which will be nice when the earthquake comes. I would hate to have to wait out the post-big-one darkness without a nice chocolate pot.

Oh, in case it makes a difference, it looks like THIS:

although it's not quite as orange and blotchy as it appears.

That's pretty! I would definitely include that in my kitchen...in fact I would design a french country kitchen around the hutch :)

Ever think of painting the hutch? I've got a blue one on a wall in my kitchen and it's a signature piece. Think yours could be too. Wonderful piece.

Awww thanks. No country French for me though. It would be weird in my bland ranch house. Weeeeeird. This is actually very 1960s, eerily similar to those "early American" pieces from the '50s.

The grain is actually quite pretty, though, and if I could find orange maple cabinets with such a nice grain I'd be awfully tempted.

Your hutch is very pretty, Rococo! I can't do mine though. It looks much less bad in person than in the photo. The finish is decent. And my grandmother would rise from the grave and yell at me if I painted it. Really, she could and she would. Not to mention my mother who is living and thus even more scary.

Your hutch has a wonderful shape. Since painting it out of the question, you really don't have to worry about matching it exactly to your cabinets. They just have to blend and compliment each other.

I have a pine hutch in my kitchen...

....and a second one (painted black) in the hallway between the kitchen and laundry room:

Here is a link that might be useful: More pictures of my kitchen

I had this hutch built for my kitchen remodel and I love it- get a lot of use from it ....

We went with extra cabinetry:

We still have a hutch on the adjacent wall, but it doesn't hold nearly the amount of stuff that we need space for. It currently holds silver, placemats, and odds and ends of serving trays, but the serious table stuff goes in the new cabinetry. I love having it where it's easy to get to.

P.S. The table in the 2nd photo doesn't normally stick out this far into the walkway from the garage door. It was Christmas and we had all the extensions in the table. I'm standing in the kitchen in the first photo.

Undeniably there can be emotional issues around furniture though I believe each generation needs to do things their own way. Otherwise we're in Jeff Lewis territory.

Sounds like you want to use it but you don't feel it's for your house. In England, they just put stuff like that in storage for the next generation to pick through.

Here's an authentic 18th century version of a similar piece that was my inspiration. The dealer sold it for $6-8000 (not to me).

Yours would look great painted white or even gray. People are making a living transforming pieces like that from the 60s. I happen to love blue furniture -- not everyone's taste, of course. Nuff said.

This post was edited by rococogurl on Sun, Aug 11, 13 at 8:25

I'd hang onto it and see how it gets along with your new kitchen. I don't know if I'd build a place specifically for it, unless you could put something else there if it didn't work out. I kinda like including something (or several things) that aren't perfect matches in a space. It keeps reminding me that perfection is not achievable, or even desirable. I have a couple of old pieces that simply belong and will always have a place in my house.

I have an inexpensive pine sideboard/hutch that was originally stained and screamed cheapo country. However, it was very functional. I painted it (poorly, don't get too close) a deep Moroccan red and love it now, despite the poor workmanship. :) It's near my kitchen, does not match my kitchen in style or color, but I'm very happy with it.

Thanks all. I do like the thing and won't get rid of it either way. My old house needs every bit of storage. But whether or not it ends up holding what it holds now....at any rate, it's a pretty typical size.

Fori, I love your hutch. I am doing French Country but my hutch is an oak hutch. DH bought it for me on our anniversary about 12 years ago. I want to paint it but he would have a cow. The style isn't FC but I have to use it. I also have a hutch in my dining area right around the corner from this one.

Rococo I love your hutch and also your inspiration hutch. My chairs (new) are going to be painted French Grey. I would love to do my hutch in the FG paint.

Here is a pic if it actually shows up.

holly-kay, make him a deal he can't refuse? Not trying to cause trouble. I've just seen the most amazing changes when people dare.

Miss Rococo, you are a troublemaker!! :D

Holly, that's a gorgeous hutch and I would be sad if you painted it instead of giving it to me. Something like that fits in everywhere.

:D fori

My hutch before repainting. Complete mess = got it cheap.

Well, THAT needed paint! Mine doesn't, yet.

It actually goes well with elements of my house (that I plan to keep) like orange oak floors and orangey mahogany trim as well as other things like my orange butternut kitchen table set and orange walnut HIFI TV console and orange dog.

HAHAHA I need a decorator and a dumpster!!!!! =D

Rococo, I think DH would agree to almost anything under certain circumstances, lol. You really did a great job refinishing your hutch. Thanks for posting it.

fori, I do love my hutch. It is quite small but fits perfectly where I have it but I still think it would look awesome painted.

I am restoring my antique table that is right in front of the hutch. That is one piece I would never consider painting because of the intricate carving in the center.

Allison, I'm glad to see you having two hutches. I've built what I call a "credenza" which I think is a fancy word for "hutch" at one end of my kitchen. At the other end in the dining room, in the middle of a long run of cabinets, I wanted to build a piece that also looked like a hutch. Now, i think I will.

As far as the painted furniture? I also love it and think it makes a great accent. I'm really, really into the white washed or "limed" furniture right now. (Really over all this dark stuff.) Anyway, oak is THE perfect wood for stripping and liming. You don't even have to strip it completely. Just get the shiny finish off it.

Holly-kay, ironically, painting and glazing can bring out intricate carving like no body's business. But... if it's in great shape and you're able to restore it without damage? I say go for that. Don't forget how FABULOUS Citristrip (or SoyGel) is for carving detail and absolutely no chemicals. I'm addicted to it right now and stripping everything I own. If the cats would just sit still I might strip and paint them....

I love hutch-type pieces. Yes, after my remodel I'm (now) gonna have at least two! :)

CEF, yes I used a lot of mineral spirits and 0000 steel wool. I put my first coat of shellac on last evening and the wood is glorious looking. I am not particularly pleased with my first coat though. DH says the subsequent coats should even everything out nicely. There are some areas where the wood appears a bit lighter in color but it is in the wood. I am going to use uncolored wax as a top coat but may add some colored wax in the lighter areas to even it out a bit.

This is my first attempt at restoration. I found myself silently thanking the amazing craftsman who originally made this table. The pie crust edge on it is almost flawless. I am not sure of the age but DM purchased it at an antique shop in the Arlington VA area almost 40 years ago. I was imagining how much love was put into the carving and finishing of this piece and how pleased the original recipient must have been with this lovely table. I didn't have to do anything to the cabriole legs on it as they are in amazing condition. Definitely signs of wear but to me perfect.

My hutch isn't anything special except to me. Back in the day it was actually a give away for a product, though I can't remember what the product was ATM. The antique dealer had the story about this hutch on a placard. Just the front on it is oak, the sides and shelving is gum. I really need to paint this piece. I would like it to be a bit rustic with one color showing through the top paint.

Well, I really, really like your piece, Fori, as it is or painted, and would be glad to have it in my kitchen.

For me, something like this adds far more than just storage--richness of style, depth of character, individuality, suggestions of time and geography, further development of creative visions than could ever be found in cabinet brochures. Etc. :) In fact, I can't think offhand of any of my favorite kitchens that didn't regard the built-in cabinets as a base to build on. Anything can be overdone, for me including the same cabinet line everywhere you look.

I brought home a cherry Willett breakfront like this one below for my kitchen. It sold low because it was missing 2 pieces of original hardware (impossible to replace) and, although gently treated, needed the finish touched up. (Also because the antiques shop was having recession problems.) Willett furniture is 1930s-1960 style, so some're still shuffling it around from kid's bedroom to rec room, but it's also developing a collector following. Mine stood closer than I liked to a doorway, though, so it's currently holding cookbooks and family photos in the sitting room off the kitchen.

Holly-Kay, that's a really nice piece; I understand wanting to paint it, but the wheel always turns, and someday you'll be quite happy to have an original. I won't paint my Willett, but I don't know how to restore the original finish in a quality way, whereas I could do a good job on the paint I fantasize about now and then.

If I weren't so lazy, Rococogurl, I'd be out all the time looking for treasures disguised under "mess." That's very nice.

Rosie, your breakfront is lovely and the imperfections add to it's character. I feel so fortunate to have some old pieces to love and use during my time on this earth and I so hope that my children and grandchildren will care for some of the special pieces in turn.

I chose not to repair some minor gouges to my table. I love to imagine a school child sitting at this table doing homework and adding to the table's character by putting a naughty checkmark on the table. I loved the table the way it was but it was getting so dried out that I felt I needed to take action to preserve it in as close to the original as possible. The shellac should keep it from drying out further and the wax should bring out the patina on it.

First, stop with the toxic, stinky stuff!

Try something nontoxic like the Citristrip or Soygel. It is SO worth the money!! I'm using it and it's absolutely fun! Particularly for lovely detail work. Your tool is a toothpick!

You put it on (for stain) and leave it until the clear finish and/or stain starts to look like BBQ sauce. Then you gently rub it off with a kitchen scrubbie and water. (Mineral spirits liquifies the stain and old finish back into the grain of the wood. Give up that idea! :) They say NOT to use steel wool because Citristrip is water soluable and will cause the steel wool to rust. The plus side is the water soluable part!

No chemicals, no toxicity, just beautiful wood. I'm on my 4th antique door today doing just this. I am WAY into watching old finish bubble up and scraping it off into a drywall bucket to bare wood. I swear it's almost too good to be true.

As far as rehabbing a finish, Holly-kay, have you seen the incredible work online people are doing with olive oil and vinegar? Yup. Salad dressing. They're using the 0000 steel wool with that and scrubbies.

I'm coming to find that horrible, burning chemicals aren't necessary and love it.

As far as not liking your first coat finish? Before you put another on, take the 000 steel wool and water and smooth out the coat. You can also use a dry lunch sack. It doesn't leave any scratches to fill. Wipe all the dust off and put your 2nd coat on. I'd actually use the darker wax before your final finish coat. I think that's a good idea, though. You can feather it in where needed.

I am so into this it's nuts. I can't wait to build my 2nd credenza!

Thanks CEF. I am on my third coat of shellac and it is looking good so far. It amazes me that I didn't need to stain it. The shellac made it look great after I knocked the shine off. I will do one more coat and then the wax. Hopefully it will look even better. I am glad that I worked up the courage to do it myself!