Corner Cabinet Revisited

Twelve DIYs of Christmas

Day 1: Corner Cabinet Revisited

If you've visited Robin Kramer Writes before, you might know that I love to look at objects not just for what they currently are, but instead, to imagine what they could become. I scout out potential. It's terribly exciting, you see, because I'm a sucker for good before-and-after pictures.

So, as we draw 2025 to a close, I want to share some of my favorite thrifted treasures, roadside finds, and do-it-yourself projects from the past year. Welcome to the 2025 installation of the Twelve DIYs of Christmas, starting today with a corner cabinet.

This corner cabinet, to be exact:
 

I bought this cabinet last fall from Facebook Marketplace, and sanded its old stain to reveal the original wood. Afterwards, it looked much better than its original state. Still, while observing it over the course of nearly a year, I noticed that its wood tones washed out the neutral walls.

Or, maybe the opposite was true: the neutral walls washed out the wood tones.

Either way, something was slightly off.

This is the beauty of DIY — you always can make changes. And that's exactly what I did, even though it might make wood-lovers cringe: I painted every inch of this corner cabinet that I had painstakingly sanded in my go-to rich, dark Iron Ore.

The result? It's now fresh and crisp. It pops against the light walls, and the decor displayed within it pops against the dark backdrop. 

The dark paint also echoes the door leading into our garage in the short hallway that extends from our dining room, which makes the color choice look cohesive.

The decorations displayed in the cabinet will change throughout the year given the season, and I sense that this darker finish will give the cabinet good depth all year long, regardless of what's displayed.
 

May your DIYs be merry and bright!
Visit again to see the remaining Twelve DIYs of Christmas 2025!