Piece-by-piece, we’ve spent the last few years transforming our house from the mix of mid-century modern furniture from our old house and hand-me-downs to fill the space to a cozy, elegant family space.
Our original coffee table hit craigslist long ago when the shark corners + toddlers had my stomach in knots. Since, we’ve simply done without. With kiddos finally out of the wobbly stages, we were ready to finally have grown-up furniture again. With a young gymnast in the house, I still wasn’t quite ready for sharp corners. I was looking at some oval tables similar to this style:
Then I the perfect piece came along via a Facebook Garage Sale post. The folks were kind enough to hold it long enough for me to get there a couple hours later and for $40, I found the perfect piece!
A little rough, maybe, but solid. For practicality, I was planning on a worn-in look to hide the daily abuse it’s sure to see. I loved the storage underneath and it’s completely solid wood. Plus, ROUNDED CORNERS. Perfect for my sanity; perfect for a quick project.
I started with a primer on everything but the table top, followed by General Finishes Milk paint. On the top, I used General Finishes Gel Stain in lieu of my usual penetrating stain since I wanted to maintain the worn-in character that sanding would take out (and penetrating stain needs sanding on a pre-loved piece). I considered distressing, my by husband wasn’t particularly into the look so we left it as-is –– ready for the natural distressing of every-day life!
The finished product is truly the prefect mix of form & function. We store remotes and commonly used items underneath and the finish has proven perfect for daily use. It’s elegant, practical, and best of all, useful.
With a little patience, you should be able to find your perfect piece as well. Pay attention to lines and features you want (like the rounded corners & shelf below here) and not the finish. For $40 plus an afternoon & some leftover paint, we have a new (to us), one-of-a-kind, loved coffee table.
Source List:
Zinsser Primer Quart or Spray | General Finishes Milk Paint in Snow White | Chip Paint Brushes | General Finishes Gel Stain in Antique Walnut
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