Repurposed Painted Pine Vintage Filing Cabinet

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We have a storage problem in our house–probably like most people do!

For whatever reason, they don’t build houses in Texas with attics or sufficient closets (nevermind the anomaly of a basement).  I am constantly on the lookout for large, cool pieces that can hold our stuff, specifically some of my kids toys and games.

We had been using an old, small armoire that was from my childhood bedroom set as the game storage center.  Way long ago when I was preparing my first nursery, I painted it green (using some cheap latex paint from Wal-Mart).  Over the years we have moved it from room to room, stuffing all sorts of various things inside of it.

It was a piece that we kept using out of necessity, not out of love.  We needed the storage and just couldn’t ever find anything else affordable that would hold as much.

My husband called it “The Green Monster.”  Nine years of family living (plus the 20 odd years of my childhood) had beaten it up pretty good, and it was really time to let it go.

So last month when I spotted this giant vintage pine filing cabinet at a local flea market, I was super excited.

One of my favorite dealers was selling it, and I am a regular to her booth space.  It was kind of a funny situation because she had it priced very reasonably at $180, so it was drawing lots of attention.  I made a point to stand right in front of it while I called my husband and talked through the measurements and finances of buying the cabinet for ourselves.

Yall know those flea market rules, don’t you?  If you are standing at a piece looking it over, you have claim to it unless you walk away. Once you walk away, somebody else can come grab it.  Thus my fixed stance directly in front of this cabinet for 7 minutes.

Once I got the approval from my hubby, I pulled the tag and handed it to my dealer friend (another flea market rule–pull the tag and it’s yours, but very bad taste if you pull a tag and don’t actually buy the piece, shame on you).

So yes, this cabinet is still a green, beaten up painted cabinet, but it’s a really cool one!

It has the original bin pulls on the drawers, and several of them are dented in–personally, I think an attractive feature.

It is huge, and super sturdy, with plenty of real, weathered patina.

The best part though is that those super deep drawers hold every single board game and puzzle we have, with room to spare.  Incredible.

We love it.  And even better, the dealer who sold it to me offers a standard discount to any other antique dealer, so I ended up paying only $155 for it–a steal in the world of furniture.

When looking to repurpose vintage pieces in your home, you have to think outside of the box. Filing cabinets don’t have to always be used again as filing cabinets, drop leaf tables can easily be turned into desks, and so on and so on.

via Matouk.com

Or how about a bread cart as towel storage?

via BHG

Or a chicken coop turned coffee table?

With a little imagination, so many old, flea market pieces can find a new life and purpose in your space.

What vintage pieces have you repurposed?