Less than a mile from our house is an estate sale warehouse. I usually check it out whenever the signs are out that they have a sale going on (a few weekends a month). Last time I was there, I saw a gorgeous china hutch. The price was right, but I couldn’t pull the trigger. I do have a problem with impulse buying (no, really?) which I’m trying to curb- so a large furniture purchase seemed a little excessive. Especially since I didn’t need it, per say.

Well last week I went to another sale, and to my great shock and delight, the hutch was still there! I couldn’t believe no one had snatched it up. Fortunately I brought my also impulsive brother with me who pushed me over the edge. It was too nice a piece, too good of a deal, too lucky….right??

Ok now that you’ve seen it, I have to tell you how we got it home. It’s two pieces, and the bottom fit in the Jeep easy enough so we ran it home really quick and came back for the top. Well…no matter how we tried it, it would not go in the trunk. And believe me-this was not our first time at the rodeo. I asked one of the staff if they had delivery…no dice. When I mentioned I just lived up the road and maybe someone with a pickup would like to make a quick buck, a nice lady volunteered her large van.  Ryan and I tried to shimmy it in every way we could, but still the top would not fit. Womp womp.

I was about to call it quits and come back for it later with a truck-borrowed or rented- but Ryan was insistent that we “throw it up top.” It wasn’t exactly a crazy suggestion-I do this all the time (it’s how I got my whole dining set home), but the piece just seemed so delicate with the glass. At this point we’re both pretty tired from lifting this thing a million times into vehicles unsuccessfully that I was afraid we’d drop it. The Jeep is quite tall, and well let’s just say height doesn’t run in the family.

Sometimes when you try to do something and fail many times in a row, you just throw caution to the wind and put your crazy face on.

Ryan and I proceeded to essentially clean and press this giant glass cabinet onto the roof rack of the Jeep. Insane rope tying ensued (you really can never have too much rope, which is why I keep about 50 feet of it in the car). I back the Jeep up and head to the exit while Ryan runs along side making sure imminent death doesn’t follow. I guess he was satisfied with his knot tying because he actually gets in the car and we head up the hill, hazard lights blazing.

I’d like to say a little something to the car that was tailgating me for the very steep 0.5 mile trip home: why? Have you no sense of self preservation? Yes, the V8 on the rear of my Jeep means I’m perfectly capable of climbing this hill at a pretty quick clip. But, I’m actually trying to save your life. My hazard lights are tipping you off to the fact that if this goes all wrong, you’re the one who’s going to eat it-not me.

Thankfully, we made it home safely and so did the hutch!

I guess it’s hard to miss the one chair that still doesn’t have a slip cover. In any case, here’s a few totally awesome facts about our new china cabinet:

1. It’s the same depth as the old buffet, so it doesn’t take up anymore room between it and the table.

2. It’s lighted (bonus!)

3. It has glass shelves, one of which has a groove in the back for standing up plates/platters.

4. It has glorious carved details, most of which I’m a huge fan of.

5. The handles are a hammered ORB finish (um, love).

6. There are hammered brass details on the side glass, which I’m going to ORB by (spraying some in a cup and painting it on with a brush).

I know many of you are wondering what the long term plans are for this piece. I think I am going to leave the exterior as is, for now. I want to live with it for awhile before making a decision. The existing finish is in good shape, so I’m just going to make some minor changes (like painting the brass grid) and let it be.

Do you love it as much as I do? Was it worth the….drum roll…..

……

$150?

11 Responses

  3. Kayla

    I seriously love this hutch!! It looks great, love the detail, and it lights up!! Way to go on your awesome purchase!!

    Reply
  4. Julie

    $150?!?!?!?! Love it! Can’t believe that. That’s what you would pay for a cheap-o MDF hutch from IKEA or the like… not for a solid wood hutch like that! Congrats on the awesome find!

    Reply
  6. liZ evans

    Great find! I am soooooo jealous that you live by an estate sale warehouse. I think I’d be there all the time. Actually maybe it’s a good thing that there is nothng like that by where I live…

    Reply
  8. Los Johnsons

    It is beautiful. I love the color, the finish, the scrolls, and the metal trim thingies. Great purchase. I agree that when I really want something I throw caution to the wind and have faith in fate 🙂

    Reply

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