Storage chest to shelving cabinet

This piece began as a chest. It did have a center front; by the time I thought to take pictures, I had already removed the front middle piece. The top has hinges and lifts upwards and goes back. Waaaaay back. I was thinking it would be silly to use it as a chest if I also wanted to store and READILY ACCESS the stuff I would store inside. I'd invariably set decorative pieces on the top, and then in order to access the interior, I'd have to remove all those and then lift the lid to access the interior. No! Too much work! 

I therefore knew I'd be taking part or all of the front part off. I would decide how much as I went along and really could assess the bones of it.

Speaking of bones, the bottom was not secure at this point. I did glue and screw two boards to firm that up prior to painting.

I ended up taking off the entire front. It was easier and gave a cleaner finished look. The piece had a lot of tannin staining. After washing and sanding and wiping down, I applied one layer of mineral paint. Sure enough, the tannins started showing through. It was time to get the Shellac and apply. THEN, I painted it again with a second coat.

The inside of the chest is quite dark. Painting it a white or very light gray will definitely help with that. I was happy to use up a few cans of primer spray paint for a first coat on the inside, and then continued with the same mineral paint shade that I was using on the outside.

This piece was giving me faint MCM vibes so I wanted to go with that style. At this point it's all painted a light gray and doesn't have any pizazz. I figured I'd add some decorative trim as embellishments. I chose a geometric design because that's in keeping with the MCM style. Spray painted it gold, measured and cut, and applied!

Not only did this give the piece a little more oomph, it also covered an uneven front center crack. Win-win.

Remember how I said I wanted this to store things? Well, it needs at least one interior shelf to increase usable space. Decided to go with just one shelf running the entire width of the piece. Was bummed that the plywood scraps I had weren't long enough. And wouldn't you know....the required length was 52", which meant I'd have to purchase a 6' board instead of a 4' board. Those lumber prices are still up there!

At this point, needed to apply a clear protective top coat of something. Decided on clear wax. Also attached small furniture casters.

The final step was to attach a light on the bottom of the lid. Voila!