9 Unique Ways To Repurpose A China Cabinet For Extra Storage Space Around Your Home

If you're a frequent thrifter or Facebook Marketplace shopper, you've probably seen lots of old china cabinets offered for sale that just don't fit in with your decorating style. Decades ago, every well-appointed home had one to hold special occasion china and wedding crystal so there are still lots of them around. One of the best parts about running across those large cabinets is that you can frequently find a nice used one for $100 or less. If you're handy with a paintbrush and applying other embellishments to furniture, there are lots of ways to decorate an old china cabinet to use it for traditional dining room storage. Don't stop there, though. It can be even more fun to explore ideas that let you store things in other areas of your house from living rooms to kitchens and even home offices.

We have, in fact, rounded up nine different ways you can reuse an old china cabinet around the house to proffer some inspiration. And if your space isn't ample enough to hold a large piece of furniture (or you would have kept your grandmother's vintage china cabinet in the first place!), don't fret. Some of these make use of smaller china cabinets in clever ways, too.

If you can't function without your morning cup of joe, you probably long for a special spot to hold all the different supplies you need to get it just right. Kitchen counter space doesn't always allow for a big spread of coffee accoutrements, however, so redoing an old china cabinet can be a problem solver. Various coffee makers, pots, pods, and cups all have a home here. Use the extra storage below for extra mugs, coffee filters, and other items needed to make brewing your morning beverage a breeze.

Turning a china cabinet with glass shelves and doors into an indoor greenhouse isn't difficult with some minor modifications and additions. You can paint the cabinet to match your décor or use it as-is. You'll probably have to drill small holes in the back to add a cord for a grow light. Adding some appropriately sized fans for air circulation is needed, and don't forget a small humidity gauge to make sure the climate isn't too dry. Augment air moisture with a small humidifier, if needed, to keep your plants healthy and happy.

This is one of those storage ideas that works with any size china cabinet. A smaller cabinet is perfect for displaying the interesting bottles holding all your cocktail hour liquor needs. If you have the room, you can use a bigger china cabinet to store not only bottles, but glasses for everything from martinis to champagne. Larger cabinets with enclosed doors and shelving in lower sections are perfect for stashing ice buckets, margarita pitchers, and other party supplies you may not use quite as often, too.

There are so many creative ways you can repurpose your old furniture, but one of our favorites is making two new pieces out of one old china cabinet. This is a great way to furnish a new home on a budget. The bottom half of a china cabinet makes a great media cabinet since a large flat screen television can easily sit on top. Doors can hide gaming equipment or a DVD player. Ample drawer space can hold games, DVDs your kids watch on repeat, or even cozy blankets for cuddling on the couch.  

Remember the media center made using the bottom half of an old china cabinet? Well, this is what you can do with the top half by adding some legs and giving it a coat of paint. We like the idea of reusing accent furniture for charming kitchen storage, so employing the top of a china cabinet for the same purpose just seems brilliant. Honestly, though, this one would work anywhere from a child's room to display Lego creations to a bathroom holding towels and apothecary jars so don't stop with the kitchen. 

If you have a traditional china cabinet you love but showing off your dinnerware feels a bit tired, the easiest way to repurpose it is to change the display. If you've gleefully collected most anything from striking antique pottery to colorful vintage kitchenware, the groupings you love the most can take center stage in a cabinet like this. Along those same lines, if you have a large collection of jewelry and accessories, whether contemporary or vintage, you can use a china hutch in your bedroom to display your faves when you're not wearing or carrying them.

How many times have you wished you had some extra storage in your laundry room? You can create that clutter-hiding space — while also adding a table for folding laundry — by repurposing the bottom of a china cabinet. Want even more stylish storage space? Attach the top of the cabinet to the wall. Suddenly you've taken a piece of used furniture and given it new life in two ways, and likely for less than you'd spend on a couple of plywood wall-mount cabinets with less character at your local home improvement center. 

Whether you sew, knit, or scrapbook, you know how quickly those bargain supplies you snatch up on sale can take over your space. An old china cabinet can come to the rescue when you fill it with skeins of yarn, yards of fabric, or shelves filled with baskets or bins holding a variety of other crafting supplies. Drawers below hold patterns, needles, cutters, and other necessities. A smaller cabinet can also be transformed into a organized masterpiece for keeping creative supplies for the kids close at hand and easy to inventory. 

Work from home is a way of life for a lot of folks these days, and so is finding extra space to hold all the supplies that go along with it. If you have a simple table for a desk, it's nice to have another cabinet where you can store your clips, cords, and extra writing implements until you need them. Don't discount repurposing an old china cabinet for this clever use, especially when you spruce it up to match the room you're using as an office.