Antique Hutch Mirror Repurposed Shelf – Cozy Living

Welcome friends! Can you actually believe March is here already!? I’m so happy that I’m starting to feel Spring in the air, it’s been a long old winter. Today I’m sharing how I repurposed an antique hutch mirror into a shelf. I’m also excited to be joining my awesome cozy living friends, it’s the first Saturday of the month that means it’s time for some cozy living fun.  

Cozy Living

This cozy living series is hosted by Jennifer, she’s the brains behind this whole series and she shares her creativity over at Town & Country Living.  We are the #cozylivningteam , a group of cozy loving friends that simply love to share how we live a hygge life. There are so many inspiring and creative ways to live a cozy life.

Antique Hutch Mirror – Brimfield Adventure

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I was able to go to Brimfield Antique Flea Market  in 2019 , located in Brimfield Massachusetts, USA.  I must tell you, for someone like me who LOVES to go treasure hunting it was a completely overwhelming experience (in the best possible way). Have you ever been? 

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I didn’t prepare myself for how huge it actually is and in my excitement, I may have spent more than I wanted to for some items, only because I saw things there that I just haven’t seen here, where we live in Canada. It was a fantastic experience and I’m so glad I went, hopefully one day I’ll make it back there again.

One of the goodies I lugged home from that trip was the top mirror portion of an antique hutch. At one time this beauty was attached to a gorgeous hutch. But when I found it, it was sitting all alone on the grass and the price was too irresistible to leave it behind. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do with it, but I knew I’d do something with it. 

I got it home and it sat on our mantel for a 2 years… This is what it looked like for Christmas 2019 – if you’d like to see more from that Christmas, you can see more here. I liked it on the mantel, but I actually found a mirror I liked better for this location.  So, out to the barn she went. A little back story for you, I’m challenging myself this year to actually do something with the treasures I lug home, either use them or sell them. It’s been more challenging than I thought… I love all of the goodies I bring home, it’s hard to give them up. But, I am starting to exercise my creativity in coming up with ideas for the goodies in the barn and this is one of my favourites this year, so far. 

Antique Hutch Mirror Repurposed Shelf – DIY

Our home is a story and a half and this space is the landing upstairs where our bedroom and primary bath are. This landing is an awkward space, with high ceilings  and a railings along the whole length of one side for the stairs… this landing was always in flux, I never knew quite what to do with it. This cedar shelf we built had decor leaning on the very top of it, like a ledge – very basic and completely uninteresting. I wasn’t using this to it’s full potential, for sure. This bad phone picture is when I decided what I finally wanted to do. You’ve probably guessed it, this is where I decided to add the antique hutch mirror. But first, this is how I repurposed it. 

Firstly I took it all apart, it was put together with old nails and it was very wobbly and loose so this step was easier than I had thought it would be. 

Secondly, I used a heat gun and removed the antique varnish that covered the whole piece, this process too was less “painful” than I imagined. Once the varnish was gone, I sanded everything and put it back together with glue and screws, this made it very strong and sturdy. 

Thirdly and lastly, I added a 2×6 pine board (cut to length) to the bottom of the curved corbels, once the shelf was securely attached I oiled the entire piece. LOVE IT! This is how it looks in it’s proud new spot. 

Antique Hutch Mirror – AKA Plant Shelf

Since this space has a massive window at one end,  I decided to take advantage of all of this natural light for some of my plant babies. They are loving it up here and I must say, I am loving how it looks. 

I’m having fun styling this space now… 

I recently added another project from the barn, this old ladder, you guessed it, it’s for plants. 😉

Such pretty curves. 

I painted the existing cedar shelf black to anchor the space, I love the contrast. 

Thank you all for stopping in, I truly appreciate your visits! Do you bring things home before you know exactly what you’re going to do with them? I’m completely guilty! 😉 

Now, I hope you’ll go check out my talented friends below. xo 

Cozy Living Team

Vinyet Etc. / Finding Silver Pennies / Duke Manor Farm

Creative Cain Cabin / Making It in the Mountains / Town and Country Living