Media Console

Even though our home was built in 1894, I still have a taste for classic mid-century modern (MCM) furniture and aesthetics. We have a smaller room in the back of the house that is the most “modern” in so far as we painted it a cream color offset with navy accents. It functions as a TV room and also my office.

I have been in love with these West Elm media consoles but they’re a bit out of my budget. So when I came across this mid-century turntable/stereo cabinet for $20 on FaceBook Marketplace I immediately drove 30min to purchase it.

As you can see the wood on top was in poor shape, but the rest of the piece was in perfect condition. Instead of refinishing the top, I opted to paint it white.

First I gutted the insides…

Then I went to work sanding the top and sides with a fine grain sandpaper.

First layer of paint: white primer applied with foam brush.

I sanded this down and then put on a second layer, followed by white glossy spray paint.

As you can see the spray paint smoothed out the imperfections of the first layers and gave it a nice high-gloss sheen to contrast its beautiful wood. After one more coat of spray paint I finished it off with Rust-Oleum Lacquer Spray, which gave it that professional right-out-of-the-factory look.

The best part? The slats open to reveal two spaces for speakers, which I am going to fill with new speakers that connect to our LCD TV.