November | 2014 | UpwithFurniture

There are some very interesting painted radio cabinets on the net like this one from Petticoat Junktion painted in MMS Tricycle.

The beauty of these cabinets is that they were made like fine furniture in mahogany or walnut; the cabinets were often more expensive than the radios they housed. Most of them originate in the 1920’s or 30’s when radio became popular entertainment and the consoles were part of one’s living room furniture. Manufacturers employed designers who turned out hundreds of models, all-trying to appeal to the changing tastes of the consumer.

I bought my radio cabinet online from Craigslist. I’m not sure the seller knew what they had as they were selling it as a small armoire. The inside had already been converted to storage and the seller had it in their dining room.

I was thrilled to buy it because it was lovely wood with turned legs. The back had caning, I guess to let the sound out rather than the cloth that you often see on old radios. The only flaw was that the bottom shelf was actually a piece of pressed board that had been inserted to fill the cavity where the radio must have stood.

I painted the outside in Annie Sloan Old White and the whole inside in Duck Egg. I didn’t bother replacing the pressed board as it seemed sturdy enough and by the looks of it, it had been doing its job for a long time. The cabinet is a perfect size for a bathroom or smaller space and was bought by someone for their hallway.