I finally did it!  I finally bought the French Casement Sideboard & Hutch that I’ve been eyeing at Restoration Hardware for well over a year.  What can I say?  There was a sale on top of a sale, I had some credit, and frankly, I wanted a place to display some of my larger items.  :)

Tidbits&Twine French Cabinet Shelving

 

I decided on the black finish because it’s timeless and dramatic and I love decorating with touches of black.  I also chose to have closed storage at the bottom so that I’d have a place to store miscellaneous items that aren’t decorative.

Tidbits&Twine French Cabinet

 

I love the divided light glass panes, but my favorite are the two full-length crémone casement locks.  Functional and beautiful!

Tidbits&Twine French Cabinet Cremone Boltb

 

I’m using the upper part of the cabinet to hold my photo albums plus a few large display items.  My photo albums are all different styles and colors because I bought them at different times and after placing them in the cabinet, I decided I didn’t like the look.  To solve that issue, I covered them in a neutral fabric so that they now all match.

Tidbits&Twine French Cabinet Photo Albums

 

I moved my vintage scale from the kitchen to the cabinet to hold some of my grandfather’s books.

Tidbits&Twine French Cabinet Vintage Scale

 

I also finally found a place for his baby shoes (circa 1919).

Tidbits&Twine French Cabinet Baby Shoes

 

This wooden hat mold is one of my recent purchases from 101 North Vintage at the antique faire.  It was not on my list, or even on my mind for that matter, but once I saw it I fell in love!  It is solid wood and in three pieces – a hat block plus circular brims in two different sizes.  I love taking utilitarian objects and giving them a new purpose.  In this case, I guess it’s new purpose is to be purely decorative.  :)

Tidbits&Twine French Cabinet Hat Mold 2

 

My old Bingo cards have finally found a permanent home, along with a framed note from my grandma that I backed with the same fabric used to cover the photo albums.  One summer during college, I lived with my grandparents in Sacramento while I had a summer job downtown.  It was truly the greatest summer and we had so much fun!  For some reason, I saved this little note my grandma had written me one day when they went out.  I love my grandma’s handwriting and am so happy that I’ve finally found a way to incorporate it into my home.

Tidbits&Twine French Cabinet Bingo Cards and Noteb

 

A few tall pieces at the top finish the decorative shelving.

Tidbits&Twine French Cabinet Shelving 3

 

I haven’t yet filled the bottom cabinet yet, but will use it to store glass vases and other breakables.

 

I am in love with this new piece and can’t believe how much it changes the look of the room.  I’m sure I’ll redecorate it a hundred more times, but I’m happy that I now have a place to store photo albums (and a place for my beloved hat mold!).

 

Tidbits&Twine - Signature

 

 

 

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18 Comments

  1. I purchased two French Casement single-door cabinets a few weeks ago and ended up having to return both of them. The quality was not what I expected and the wood was chipping on both cabinets.

    I’m having them both exchanged with the same replacement cabinets to see if maybe it was just a bad batch. I really like this piece and it’s the only one I can find with the right dimensions suitable for my living room.

    I am curious to find out how has your cabinet been holding up three years later and how do you treat the wood to prevent it from drying out, especially since the black finish is dry and non waxed or oiled.

    Many thanks!

    1. Tidbits&Twine says:

      Hi Jen – I’m so sorry to hear! Hopefully, you have better luck with the replacements. I haven’t had any issues with my cabinet and I don’t do anything to keep it from drying out…I just dust it with a microfiber cloth once a week and that’s it! I hope you love the new ones!

  2. This is gorgeous! I’ve been thinking of getting two of these to flank the fireplace. Do you have any more pictures….with doors closed or full room pictures? You did a fantastic job decorating this cabinet! I’m torn between doing this colour or the natural wood colour.

    1. Tidbits&Twine says:

      Hi Valerie – Two of these flanking a fireplace would be amazing! I just have the one, but it is on the right-hand side of my fireplace and there is a window on the left-hand side. I don’t have other photos with the doors closed on a full room picture – so sorry! I will hopefully be taking more photos soon, though, and will post them to the site when I do. I think that both the black and the natural are great colors, so whichever you choose, enjoy!!

  3. I LOVE this cabinet. I love how your eye starts at the top & just naturally follows the items down to the lowest shelf. Great work & you’ve shown me ideas to do with a few of the hundreds of items left to me by my mom & grandma. Now some can come out of storage! (Yay!) THANK YOU!

    1. Tidbits&Twine says:

      Thank you, Amy! It sounds like you have a fun project ahead of you. :)

  4. Gorgeous piece of furniture and you were smart to go with the black! It adds so much drama and all the pieces you’ve placed on it stand out so much more. I love how so many of your accessories have special meaning to you – great idea to frame a note from your grandma! Photo albums recovered! Looks fantastic – thanks for the idea – mine are shoved in a closet! Visiting from Common Ground.

    DD

    1. Tidbits&Twine says:

      Thank you for your kind comments! It’s nice having some special pieces from my family’s history mixed with current family memories – makes it unique. To cover the albums, I used the same method that I used for covering books with kraft paper, except that I taped the fabric on the inside (since I don’t know how to sew). I really appreciate your visiting me from Common Ground and taking the time to leave a comment! :)

    1. Tidbits&Twine says:

      Amy – Wow! Thank you so much! I was considering doing a step-by-step picture tutorial for how I styled the shelves…maybe I’ll do a follow-up post about styling the shelves. Thank you again for stopping by and leaving a comment!

  5. Hi Kim. Wow, that is a beautiful piece of furniture and I love how you have accessorized it. I’m fairly new to your blog, so I would love to see how it fits in your room. I’ll have to look back at older posts..Happy Monday..Judy

    1. Tidbits&Twine says:

      Hi Judy – Thank you so much! I can’t wait to see how it fits into the room, too! Truth be told, I loved it and bought it and now have to rework my room to make everything cohesive. I promise I’ll post a picture when done. :)

  6. Kim, What a classic piece of furniture! I love the way you’ve styled it with your lovely things. That note is sweet too.

    1. Tidbits&Twine says:

      Anne – Thank you for your comment! Having a spot for my grandma’s note is definitely a bonus. :)

  7. Your excitement reminds me when I purchased my dining room suit. The hutch was something I had wanted forever. Well I still love that old oak hutch and now have it in my kitchen using it daily. It was bought back in the 70’s and it pleases me to this day. I wish you the same happiness with your beauty.

    1. Tidbits&Twine says:

      Hi Mary – It’s so nice to find others who share in and understand my excitement for furniture! It sounds like you made a wonderful purchase!

  8. That’s a beautiful piece of furniture. You’ll have fun with it for years to come.

    1. Tidbits&Twine says:

      Thank you, Stacey!

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