Table Redo (Contributor Post)

Last year, I bought a matching table and hutch from a yard sale for eighty dollars. I knew it had potential and I couldn't wait to refinish it. We were living in a rental house at the time and we didn't have adequate space to work on projects. Every time I brought up the daunting task, my husband would say, "Lets just wait until we have a house with a garage". Well, we ended up needing to leave the rental house sooner than we had anticipated and instead of renting again, we decided to build a small starter home with a one car garage. Little did Tyler know just how many projects I had planned for us once we had that little garage and no excuses... (I can see him shaking his head right now). Once we got into our house, this was one of the first projects I wanted to start on.   

Here are the before photo's:

I browsed Pinterest to gather insight on the best methods for my table overhaul. My vision was a dark table top with rustic cream chairs and legs. My inspiration came from this blogger's table redo, and I followed her steps with a few modifications (or mess ups) along the way. 

(source)

To say this project went smoothly would be lying, but I did learn a lot in the process. (And that has to count for something, right?) To begin, I used a random orbital sander to strip the stain from the table top. I know from previous experience that in order for stain to take evenly, it is essential to sand until there is absolutely no stain left in the wood. 

My husband stained the table top with two coats of Miniwax Dark Walnut. We then applied two coats of Miniwax Polycrylic (water based, satin finish.)  I thought buying an electric paint sprayer for the chairs and legs would be the easiest option. The primer came out uneven and bubbly, but dried smooth. We should've stopped at this point, but I was in a hurry and I figured the paint would dry smooth too. That wasn't the case and we were left with four bubbled, and what I thought to be ruined, chairs. We spent hours sanding them down and there may have been a few tears involved in this process (it's never a good idea to do big projects while pregnant). My brother, who is a painter for a construction company, came over and resprayed them with his professional sprayer. Once it dried, I went over the chairs and legs one more time with a paint brush to get any missed spots. Originally I had wanted to add dark brown water based stain to all the spindles and legs for a rustic look. I didn't love the way it turned out when I tried it on one leg, so I left it clean and simple. Overall, I learned with this project that you will not always create exactly what you had envisioned. Sometimes it can evolve into it's own style and that's the beauty of DIY projects. I love the bright, fresh look it brings to my kitchen!

Here are the after photo's:

Do you have a table that you've been wanting to refinish? Give it a try, it's a rewarding experience that you will not regret!

"Hello! My name is Jodi from The Whispering Pines.  I love to decorate, refurbish old furniture, create small crafts and come up with unique party ideas. I also have a knack for organizing and enjoy experimenting with new recipes. My style is rustic with a touch of farmhouse. If you ask my husband, I could live in antique shops and home decor stores. I love being inspired by others and hope, you too, can gather a little inspiration for your home!" 

Craigslist Breakfast Nook Table Re-Do

Hey all!   So I've been done with this project for quite some time, but I haven't taken the time (until now) to edit the photos, upload them and write about my new breakfast nook table.  Today, I'm finally getting around to showing you.

  

First off, let me explain what the problem has been in my lil' nook. Pretty much, to sum it up, It's flat out too little for my family.  Don't get me wrong, I am NOT complaining, it's just the back door is right off this nook and every.single.time my kiddo's go through the door (which is like a gazillion times a day) the door hits my chairs.  It's been a problem from day one.  I've tried just about every size/shape table there is.  The table has to be large enough to seat all 6 of us. 

So I've searched high and low for the "right table."  One that is big enough for all of us, cheap and one that the door doesn't hit.

I finally found one (back in June) for soooo super cheap on Craigslist.  But I had to re-do it.  The sellers had it sitting out in the rain (for who knows how long) and there literally was mold, mildew and spiders galore all over it.

 Check out the BEFORE photo's:

It doesn't look too bad, until I took the seat covers off...

 ... trust me it was nasty!

During the re-do process:

It was a BIG job!

and the AFTER:

I'm loving the new table!  But you know what I'm loving the MOST?  That back door can NO LONGER hit my chairs. 

Now I'm just waiting for my "decorator aunt" ;) to come stay with me next week so she can give me a little decor advice.  Like... what color bamboo roman shades to order and possibly a new table centerpiece and whether I should do a different rug or if I should re-do the chair covers, etc.

Now let me show you how much my breakfast nook has changed in the last few years:

Back in 2011
and then...

 trying a new table and chairs here - This one was definitely NOT happening!
so I changed it to this:

 This is before I painted the chairs (bought those chairs on Craigslist too.)
and then it looked like this:

I still LOVE that round table.  I'm storing it, because I may go back to the round one someday, or we may sell this house and I might have a dining room one day, so I can put the round table in there.

and today, it looks like this:

For now this is working well for our family and I do love having the long curtain panels in here. It just cozy's up the space.

In case you're curious, the window panels that I have in this room now came from JCPenney.  They are the MarthaWindow Chorus Back-Tab/Rod-Pocket Curtain Panels in Chinois Green.

The above rug came from overstock and can be found here. 

That's it for now.  Hope you all have a great day!  School starts tomorrow for my boys, so it's time for me to get off and get things done around here. 

May you be a little inspired!

Until next time,
DaNita 
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Kitchen and Breakfast Nook: Clients Home

Hey ya’ll.  Thanks to all who joined the party on Thursday.  I just love looking through all your fabulous ideas.  You all are so very talented. 

 

I’ve had quite the crazy busy last couple of weeks.  So busy, I haven’t had time to write up any features from the parties, BUT I promise I will be getting some features done within a couple of days. I’m in the process of changing my blog schedule a bit, so I’ll be sure and let you know the plan on my features.

 

Before I share any new projects I’m going to FINALLY finish showing you the rest of my clients house that my niece and I decorated last summer. Yes, folks I said last summer.  Why I haven’t shared the whole place yet? Well, it’s because I have too many ideas and one post leads to another and another and another, then 6 months go by and well, here we are now. :)

 

I’ve already shared the zebra room, the sports room and the entry way. Today, I’m showing you my clients kitchen and breakfast nook:

 

  I used some old and some new decorations.

My client and I shopped together to pick up the new items.  Most of the new stuff in here is from Homegoods, Pier One, Real Deals or Ross.

The plaques above the cabinets came from Homegoods.

This side is existing décor that my client had, which is all from Homegoods too.

More above the cabinets.

An artificial floral arrangement from Real Deals.  I just popped the arrangement into an existing vase.

The buffet table is from Pier One. The clock, lamps and greens were pieces that my client already had.

The table and chairs are again from Pier One.  My clients home was a model home before she moved in. The builder had the table and chairs as part of the staging and my client purchased the set from the builder.

Guess what the centerpiece table covering is made from? It was a shower curtain on super sale clearance that I found at Ross.  I think it was a couple of bucks or so.  I simply cut it down and sewed the edges.  Do you have material, a curtain or an old shower curtain just sitting in a closet or cupboard?  Why not see what you can whip up with it. 

Here’s the before and after’s together:

It’s pretty cool what a little décor arranging can do and how it can make a home feel cozy and comfy.  Don’t you think?

Be sure and come back soon to see the living room photo’s of this home.  There’s an awesome clock in the living room that you just HAVE to see and a person could make it if you’re feeling crafty.

May you be a little inspired!

Until next time,

DaNita

Clients Home Decor

A couple of weeks ago I was hired to re-decorate a friends home.  My client has a beautiful home and was wanting a "fresh, new look." So I went in and did a little rearranging and switching of curtains and accessories to create a "NEW" feel. This post is  more or less just photo's for your viewing pleasure and hopefully a little inspiring to you as well.

Living Room:

For a little different window look, I took one side of the plain window panel and swung it over the other side of the curtain rod.  The green pillows, the floral pillows and window panels all came from Ikea.

I LOVE the large artwork.  It's from Homegoods.

I blocked out the family photo's - for the privacy of my client.

Entry Table:

Dining Room:

and...

Family Room:

Kitchen Niche:

Reading Area:

Back Entrance:

Here are a few of the Before and After's of the Living Room:

and

and the Family Room:

The little shelf in her kitchen:

and this one is in her master closet:

My client did this space with suggestions that I made.  She wanted a place for her sewing machine and gift wrapping supplies and she has this great big walk-in closet, which was a perfect place for this.

A little moving around of accessories, furniture and curtains can make big changes to a space.

How about you, do you LOVE to switch things up a bit in your home to get a WHOLE NEW look? 

May you be a little inspired!

Until next time,
DaNita

Linking to some of My Favorite Parties