I haven’t been thrilled with our living room since we moved into our new cottage….. The dark, big, leather furniture just seems to make the space so dark….It also feels very masculine. I have a super hunky hubby and 2 hunky teenage boys, not to mention my 2 little girls who climb over everything like monkeys. Leather is practical right now, and I’ve never wanted my boys to feel like they were living in a dollhouse. Having said that, I don’t want to feel like I live in a men’s cigar smoking room in a club sort of house. We have to have a middle ground. To lighten up the space I’m going to lighten up some of the other finishes in here and add new lighter pillows. This will make it feel a little less mannish and a little more girly…. I started with this side table. We bought this at Hobby Lobby a few years ago to hold the tv in our old bedroom….We had this strange place behind the door, and this table was perfect. I’m always moving things around from one room to the another, so this table ended up in the living room. The height and size is perfect for the sofa… My problem?? It just blended right in with the sofa….Looked like one dark mess….. a hot dark mess.
I started by lugging this table out to my evil laboratory my garage. I wiped it down then primed it with a light coat of spray paint. I was too lazy busy to sand. After that coat I rolled on a coat of Behr’s antique white. I was already loving it.
I rubbed a little Ralph Lauren faux glaze over to give it a more antiqued look. This entire project took less than an hour and was free, because I already had all the products from other projects. Look what a difference that hour made!
I love the way the glaze added that extra bit of interest. I rubbed a little extra on in the crevices to make it look more authentically aged. I just wiped it on and rubbed it off with an old rag. When all that was dry I wiped on a layer of poly and let it dry overnight.
I am so happy with the way this turned out. It lightens up the entire space and makes all my accents pop.
All it took was about an hour of work to go from drab and dark…
To airy and light with a total cost of $0. Gotta love it!
15 comments:
Way to go Lou !!! What a project and WOW - your accessories really POP now!
You're so dang talented !!!!
janice
Cost of $0 is probably the best part! Fabulous transformation!
I love, love the look of the table now!
You left a comment on my blog, and you described me exactly.When my kids were little, I used to make some of thier little clothes. I taught myself reupholstering and thought I could take it to slipcovering. It worked! You just have to add a little tuck in fabric where you will need it. When you said you look at the pieces and think you can do it, that's right! it's like a puzzel. Make the pattern out of an old sheet, and sew the pieces together just like clothes. Leave an open strip along the back corner with a zipper(upside down) so it will fit over. Let me know if you try it!
Kelly
Great idea to change the color...yes, it was too dark with the sofa...looks outstanding now. Hope you have a FUN weekend!
Blessings,
Linda
a $0 price tag is the best :) this looks great!
Love that it didn't cost anything and I like the lighter look. I'm struggling a bit with the dark furniture in my own house right now.
pk @ Room Remix
Oh yeah!! Looks great and everything does just "pop" against it!!!
I am a Lou too!! And I am now a follower!
Have a great weekend!
Lou Cinda :)
Lou Cinda, you gotta love another gal named Lou! I'll head over and visit you in a bit....
You just can't go wrong with white paint. I am slowly painting everything we own in a white or cream palette.
tammy
So pretty! I love white painted furniture. I have 2 end tables that I've been meaning to paint forever. I just can't make up my mind, paint or no paint.
Hooray for Ralph! Looks really great. I love glazing...
Looks great & makes all your accessories pop.
Sorry , I am so late - I just joined this morning and then I had to go to WORK - ugh !
Super table - great job !
Kammy
It looks so much better with that dark leather. Really brightens it up. I must say, with two toddler boys, I wish I had a leather sofa and that is what I will buy when the time comes. It's so nice to be able to wipe juice, chocolate, and the like right off with a wet rag.
That's adorable. What a transformation, and it totally lightens things up!
Carrie
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