Let's switch gears for a moment, shall we?
OK, dear readers. I am in a decorating quandry. I am pretty sure I know what I am going to do, but I thought I'd get some opinions from all of you (to either confirm my decision or give me something to think about)...so get ready to comment! First off, however, I wanted to share a couple photos of my "office". I promised these several months ago, and never posted them. So, here it is - my little space. This is where the Blogging magic happens! My office is actually a closet in the den. We removed the door, painted it purple like the den, installed a desktop and shelves that my dad built and then we hung the chandelier that used to be in Jack's nursery.
The second photo shows a close-up of my new mail center. This is something that I am very proud of. We spotted the box in Phillip's parents garage on our last trip to Fairhope. It was just a plain, unpainted wooden box with divided drawers, but I saw potential. We asked for it and the Duncans said we could bring it home. I gave it a couple coats of black paint and then distressed it pretty heavily. As I was painting, I noticed that there was writing on the bottom: "by Henry Jackson, Cora's dad 1948". My mail center was made by Jack's Great-Great-Grandfather almost 60 years ago! The Cora that is referenced is Phillip's paternal grandmother. A dust-catcher has now become a family heirloom. How very special!
OK, so on to my decorating quandry: My dining room. Shortly after we married, Phillip's parents gave us a wonderful gift - their dining room furniture, the first furniture that they bought as a married couple. It is absolutely beautiful and it has served us well for nine years of marriage. But because it has served us so well, the table top is really showing signs of wear and tear. (You can't tell in the photo, but I promise it's true.) I have tried many things to remove rings, smudges and scratches to no avail.
The hutch has beautiful doors with glass panels, but the doors make it nearly impossible to see what is inside. Several months ago, we removed them to better display my milk glass collection. This left holes and discoloration where the hinges had been. OK - so what is my dilemma? I am thinking seriously of painting this dining set. Painting would give the table top new life and would allow me to hide the holes in the hutch. Plus, I just really love the look of painted furniture! And in case anyone is worried, Phillip's parents said we could do anything to it that we wanted to do. 
I want to paint it black and then lightly distress it. This would really tie it in with other elements throughout our house and make it more "our style". I can see it in my head and I love it. We want to add in a leaf to the table and then add a bench (perhaps painted cream for contrast) to one side so that we can seat more people at once. What do you think? I paint old, ugly furniture all the time, but is it a mistake to paint something this nice? Help!
I have been considering this decision for at least a year now and I am finally on the cusp of doing (or not doing) something. So, any opinions or suggestions would be appreciated!
Posted By Mary Alice at 10:52 PM
13 Comments:
BIG mistake!!!!! Put the doors back on, clean the top of the table and do something else less destructive. Learn to love the natural beauty of the wood.
your daddy
oh, daddy - i ALREADY KNOW how you feel about it. you are a mess.
i love you!! (now, when are you coming over to do some work in the playroom???)
I have to agree with your daddy! Once you paint it, it will never be the same again (great, now that song will be stuck in my head all day...)! BUT, it is your furniture, so do what you think you'll like. I know with your talent it will be beautiful!
Mary Alice,
I have experience painting only one large furniture item that receives alot of traffic. The finish I put on it gets "dinged" alot more than the original finish and is just not as durable. You, however, have much more experience with this type of thing, and if you know how to do it in a lasting way, then I say go for it! One condition... please post the details of the process you used so that I can try the same thing with some similarly colored furniture!
Before I even finished reading your entry, I was thinking it would look good painted black. I say go for it!
Whew. That's a tough decision! I have to say that I would keep it "as is." It's a family piece that can be passed onto Jack's family one day. Although I think painted, distressed furniture is awesome, I may not think so in 10 years. But once you've done it, it's hard to go back. I love your dining set...it's truly beautiful!
Also, mine's a cheap, fake-wood set that I bought through the paper. If you want to help me paint and distress mine, you're welcome to. [wink, wink] I've been thinking about doing the same thing.
okay, now i'm torn. before i read everyone else's entry, i thought you should definitely paint it. you are just so talented at this sort of thing, and i know it would be stunning. but after reading the other comments, maybe i'm wrong. i think you'll love it if you do it. just promise to keep me posted on what you do, regardless!! good luck!
I was also thinking paint it until I read everything else. However, I still think it would look awesome painted. I love that look!
i have always been one to say not to change wood with paint, but i do love black distressed dining room furniture and i really love antique benches with dining tables...so i would probably go for it if you've been thinking about it for a year and still are feeling the same way. and your giving it new life for future generations.
I forgot your maiden name was Campbell! We wanted another "C" name to go with Claire, but wanted something that wasn't so common. I have to admit, it was Stephen's first choice. I actually wanted something else, but it has totally grown on me. I can't picture her as anything else now. Have a great day! Tell Phillip hi.
Why not give the parents back the furniture, buy yourself some unpainted stuff and have a ball.
I think you should leave it as is. There is something freeing about having wood furniture that shows some wear. I have a nicer dining table & not-as-nice table where we eat every day. It's freeing to not worry about tablecloths, water rings & placemats all the time. Could you sand it & stain it? Also, maybe you could put slipcovers over the chairs? I did this & it changed the look of my chairs a great deal.
Having said all that...You want a look to represent your personality. If your gut keeps saying "Do It!" and you don't love it right now, I'd just go for it.
I'm back! I missed you too! My opinion on the furniture is to strip it & stain it a different shade of brown, maybe tobacco or something darker & you still could do your cream distressed bench with it AND keep the natural beauty of wood PLUS it will still coordinate with your couch that's beside it in the formal living room.
We NEED to get together but my kids are sick. I'm taking Jake tomorrow to get his ear looked at b/c he said it's hurting....email me about your schedule for next week! LOVE YOU!!! P.S. Your email you sent me made me smile!!
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