Some of My Favorite Words "Hey Do You Want This?"

I had a friend that was working for a retail store that was going out of business. They gave their managers any fixtures from the store that they wanted to take. I get a call from the friend asking if I would want the lockers they had in their employee break room. Sight unseen that was a definite YES! (My poor husband)

The lockers were just like these. There was a bank of 3 & then a separate single row. This presented a problem, because I have a thing for symmetry and was thinking of making an entertainment center with them flanking a TV in our loft. We unloaded the 2 sets & after some thinking I decided to lie them sideways & bolt them together. My husband was sure I had lost it & was praying that they never made them into our house...





I attached the wood pieces to the locker by using a metal drill bit to pre-drill holes & a counter sink attachment when I drove in the screws. On the inside I fastened with a locking nut. This does leave the bolted ends showing on the inside, but this does not bother me. As you can see we then used Kristi Kuehl Pure Home Paints and painted the fronts in the color Cyan. I wanted an old kinda grungy look so I applied their stain directly over the paint before finally sealing it all & adding the hardware back on





I wish I could find all of the process photos, but I am a photo failure & promise to keep searching so I can update this post...
Anyhow, I took a metal grinder with a cutting blade & hacked off the feet that it used to stand on. When tilted this did leave a flat end where the top had been & an indented tray end where the legs had been. Not exactly pretty. Fortunately I was am a big believer in stockpiling pallet wood. I decided to chop it up stain it, and plank the top and sides.
The lockers are now in my studio space, this color would NEVER have worked in any other room in our home;) but is the perfect funky piece in my studio, while hiding all of my art supplies and some other randomness.
For those who consider doing this. I love them & have worked around some of the quirks. As placed this way the doors do not easily hold them selves open. I will generally open the locker above & let it fall on the one I need opened if it requires staying open. Most often I lift with one hand & reach in with the other. This would not be an ideal storage system with small children. My youngest was 6 when I did this & she had an easy time safely using them. You know your children best & should use your best judgement when doing this. They are also very heavy! I have them strapped to studs in case of any possible tipping. laid like this I think it would take a natural disaster or a very heavy climber to cause that, but safety first!






Original article and pictures take http://www.hometalk.com/12503545/give-away-painted-furniture site