DIY rabbit hutch!

Inspired by various pinterest posts, blogs, DIY tutorials, upcycles and "Roadkill Rescue" type websites, I decided to have a go at my own furniture transformation, turning an old cabinet into a luxury rabbit cage. The cabinet was donated by a friend of mine, and i initially used it to store my glasses and bottles and other bar items, however soon after, i bought a cute netherland dwarf and she needed a home.  Ill admit that the cabinet isnt ideal for a larger breed of rabbit, but as shes now fully grown in the picture, you can see that she has a bit of space to move around.

     With the help of my dad, the left door was removed and replaced with some chickenwire. It was attatched with industrial staples to ensure strength and durability, and a length of wood was wedged in the centre to allow a surface for the wire to be attatched and pulled taut, and a small length of skirting board was wedged at the front of the cage to prevent wood chippings spilling out.  It remained like this for some time.. (ahem... a year, ill admit) and then i finally decided to get it decorated.

     I used regular emulsion paint (the purple colouring) straight onto the existing varnished finish. Ill admit, this wont be great as a forever finish, but Id didn't want to fumigate my rabbit by using gloss, and wanted a quick dry alternative.
    I thought about durability for the top of the unit, as i was going to be storing sketchbooks and things on top, so i didn't want the paint flaking off all the time. I used the sticky back contact you get in hardware stores in a range of colours (the pink section), and it was actually easier than i thought to cut to shape and apply. If you decide to use this, make sure that you don't rush, peel a small section at a time, and smooth down with a tea-towel after application of each part to push away any air bubbles. I also applied a strip of the same contact to the bottom of the cage so that any accidents can be wiped up.
    The diamonte gems were applied using PVA glue, but as they were heavy, they slipped a bit, so if you decide to do anything similar, try a better glue, maybe a glue gun?
    But anyway, this is my first DIY upcycle project, and i hope you like it. I hope to make some more kitsch creations, and I'll be sure to share them with you whenever i can.

 Before:

 Basic Bar Area  

After:

Luxury Bunny Accommodation!