Asked on Jul 17, 2015

Need ideas to redo buffet! I'm using the doors for wall art.

Rhondalea
by Rhondalea
Love this buffet! I'm planning to place a large TV in the center, along with our monitors and converter box. I took one part of the glass shelf rail out on the bottom shelf so the TV will fit. I'm planning to leave the back section to place picture frames on. The shelf above will still hold the glass shelf. Lights are operational at the top so I need to cut a board to fit the front and hide the lights since the doors have been removed. Handles will need replaced as these actually hurt your fingers when you try to open the doors! I want something more updated. Thoughts on paint are: medium teal to go with the sheer prints we bought to go with the drapes. I thought about a lighter shade for the back wall of the buffet and perhaps in the small squares of the doors and up above the lights. Then use a darker wax to tone it all down and give it more detail and a finished look. The four doors that were removed will be used for a wall arrangement. Lots of ideas for that! I haven't decided on painting art onto the backs of the sections, or doing a vinyl design, or photos, or quilted sections, or a combo or who knows WHAT! Sooo, any thoughts or ideas are greatly appreciated! I love this group because everyone's ideas are so unique and encouraging.
This is the buffet before I removed the doors.
This is the buffet after I removed the doors. We have a temporary TV in there now but the items to the left and right will need to remain so any ideas as to how to kind of camouflage those would be great, too!
  17 answers
  • Rhonda Couch Rhonda Couch on Jul 17, 2015
    One thing you could do, with the things you need to keep, but want to hide, is to drill a hole in the top, behind the TV, using a door hole saw. Then you will be able to drop all your cords and cables down into the bottom. You would also need to make another hole, in the back, for the cords to have an exit so they can be plugged into the wall. Now you have your cords neatly in one place. Now if you wanted to, you could also place any of your gadgets behind the doors and run their cords up to the TV, only having the door/doors open when this object is in use.
  • Rhondalea Rhondalea on Jul 17, 2015
    Thanks, Rhonda! That sounds like a real possibility. Need to keep them available as one is a life alert and the other is a heart monitor. But I do like your idea! Thank you!!!
    • Rhonda Couch Rhonda Couch on Jul 19, 2015
      @Rhondalea I'm happy you like my idea, I'm glad I could help. I hope my suggestion gives you just the right inspiration you're looking for. I can't wait to see your finished project. Please post pictures. =)
  • Cathy Quick Cathy Quick on Jul 17, 2015
    The doors could slide back and forth on a track so you could use them, or you could put dark lattice like pieces in the middle of the doors so they are always accessible via remotes, etc.
  • Angie moses Angie moses on Jul 17, 2015
    Maybe on the door panels you could randomly put words such as love , laughter , hope, or faith.
  • Dee Dee on Jul 18, 2015
    Remove hinges fill holes, remove lights. Make it more modern by removing the top curved pieces of wood giving it a more squared look (these you can use to maybe hang over the removed doors with either art behind the glass or remove the glass and use Masonite board and chalkboard paint and make clever signage etc. for kitchen bath et.) rearrange shelf pegs or even add floating shelves to make the inside more pleasing to the eye and for arranging books etc. .....Paint it and add some new handles or paint those! Great bones on the piece
  • Maggie Kimble-Bernard Maggie Kimble-Bernard on Jul 18, 2015
    Let's take this one thing at a time. First I would replace the back with bead board. Paint it your teal. Sherwin Williams Drizzle which is a teal that leans towards the green. Now, build a shelf half way up, just high enough for the TV. Remove those lights. Moving to the bottom, cut out the dark squares in the doors and attach a piece of glass or plexiglass cut to the size of that middle section that has the squares you cut out. You can use mirror clips on the b back of the door. Now you have the option of putting your other electronics behind the doors and use the remotes without opening the doors. Cut holes in the back of top and bottom for cords so they will be hidden. Paint the outside a medium gray. It goes nicely with the teal. Paint the hardware brushed nickel. Good luck! Post before and after photos.
  • Rhondalea Rhondalea on Jul 18, 2015
    Maggie, I love your ideas! I'm taking in all the suggestions and still working on my decisions but I will certainly follow up with AFTER pics, ok?!
  • Eva Eva on Jul 18, 2015
    What about removing the bottom doors on one side and placing the componants to the left and right underneath? You could cut out the centers of those doors and replace with wire mess or fabric to coordinate with paint. I would paint the outside a lighter color than the inside. Maybe a shade or two lighter. Or if you want a shade or two darker.
  • Sheila Wayne Sheila Wayne on Jul 18, 2015
    Do the items on the left and right need to be exposed to be used? If not place them inside one of the cabinets directly below the TV. Drill a hole behind the TV and run up the necessary cords and if they do need to be exposed open the door when you need to to gain access or use Eva's suggestion of using wire mesh.
  • Sheila Wayne Sheila Wayne on Jul 18, 2015
    Another idea is to put the TV on a shelf and place the items under the shelf. There is a lot of space inside the cabinet and you could balance out the TV a bit better this way. Maybe center it within the open space of the cabinet. You could maybe take out the upper shelf. Leave the middle in and put the TV on that one and use the upper shelf to create another shelf under the shelf the TV would be sitting on.
  • Duv310660 Duv310660 on Jul 18, 2015
    How about a curtain to obscure the screen when not in use? Also, replace the highest shelf and stash your components there. The dark wood makes me think of Indian inlayed wood, which you can do easily with a stencil from cutting Edge Stencils or any item that can be used as a stamp, e.g. sponges, erasers, potatos etc.
  • Rene Rene on Jul 19, 2015
    All the extra boxes are always a problem, we mounted our tv to the back of our bookshelf. My husband built a vertical box and attached to the book shelf for added support. All of our cable boxes and the DVD player tucked in nicely under the TV. We also put breadboard on the back of our shelves. If you plan on painting the buffet the beadboard can always be done in an accent color.
  • 169756 169756 on Jul 19, 2015
    What a fabulous pallet! LOVE the lines. I'm sure you will get all kinds of ideas from this site. I won't even bother to add mine :)
  • Lisa Redmond Lisa Redmond on Jul 21, 2015
    I hope you saved the shelves. You could build organizing boxes from the shelves and store the in the cabinets. The TV needs to be centered and probably lifted. How about putting the TV on a sturdy shelf, store dvds or video games under the tv shelf. You could even conceal the shelf with a pull down door. Add an upper shelf and use as a mantle for family pictures. Change out the hardware and paint it a bold color.
  • Dee Dee on Jul 22, 2015
    You can also fabricate a box for the top and make it look like a built in with molding around the top edge between cabinet box and ceiling and box and cabinet seam giving it a complete finished look. I love paint bold colors with dark wax highlighting the detail. And simplicity. Styles change.
  • Victoria johnson Victoria johnson on Jul 27, 2015
    You might make an opening in the back of the bottom section, and then feed wires through and store components and misc. items down below. I'm a strong believer that wood should be stained rather than painted, and stains come in a variety of colors. Have fun. I just repurposed a center so I I know what you're going thru!!!!!!!!!!!
  • Johnavallance82 Johnavallance82 on Apr 25, 2022

    Smooth board out the back of the unit so you can paint or paper it. Remove all the bits you don't want or need. or add mirrors tiles to back. or Lift tv up to fit centre of top cabinets. Change handles on base unit. Paint the lot to match in one colour?