Plan B

So sometimes, things just don't go the way you've planned.  Do you know what I mean?  You have this vision and when you try to actualize it...well, it just doesn't look anything like the picture in your head.  That's what happened to me recently with this tray table.  When I saw this piece, with it's simple clean lines and dark brown finish, I had a plan.  Well, long story short, this piece started out as a rough coat of Old White with plenty of the dark wood showing through and a stencil...gone wrong.


Well, what to do?  I know!  That great new color I just bought, Florence! So I was "off to the races," again!

I decided to distress this table.  I just love the juxtaposition of the clean, more modern lines of the table, with the well-worn look that the distressing suggests...as though this table has been around forever.  I think that makes it a very interesting piece.  

Surprise!  Turns out that my little "mistake" added another layer of color and dimension to the finished look.  I love that!  Well, maybe Plan B isn't so bad after all!

 Of course, this table would be great as a sofa table or a foyer table with a couple of lamps and some favorite treasures.  

But I thought the tray- top of this piece, made it perfect as a serving piece.  Here, I have set it up as a 'bar" for serving wine.  This table is simple and lightweight, which also makes it very versatile.  It can be moved around and used for any number of purposes. 

Tip:  When having guests over for an event, consider rearranging your furniture for better seating and conversation.  Repurpose pieces, like this table, to serve a new function.  This could be a wine, an appetizer or a dessert station.  Pull up a couple of chairs and it could even serve as extra table seating, in a pinch. 

That's what creativity is all about.  There is always more than one way to do something.  Think outside of the box!   Use your stuff in new ways!  Move it around! Don't be too stiff!  Be flexible!  That's what I had to do with this design.  This is also true of life in general.  Sometimes you just have to shake things up!  Sometimes Plan B offers something even more interesting, exciting and unexpected! 

From Formal to Dressy Casual

Back in the day, when I was growing up, people used to have a "formal" living room.  You know the room I'm talking about.  The one that you could only peak at from the hallway, but were never allowed to enter.  The one that was beautifully decorated and reserved for some "special occasion" that never seemed to come.  It stood as some sort of monument or tribute to a way of life reserved for the fancy and sophisticated, which apparently did not include you or your brothers and sisters.  In fact, the room was rarely used in entertaining, leaving one to wonder "Who is fancy enough for this place?"  These rooms were often furnished with Queen Anne style tables sporting elegant curved legs and a dark cherry finish, often a piano, and the finest of china and nick-knacks.

  

The "before" tables (that's a layer of primer on top of the coffee table)

 

The "after"

Many of us grew up to either create our own "tribute to fancy people" using this furniture, or we inherited these pieces from our family.  When I had an opportunity to redo a set of Queen Anne tables recently, I couldn't wait to get my hands on them and "dress them down."  Our lives today are far more informal than years ago.  Formal attire once worn to the office, church and the theater has been replaced with "dressy casual" attire in an effort to make us all feel more comfortable.  And that is the way we choose to live, too.  The formal living room has been replaced by the "family great room," where you are encouraged to relax and get comfortable.  

These once formal tables were transformed into their "dressy casual" counterparts.  I chose to create a look that might have been more characteristic of a farmhouse of yesteryear, but still having the elegant curves of their once formal lives.  The bodies were done in Old White and then slightly distressed to look as though they had been around for years.

I layered the tops in a Coco and Graphite wash that gave them "character" and then distressed them too, to show the cherry wood underneath at the edges.  The hardware, once shiny and gold, was repainted to an oil rubbed bronze.  

I love the way they turned out and I think they would suit most people's lifestyle today.  In fact they might look great in your fun family room, so if you are interested, they are for sale.  Go on, put your feet up and relax!