If you’re out antiquing and you spot an old hutch at a great price, snatch it up in a heartbeat. As long as the hutch is solid and sturdy – or can be easily beefed up – you have stumbled onto a great decorative accent with many potential uses in your home. It’s easy enough to repaint or refinish an old hutch to make it blend in or contrast with surrounding furnishings. Whether fitted with glass front doors or open shelving, there are a myriad of ways to use this old gem in virtually any room of the house.

Display Collectibles

A hutch is the perfect home for your favorite collection, whether you collect candlesticks, teapots, watering cans or silver antique trophy cups. Depending on the color and pattern of your collections you may want to paint the interior of the hutch in a different color to make the collectibles stand out. Some collections, such as those in solid white or black, may look serenely elegant against a wallpapered interior. To make the most of your display, choose a single theme or collection and leave enough space between pieces so that their shapes and details stand out. You may want to consider installing a discreet pot light inside the top of the hutch to gracefully illuminate your collection at night.

Kitchen or Dining Room Accent

In the kitchen, a hutch with drawers and cabinets will add invaluable storage and style potential. Paint it in a contrasting color to make it an accent and display colorful dinnerware or antique molds and cooking vessels on the open shelves above. Let an heirloom tea towel or embroidered napkin peak out of a partially open drawer. From funky and modern to classic cottage, the color of your hutch and how you display chosen contents will underscore your style. Metal or wood wall art with an open grille design can be mounted on the inside of the hutch to create depth and contrast behind your collectibles.

In the dining room, a hutch can appear as a built-in if painted to match the walls. If the room is wallpapered, use the same paper on the inside of the hutch to really enhance the illusion of built-in cabinetry.

Other Possibilities:

While dining rooms, kitchens and collectible displays are perhaps the most obvious uses for an old hutch, don’t overlook the less obvious:

• Use a hutch in the bathroom to display fluffy towels and luxurious soaps, creams and loofahs in the open storage, while tucking supplies and personal items into closed drawers and cabinets. If your hutch contains has an open space in the center, use it to display candles, an antique bowl or vase of flowers.
• In the bedroom, a glass fronted hutch is an unusual way to display woolen blankets and folded sweaters. Or use one anywhere in the house to protect a collection of heirloom quilts.
• Use a hutch for an impromptu office space. A step-back style hutch with an open center is an ideal workspace where you can pay bills, keep up with paperwork and even work on from a notebook computer. The storage areas of the hutch are handy for stationary, postage stamps and supplies.
• Try a painted hutch on a covered porch or patio to display garden tools, pots, plants and packets of heirloom seeds. Use it as a potting bench on yard work days and clear it off to serve as a refreshment station during a garden party. Seal your hutch with marine grade polyurethane to protect it from the elements. Mount candle wall sconces from the side of the hutch for nighttime ambiance.

All text copyright Shanel. Photo from Flickr - "dining room wall" courtesy of back_garage.