Thursday, July 17, 2014

Cupboard Door Table (and my near-miss attempt at chalk painting)

Tada!! Here is the antique cupboard door-turned coffee table that my Renaissance Merman assembled for me over the weekend.


He is much more adept at using power tools than I am, and when not golfing or watching sports on tv, he's a very willing handyman - yea!

One of these days, I'm going to plan a project from inception and then execute it all the way to completion without wondering how it ended up not looking as I had planned. Yep, this is another one of my brilliant ideas that turned out differently than my original vision. I began the search for the perfect door...of course there were certain factors to consider. Like size, price, and that I wanted it done "yesterday". So here is the one I ended up with.


Do you think I could remember to take a picture of it in its original state so that you could see where it started? (Ummmm, nope.) It had layers of sky-blue and lemon-yellow paint, which if I were into pastels would have been really awesome, but that's not so much my "thing"........ Here it is with one coat of some chalk paint that I had on hand (thinking I would create one of those masterpieces that I've seen all over the web?)


OK, this is where things start to veer off of the vision. You see, I really do love all of those beautiful chalk-painted projects that talented people everywhere are creating! But then my "gut" spoke up and said "Julie, this isn't your look. You're an eclectic, but shiny-paint girl." So in the end, I went with what I know works for me. And here, in all its glory, is my version of a vintage painted table.


Even after sanding with the power sander (I did that part myself - yea, me!) there is a lot of chippy paint layered under the coats of black. But I don't mind, because I still wanted the door to look old (otherwise I would have bought a smooth new door.) And I chose not to sand off any painted edges to give it a worn look because, honestly, I didn't want it to look too rustic.


These legs were simply unfinished table legs and metal brackets purchased at Lowe's. The tricky part was finding the correct height (I really wanted chunkier legs, but they were all too short, darn it!) These actually coordinate well with my little green side table, though, so all is well I guess.


And who says that a vintage door table can't be dressed up with a touch of metallic gold? This I did by just brushing liquid leaf onto the bottoms of the legs, and I dabbed a little on the latch, too. I quickly tried to wipe some off of the latch because I did want that to retain its aged look (but believe me, this liquid leaf dries fast! Not much time to second guess your choices there.)


The basket was one I had picked up at a tag sale a couple of years ago. It had always held the dozens (and dozens) of pairs of my daughter's old pointe shoes in her bedroom. But I think it has found a new life as the perfect storage spot for cozy blankets and pillows out here.


The only thing left to do now is curl up on the sofa with a summery snack and a good book. Ahhhhh......


Sharing with Ivy and Elephants, Lamberts Lately, Paper and Fox, The Dedicated House, Life in Velvet, Revisionary Life, Share Your Cup Thursday, From My Front Porch to Yours, Shabby Art Boutique, Redoux Interiors, French Country Cottage, The Shabby Nest, The Charm of Home, Natasha in Oz, Pieced Pastimes, Rustic and Refined

32 comments:

  1. This looks great...perfect for what you are doing with this area! I really like how it looks, and it really adds something to the room overall...thanks for sharing your experience so honestly!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Jodee. I'm pretty happy with the end result, as I do think it works well in the space and reflects my style.

      Delete
  2. What a clever use of an old door! Great idea!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I <3 your pillow and your table! Sp pretty and cozy:) Pinned

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Michele :) It's nice to "meet" you!

      Delete
  4. I love the the touch of gold on the legs of the table.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Simply lovely table! I love the fact that you left the knob on and the gold detail on the legs!
    I'm afraid of power tools!

    ReplyDelete
  6. So cool! I love this and I love that you stayed true to your style and painted it shiny black. Thanks so much for linking at On Display Thursday! - Bre @ Average But Inspired

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Bre. And thanks for hosting the party :)

      Delete
  7. Julie, I love it! And yes, go with what is your style. I don't even want to try doing things all by myself. I just know that my hubby loves it when I ask for his help. Helps him know that he's good for something. lol! Just kidding, he's an awesome guy! Thanks for sharing it with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are lucky that your hubby is also a willing participant, Jann ;)

      Delete
  8. It's beautiful! I love the way the door has different sections so you can sort of section your things on your coffee table. I would have never had thought to leave the door knob on but it looks so wonderful. Love it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Carla. Yes, those sections do keep things from moving around on the table, too!

      Delete
  9. Your coffee table turned out so very chic!! Love how you dressed it up a bit with the gold leaf. Just perfect!!
    Mary Alice

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I do like the gold leaf, too, Mary Alice :)

      Delete
  10. Hi, Julie! What a terrific look!!! I'm impressed that you had the vision in the first place!!! I don't know that I would have ever thought to create a table from a door! I think that although you wanted chunkier legs (we never say that about our bodies, do we? ;-) ), the ones you ultimately put on look really great. You're right...they work perfectly with the legs of the existing side table. I've seen legs like the unfinished ones in the photo when in stores like Lowe's and Home Depot, but I never really considered that they might be used for!

    Congratulations on finding a handy husband, too. They're not all that easy to find these days!

    (Visiting from Christine's "Table It!" blog party)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I appreciate all of your comments, Alycia. Those Lowe's legs could find multiple uses now that we know how easy they are to use! I wish we could select our own leg size that easily ;)

      Delete
  11. I love how you kept the knob on your table, and I think the shiny black looks great! You'll be featured tonight at Revisionary Life, Julie. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete