Cabinets and Hutches

To create an instant focal point in any room, do what the Europeans do — add style and storage with a hutch or cabinet. This versatile piece will become your favorite furniture, displaying dishes and table linens in the kitchen or dining room, storing clothes in the bedroom, holding towels and toiletries in the bathroom and hiding the TV and stereo in the living room. Coat with a protective finish, and it can even be used outside to hold gardening tools. For even more functionality and charm, try the following:
 

• Mirror the inside back of your cabinet to expand the space, or add visual interest by painting it in a contrasting color or wallpapering in a pretty pattern. You can paint the front of the shelves to match or edge with glued-on ribbon to complement your color scheme. This looks especially pretty if your cabinet is open-front or has glass doors.
   
• If your cabinet doesn’t have glass doors, install them! Remove the doors and draw a diagram on the front where you want the glass to go (a 2” border of wood all around looks best). Have a lumber yard or home improvement center cut the center out of the doors and make a “pocket” for the glass, then have a glass shop fit a pane of glass inside the pocket. For a casual country look, try frosted glass or a wire screen, or staple gathered fabric to the back of the doors to make curtains.
   
• Get extra storage out of your cabinet by stacking fabric-lined baskets and wallpaper-covered hatboxes on top. Attach decorative hooks to the sides (both inside and out) to create hanging space or screw a wall sconce on one or both sides for convenient lighting.
   
• Create an extra room or cozy nook by using a large cabinet as a room divider. Paint the back of the cabinet to match the wall color and hang pictures on it to create a fourth wall. Set decorative boxes and baskets of faux greenery and trailing ivy on top to complete the sense of enclosure.
   
• Turn a large cabinet into a handy home office. Configure interior shelving to hold your computer, printer and books, hang files on the inside of the doors and stow supplies in small baskets and boxes. When work is done, simply close the doors and let your office blend into your home.