Step 1 - Cleaning and repairs

First, I gave everything a good cleaning! Then I replaced the basket lid with a new one that I made by tracing the old one onto a piece of wood, cutting it out, and sanding the edges. I also replaced a hole in the basket by weaving in a cut strip of veneer that had peeled off the old lid. I also removed the cabinet door and all hardware.

Step 2 - Construction

I turned the cabinet on its side and marked the width of the basket on top. I then cut the cabinet down to size and attached new wooden sides to it. To keep the basket from falling off the table, I added a wooden rail around the top. I trimmed the cabinet door down to the same width as the cabinet. To create the legs, I cut the balusters to size (at a 10 degree angle) and screwed them into a piece of plywood that was the same size as the cabinet. Then I screwed that into the base of the cabinet, transforming it into a table.

Step 3 - Painting

I turned to spray paint because I knew it would be the easiest way to get good covereage on the basket. I went ahead and spray painted everything with a good solid coat of white using Rust-Oleum High Performance Enamel. Thank goodness for my Rust-Oleum Spray Can Grip, which made it a lot easier to spray so much!

Once that was dry, I attached the door to the front and then started painting my stripes. I masked off a 1-inch stripe down the middle of the basket and table, making sure to line them up perfectly. I used plastic bags to cover everything except that stripe, and then spray painted it with Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch 2X Ultra Cover in Lagoon.

When that stripe was completely dry, I peeled off the tape and taped the next set of stripes (one on each side of the blue), and painted them in Seaside. I continued with this process adding stripes of Summer Squash, Coral, and Paprika. Each time, I carefully taped off everything I didn't want painted, and used plastic bags to protect all the white surfaces.

Finally, I turned the inside of the basket lid into a chalkboard by spraying it with black Rust-Oleum Chalkboard Paint. Then I traced the phrase "While you're out" onto it and hand-painted it with white acrylic paint, to create a permanent title for my to-do list.

The result

This fun, retro table is perfect in my entryway, and the inside compartment is great for holding my purse, keys, and device chargers. The basket on top is so useful as a drop-off point for things I need to take with me the next time I leave the house, and I can easily just grab the whole basket on my way out the door!

Entryway Organization Center