How To Transform A Cabinet Into A Display Case

I purchased this display bust while I was on a little weekend trip. Happy birthday to me! Looking for a place to put the bust, I came up with the idea to turn my china cabinet into more of a display case. And as always, I wanted to be able to easily take it back to the original whenever I was ready. Today I am going to share how to transform a cabinet into a beautiful display case. You might also call it a bookcase?

This is the china cabinet I wanted to transform. I really like this cabinet and spent many hours stripping all the old varnish off, but I just wasn’t enjoying it. The cabinet is directly across from windows and there is a constant glare. It also feels so dark. The options I came up with to fix the glare were to take the glass out of the doors or remove the doors all together. Leaving the doors open wouldn’t work in this location.

To keep it feeling so dark, I decided to paint the inside white. Now when I got this cabinet, someone had glued mirrors to the back. I guess they felt it was too dark as well!

How To Transform A China Cabinet Into A Display Case

The first thing I did to transform this cabinet was to build new shelves. I needed a section that was large enough to hold the bust. I used the original shelf on the top, and then built a divider and shorter shelves. This created a large opening on one side, giving it that display case look. I used scraps from the garage, so this cost me nothing. The other two original shelves are stored on the top of the cabinet.

The next step was to paint the inside and shelves white, and remove the doors. I was really loving the brighter look!

I put it all together, and it felt like I had a new piece of furniture. Let the styling begin!

Styling The Cabinet

The top shelf got some creamy pottery and a little stack of books. I like the cabinet filled with books, but because I was trying for a lighter, brighter look, I might eventually switch them out. I would love to fill all the shelves with creamy planters and vases, I just don’t have very many. A new collection to hunt for! Of course I would love it filled with ironstone, but “variety is the spice of life”.

The top of the cabinet holds the box the top hat came in, more books, and a little more creamy-ness.

This is what I do. I buy things they have no use or purpose. This wedding cake topper was $1 at an estate sale, and I couldn’t resist buying it. So here it is on my cabinet, at least for now.

Most of the books are from my grandparents house, and the planter holds French post card books from my grandmother’s travels. I added a floral print because, well, there should always be a touch of floral!

This type of makeover is so fun for me! I had been thinking about changing this cabinet for so long. Finding that bust finally pushed me to get it done. Oh! And I think I forgot to mention, I found that top hat at an estate sale the weekend after I found the bust. It was just all meant to be.

PIN IT FOR LATER!

Thanks for stopping by,

Janet