Mabey Manor: Refinished Built-ins

Refinished Built-ins in Mabey Manor

When looking to buy Mabey Manor, these built-ins were one of the best parts of the whole house. They had so much storage and were the perfect opportunity to display the china and other larger pieces I’d been collecting over the years. I was so excited about them.

Mabey Manor Living Room Reveal

When we finally got to this project, it happened in stages. We wanted to use lacquer for a smooth finish so the first step was to spray the frame. Since lacquer is so smelly, Chad actually sent us to my parent’s house for a couple of days. And when we came back, the whole space had changed. The doors and drawers were not painted yet, but we needed to put the drawers back in until we painted them, and the look really grew on me.

Mabey Manor Living Room Reveal

Aqua Serving Tray from Decor Steals (affiliate)

Mabey Manor Living Room Reveal

The longer they sat unpainted, the more I loved the two-tone look. But since we were selling the house, we knew white would be more appealing. So they got painted and we put the original hardware back on. I wasn’t sure about the hardware before, but I kind of love the vintage look on the fresh white.

Built-in Bookshelf Refinish

Birthday Celebration Decorations || Centerpiece

Built-in Bookshelf Refinish

Give Thanks Board || Stamped Mason Jars

I absolutely loved the space and the opportunity it gave me to have a beautiful display. I miss it now that we’ve moved and some of these things will have to stay in storage. But I sure loved it while I had it.

So what do you think? Do you like the two-tone or the all white better?

2 responses to “Mabey Manor: Refinished Built-ins”

  1. Ricki @ The Questionable Homesteader Avatar

    I completely understand why you miss them. They’re beautiful, my preference tends to go toward the white, but then I have a lot of dark pieces…

    1. Lisa Avatar

      That makes sense. At first I didn’t like the two-tone but they grew on me. In the end, all white is much easier to decorate with. 🙂

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I’m Lisa

Welcome to Mabey She Made It, my cozy corner dedicated to all things homemade and delightful. One of the greatest things I learned while growing up was to know what “home” felt like. Creating feels like home to me, and I’m at home when an idea translates into something beautiful or functional.

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