Second Chances by Susan: My Sewing Studio: The Aqua Hutch

Of all the projects in my sewing studio, this one has to be my favorite! I was searching for something that could do double duty....storage and table space. I came across this two-piece gem at a used furniture store for....drum roll please....only $15!! They weren't actually connected, and at first, I didn't even know if they were a matching set. The owner of the store had accidentally dropped the upper section while moving it one day and had tweaked the hinges. When I found it, the door on one side wouldn't close properly. But, for $15, I was more than ready to tackle the project of fixing the hinges. The funny thing is, though, that I didn't have to do anything at all. Just putting them on their backs and driving them home in my van did the trick. When I unloaded the two pieces, everything worked perfectly. Woohoo!!

I had plans for the lower half becoming a roll-out work table, so I knew the upper part wasn't going to be able to sit on top of it any longer. So, I gave the sides a decorative cut and fastened the upper piece to the wall. The original plan was to add a couple of dowels across the lower area to accommodate spools of ribbon, but I decided to scratch that idea for a less cluttered look.

My husband and son helped me attach it to the wall by screwing it to the studs.

I then turned my attention to the base. I purchased a sheet of 3/4" MDF and cut a new "drop-leaf" table top. I also cut a couple of legs from the MDF and attached them to the underside of the table with hinges. When the extended table is not in use, they fold up neatly for storage.

I purchased a long piano hinge and fastened it underneath so that my table could drop down when not in use. I also added some heavy-duty casters to the base cabinet so that my work table can move around easily.

Once I had it the way I wanted it, I painted the exterior cream, and the interior, along with the table top, aqua. I also added some gold details to tie in the existing gold trim on the glass doors. The hardware was sprayed with oil-rubbed bronze spray paint.

I covered three of the screws that attached the upper piece to the wall with some vintage buttons. (The upper screws are inside the cabinet and not visible.)

I found some baskets on clearance at JoAnn's that fit perfectly with my color scheme. The cupboards below are perfect for storing larger pieces of fabric.

The glass cupboard above showoff fat quarters and other smaller pieces of fabric.

I also had a friend cut me out a well-loved quote from vinyl to add to the piece. A small tabletop ironing board was covered with the same material as the office chair.

The top of the cabinet was the perfect place to showcase the Singer Featherweight sewing machine I learned to sew on as a child, along with a few other vintage accessories!