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Furniture embracing life

A side-by-side before and after upcycling montage of a wooden kitchen dresser. On the left is the "before" shot, showing an old, dark-stained pine dresser with an open top hutch featuring decorative triangular cutouts at the crown, and a closed lower cupboard with two doors. On the right is the "after" shot, showing the same piece heavily modified and transformed into a modern larder cabinet painted light sage green. The unit is shown wide open, revealing built-in spice racks on the upper doors, interior LED lighting, raw wood shelving, a custom wine rack on the countertop, and a dark-stained wood lower cupboard interior.

Freestanding pantry

This is a work in progress, so this is a sneaky peek. The idea is to convert this 1930s inspired dresser into a freestanding pantry.

The plan is to include a wine rack, shelves, spice racks and a space for a coffee machine; however, the exact interior may evolve as the project progresses.

Please get in touch if you are interested in securing this unique item of furniture

Front view of original dark brown 1930s inspired pine dresser. Base has two (closed) doors); top part has two open shelves. Side view of original dark brown 1930s inspired pine dresser. Base has two (open) doors). Front view of original dark brown 1930s inspired pine dresser. Base has two (open) doors) revealing its interior containing a single shelf; top part has two open shelves. Back view of original dark brown 1930s inspired pine dresser revealing tongue-and-groove build.

April 2026 update

As with all of our projects, we will try to use as much reclaimed material as possible. For example, the old pine door was an unplanned addition that is being used to make a wine rack and an extra shelf. Remnants from a old barn door and welsh dresser were used for the extension. We also source some beautiful pewter naturally cast handles.

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Front view of the base of original 1930s inspired pine dresser without doors. Located outdoors showing the natural wood after having its varnish stripped.
Interior of a workshop showing the sanded base in the foreground and the top part of the pantry on a work bench in the middle of the workshop.
The new top attached to the base but without doors. There are various clamps attached to the peice.
Interior close up of the top part of the pantry showing clamps on a new insert of wood repairing a broken section. A rubber mallet and a glue bottle are place inside.
An old pine door propped against a bench up in a workshop.
A close up showing the interior of the pantry focussed on a wine bottle and scraps of wood each side of the bottle showing the initial work on the wine rack.
The inside of a wooden cabinet featuring a small, built-in wine rack with two bottles visible in the cubbies.
A large, two-tier wooden cabinet under construction in a workshop, showcasing the mix of reclaimed and new timber.
Image 1 (Side detail): Close-up of the upper corner of a wooden cabinet, showing decorative horizontal grooves and a contrast between stained and natural light wood.
Four circular, dark metal cabinet knobs with a sunburst or radial textured pattern on a white surface.

May 2026 update

We got to work on making the interior door spice/condiment racks and started the process of painting the cabinet. We are getting close to completing this project. It has taken a while, but it is important to us to not rush this. We have decided upon a beautiful Mizzle dead-flat matt colour for the cabinet from Farrow & Ball and I am looking forward to revealing the end product. The dead-flat matt gives a similar look as chalk paint (which I love) but as it is furniture paint it is harder wearing — not that we really care about some natural patina.

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Two white painted planks from a deconstructed door propped up against a workbench. The left plank has a door lock (also painted white).
Two pine spice racks side-by-side on preparation table.
Overhead view of the upper part of the panty with a paint brush applying white undercoat to the pine wood.

It’s finally finished and looking great. Sorry, no Home & Gardens style photos to show this piece in its glory, but these photos should reveal the beauty of this free-standaing pantry. What do you think?

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High-angle, three-quarter view of the closed sage green larder cabinet from the front and right side. The image highlights the clean panel construction of the doors, the natural wood mid-section accent trim, and the vertical grooved details on the side of the cabinet top. The cabinet is positioned in an unfinished room with cinder block walls and exposed ceiling beams.
Extreme close-up of a pair of round cabinet knobs on the closed sage green doors. The knobs are made of dark, textured metal with a distinct, raised sunburst or radial ribbed pattern fanning out from the centre.
Front view of a large, free-standing kitchen larder cabinet painted light sage green, shown completely open. The top section features two open doors with built-in wooden spice racks holding various bottles and jars. The interior has two light wood shelves holding a wicker basket, tins, and jars, with a small built-in wooden wine rack on the countertop base below. The bottom section has two doors open, revealing a dark, stained-wood double-shelf interior.
A close-up, angled shot looking into the top right side of the open sage green larder cabinet. Two under-shelf LED lights illuminate the upper wooden shelves, which hold a wicker basket, a decorative white tin, spice jars, and canned goods. The open right-hand door shows details of the integrated three-tier wooden door rack holding a box of tea, spice jars, and small sauce bottles.
Close-up front view focusing on the lower cupboard section of the sage green larder cabinet with both doors wide open. The interior features a rustic, dark-stained vertical wood paneled back and a single wide shelf dividing the lower storage space into two levels. Above it, the natural wood countertop edge and the bottom of the wine rack are visible.
Rear view of the large sage green larder cabinet. The back is constructed from vertically oriented wood panels painted in the same light sage green color, reinforced with three horizontal wood slats secured with screws. The cabinet sits in a garage or workshop space with arched windows in the background.