Retro Radio Cabinet Makeover

This Retro Radio Cabinet Makeover was a lot of fun to work on. 

You guys…… I am obsessed with just about anything vintage and I could not pass up this retro radio cabinet when I found it. It was a killer price because it was not in great condition. The radio didn’t work and the guts of the drawers were taken out and the finish didn’t look great.

I didn’t care.

There was still a lot of character and storage that made it a perfect piece for a makeover. 

There were tons of knicks and scratches all over the retro radio cabinet, but I loved the look of it.

The hardware was still on it and it still had some functional storage on the left side. 

There was nothing left inside the drawers, but the radio front was still on the right side!

I knew I was not going to touch the radio part of the cabinet, but I was going to paint the outside to make it look better. 

(Affiliate links are used in this post. You can see my full disclosure HERE.) 

Supplies Used In This Retro Radio Cabinet Makeover:

Zibra paint brushes

BOSS – Dixie Belle Paint

“Caviar” – Dixie Belle Paint 

I grabbed the only paint brushes I use for projects like this. My Zibra paint brushes have made light work of these projects and I used the Square Brush on this retro radio cabinet.

I first painted BOSS all over the retro radio cabinet. You can see why I fell in love with BOSS HERE. I used it on this radio cabinet because I didn’t want any of the orange finish coming through the paint. BOSS primes pieces like this beautifully and I have been using it on most of my makeovers. 

Once the BOSS dried, I used the square brush to paint it in Caviar from Dixie Belle Paint. The square brush got in all the nooks and crannies around the doors easily and I had it done in two coats. 

The black matte color is perfection on this piece. It highlighted the character is still has and got rid of all the “scars” it had when I bought it. 

The original hardware is gorgeous against the black. 

I didn’t do anything with the radio face or the inside of the drawers. I wanted to leave them as they were because they had a story. 

The speaker fabric was in tact so I let it. It really pops with the black paint.

I know there will always be controversy with painting wood furniture, but I believe that some pieces are brought back to life with a coat of paint. This retro radio cabinet was not pretty when I bought it. It had not been taken care of and would not have been used as it was. After a couple of coats of paint, it is beautiful and functional again. 

I love styling projects and spaces I share. I am always looking for great pieces to use in photos when I am at yard sales and thrift stores. 

It had different string holding the trays that were broken, but that was an easy fix. I found black suede string and love the contrast against the beautiful wood. To know that someone made the scale, makes it that much more special.

These makeovers are always fun for me and I will always pick up pieces when I see potential. I want to save them all and will do what I can to do that.

Would you have picked up this cabinet if you saw it in a thrift store? What color would you have painted it?

Retro radios are amazing to decorate with. If you don’t want an entire cabinet in your space, I found some smaller options online:

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If you liked this retro radio cabinet, you will love these makeovers:

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