Sunday, February 20, 2011

A Table Transformation

I acquired a set of tables from a dear friend who had inherited them from her grandmother. I loved the lines of them, and they were the perfect size to be used as a cocktail table in my living room. The walnut finish, though, wasn't in keeping with the look of that room.

I was about to relegate them to use as side tables in one of the guest rooms when I decided I would try to remake them for the living room. I struggled with this...they aren't antiques, but I did not want to ruin something that had sentimental value. But, I bit the bullet and decided to paint them black with an antique silver rub on some of the details.

It was NOT an easy process. Three coats of black spray paint covered them nicely. (Anyone thinking about spray painting furniture, take this advice--get top of the line spray paint.) The silver rub was very time consuming--involving outlining the details with metallic silver paint, then hand rubbing the excess. It's not perfect, I'll admit, but once I get a coat of matte polyurethane on them and "merchandise" them, I think they will be perfect in the room.




I'm joining the blog party over at "Between Naps on the Front Porch" with this post. Each Monday, "Between Naps" hosts a "Metamorphosis Monday" where bloggers the world over post their before and after pictures. Might be something as simple as my table makeover or as large as a whole-house renovation. But definitely TONS of before and afters to check out!

I'm also linking to the Painted Projects Party at Centsational Girl!

10 comments:

  1. They look very high-end with the black paint! The neutral feel of the room is very elegant!!

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  2. I like them....and how very brave of you to get past the "sentimental" part and make 'em a little more current...
    thanks for stopping by my blog, too..
    maureen

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  3. Amy, thank you! This room is still a work in progress, but the end is near!

    Maureen, you're very welcome! I guess I ultimately decided it was a better use of the tables to have them where I could see them everyday instead of off in a guest room collecting dust.

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  4. Just Beautiful!!!
    I would love to know what products you used & exactly how you did it.
    (stopping by from BNOTP)

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  5. Kathy, thanks for stopping by! I used Rustoleum's satin finish and the exact nomenclature escapes me, but it was the jar with the trigger (rather than the usual nozzle that results in spray painted fingers) For the silver, I just used an acrylic metallic paint, traced the details with a fine brush, allowed it to dry for just a few seconds, and then wiped back off with a slightly damp paper towel.

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  6. The silver rub paid off for me. Those look like Janssen. Great job on them. Just beautiful.

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  7. Your tables had great bones, but now they are in this era of time and looking "fab"!!!!

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  8. Attic, thank you! I have to admit Janssen wasn't ringing a bell for me, but I looked them up and that is quite a compliment!

    Phyllis, thank you! I can't wait to have this room finished so I can reveal the whole thing.

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  9. Wow what a makeover! Love love love black, really into painted black anything. Doing my entire butlers pantry in black and my big island.....its so rich looking. They look fabulous...enjoy.

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  10. Thank you! Black is my default color for almost anything.

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