From Mid-Century to Vintage Chic

This week Justin and I have been working on a furniture makeover project.  Yeah, you heard right, Justin and I.  How did I motivate Justin to get excited about a furniture project?

Easy...just make sure that furniture doubles as a bar.

Here is what the table looked like before:

 Every house has a table that opens to a bar...right?! No?  Well, it should!

On a visit to my parents house last weekend we dragged back this mid-century cocktail table that once belonged to my grandpa (my dad's father). My dad was given this table after his father passed and so it certainly had some sentamental value. My dad offered me the table a few years back, in which I politely declined. I had no need for a table...or a bar.   On our last visit we were picking up the foosball table my dad offered for me to take the bar table again, yet Justin overheard him this time.  I mean, what kind of man would turn down a table...that turns into a bar!?! Well, not Justin. I agreed that we could take it, but only only if I could refinish it.  I got the seal of approval, but was told I was not, under any circumstance, allowed to ruin it with paint.

I agreed.  I would not, under any circumstance, paint...the exterior.   

Justin was so excited that he didn't waste any time and he sanded it right away.  I wish everything could open up to a bar...  J did the sanding and I did the finish work. 

First, we removed the chrome insets (which were adhered with a bit of glue and they came off pretty easily) and the hinges.

And sprayed them with Rustoleum ORB spray paint.  I sprayed them with 3 light coats of ORB. 



Using the orbital sander, Justin went over the wood once with 60 grit sandpaper to get the finish off.  Then he went over again with 100 grit, and finally 150 grit to prep it for stain.  It went quick considering the table has a very simple design. 



Using a damp cloth, I wiped down the wood to get excess dust off.

Then, using a sponge brush, I brushed on one coat of Minwax Ebony Stain (Justin chose the color and I happened to have it on hand).  I allowed the stain to penetrate for 10-15 minutes and wiped off the excess with a rag.

I let the stain dry overnight and then brushed on a coat of Semi-Gloss Polyurethane (which I also had on hand).

After the piece was stained, I removed the stainless stand and went over it with 100 grit sandpaper real quick to help the paint stick.  Then I sprayed the stand with the same Rustoleum ORB. 

The bar was looking pretty dark, so after a little begging, Justin gave me permission to paint the inside.  Get ready for my favorite part...

I looked at dozens of samples of paint and ended up loving Valspar Color Radiance Paint + Primer Spray Paint (found at Lowe's for $3.98) in Mirage.  The color is a very soft turquoise (leans more toward blue) that reminds me a lot of one of my favorite things...

 

I may cover my house is this color.


Those glasses were also my grandfathers.  The original ice bucket is missing, but I found that an old container I used for storing coffee fit perfectly and would serve as a great ice bucket.

The cocktail is made of mahogany, and once sanded, was in great condition.  The top didn't take the stain as well but we actually like the color variation.

If Justin didn't love this as a bar, I think it would be a great storage table to hold a throw blanket or pillows. 

And then...BAM...a pop of color.  I think I may like this bar more than Justin now...

I think my grandpa would be pretty stoked to see this cocktail bar being given a new life.  And I'm sure Justin and his friends will get plenty of use out of it.

I had to spread the project over 3 nights because of dry time.  But all together, it only took about 2 1/2 hours of time.  Not too shabby when I got a sweet little table out of the deal. 

I'm happy that Justin saw the beauty in this little mid-century table and convinced me to give it a new look.  It's so pretty now that it may find it's way into my bedroom.  Hmm... maybe I can rig this thing up to be a coffee server and keep it next to the bed.  I would have to pry it out of Justin's bar first.

You want a bar table now, don't you!?  Have you ever added a pop of color to furniture on the inside? I think it may be one of my new favorite secrets!

Mary

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