The Little Blue Hutch

It’s probably pretty easy to think of a handful of things that remind you of your childhood home- a smell, a sound, a tradition, or even a piece or furniture or decoration. Chances are these things are part of your most vivid memories growing up. For me, it is the creaky sound the section of floor right in front of my parent’s bedroom made when I stepped on it. I would always step over it when I wanted to get up early and not wake them. Or, how every Thanksgiving or Christmas, my mom would be up early cooking and I would wake up to the smell of the pistachio cake she was making to bring to the party. The sounds of Johnny Mathis would always be playing on our computer. 

While the creaky floor, the smell of her Pistachio cake, and Johnny Mathis will always be part of my favorite memories, perhaps the most precious item was a piece of furniture that I never gave much thought to growing up- a little blue hutch that sat in our dining room. This hutch always held random odds and ends- cookbooks, pottery I made as a preschooler, salt and pepper shakers, and some crystal my Grandfather used to collect that got passed down to my Mom. She bought this for our first condo before I was even born and eventually traveled with us to our first home on the north side of town. Five years after that it came with us to the house I would spend most of my life in. It always sat in the corner and was very rarely touched or changed. Though, when I look at pictures of every family party we hosted- no matter what house- it’s always in the background. 

This past summer, a year and a half after my husband and I moved in to our first home, we were still in search of a few perfect pieces of furniture to complete some empty walls and corners. It just so happens that my mom was in the process of moving out of the home I grew up in. It was an emotional process to say the least, but the house was getting to be too much for her to handle and I was so happy that she was moving in with the man she loved. In the midst of finally getting around to taking what I wanted from the house, I also picked out a few items I would love to see in my own home. A wooden rum crate used for comfy throw blankets, our over-sized coffee table, and the blue hutch all became ours. It’s amazing that these three pieces were exactly what we were looking for and didn’t even know it. I love sitting in our living room looking at these things that were part of my memories of the house on Washington Street. 

While the hutch fit perfectly, I won’t lie that it looked a little worn. The paint was dull and the bright blue color didn’t go with much in our house. I knew I wanted to give a little life to it. After a trip to Home Depot to find the perfect color paint, I wanted to get started right away. 

My original idea was to take an electric sander to it, however I didn’t know if it would hold up. The wood is pretty fragile. Luckily the stormy gray color I picked was not all that different from the original blue. All I needed was a coarse sanding sponge by 3M to sand off the first layer by hand and two coats of the new paint to make it look new again. After painting, I picked out a few accessories to dress it up even more. I found an adorable rose gold colored fruit basket with a wood trim at Anthropologie. I also selected some new knobs at World Market to replace the plain ones on the cabinets. Again- in rose gold. As a final touch, I wrote the addresses of each of the places this little hutch has sat in on the back. Each time we move, and take it with us, I will be reminded of how many places I have called home. 

Luckily it also happens to be Christmastime and I needed somewhere to display our Christmas cards. A little leftover burlap and some tiny clothespins made this in to a perfect display for our cards this season.

It’s amazing what a few hours of time, some carefully selected decorations, and two coats of paint can do to an old piece of furniture. I was so excited when I could place my completed project in the corner of our own dining room. To all my friends who have moved or are in the process of moving out of the house where they grew up-I highly suggest asking for a piece of that home to go with you. It can turn in to a fun and rewarding project, fill that empty corner because nothing else seemed ‘just right’, and help create new memories. 

–TB