My Latest Green Project

This is actually a refurb re-do.  In college, I completed my first MAJOR re-purposing project.  At the time, I didn't know it would lead to a life-long love of re-purposing furniture.  It is kind of cool to look back at your life and be able to pinpoint where something like this started.

I don't have any photos of the original piece.  (I have since learned to do before and after photos of my projects.)  I don't remember where I found this, nor how I actually managed to haul it to my college apartment.  I'm sure I turned a few friends into enemies... or bought a few cases of beer.

Sometime in 1994, I aquired a vintage Imperial television, stereo and turntable, all ensconsed in one large cabinet.  I proceeded to gut everything out of the cabinet, and used it to house my own shabby TV and stereo.  It was funky, and different.  In 1996, after college, it made it's way into my parent's basement, never to reappear again.  Mostly due to it's extreamely heavy and large design.

Well... It's BACK!  I convinced my wonderful husband and BIL to haul it out of hiding, and over to my house.  After a few hours of work, it has been transformed once again.  (I am still debating a coat of paint, but am leaving it au natural for now.)

TA DA... Our dogs have a new home:

Storage on top, where the stero and turntable used to be:

Covered the holes with some old checker boards, for an added vintage look:

Doors slide open, and dogs go in.  Replaced the old back with some new peg board.  It will allow for ventilation when the dogs are inside.  There is also ventilation thru the original speaker fabric, which I left on the ends of the cabinet.  And some new handles complete the quickie refurb.

Dogs transitioned immediately.  And even have an extra guest for time to time, as one of our cats likes it too!  MUCH better than the ugly wire kennels we were using, if you ask me!

~Erin