Friday, April 19, 2013

A Farmhouse-ish Kitchen Table


Yes, I realize this is a random time to be posting.  I don't normally post on Friday afternoons, but since I actually finished a project and have a few minutes to spare before the man of the house brings his traveling pants home, I decided to go ahead and share it. 

It's the kitchen table. 

In case you forgot, 
here's what it looked like before. 

I have never been fond of that table. 

We bought it from a friend when we moved here and discovered that the space wasn't suited for our round one.  It was supposed to be temporary... 17 years ago. 

I have always wanted a farmhouse table with big, old, beautiful legs. The husband, on the other hand, actually likes this one, mainly because of the butcher block top. Since he rarely if ever has an opinion about stuff like that  (and since I haven't found a replacement anyway), I decided to make this one work in the new kitchen.  

I sanded the top, first with  coarse (80 grit) sandpaper,
then with medium (150), and then with fine (220).


Then a coat of  prestain conditioner
 and a painted trestle. 

Starting to look a little more farm house-y, don't you think?



I had it in my head  to stain the butcher block dark like all the hip, young, bloggers are doing, but apparently, I'm not young and hip.  I tried five different stains on the flipside of the table and never did feel the love.  

So...


I ended up staining it the same maple that it was to begin with.  


Only darker and richer in color. 

It took two good coats of stain 
(Colonial Maple, Minwax)
and three good coats of tung oil to get the color I wanted.



Maybe not young and hip but very, very, much Debbie.




That's OK with me. 

I checked in the mirror, and a young, hip blogger doesn't live here.
Debbie does.

(You can tell because the table is perpetually set...)



After all these years, I can finally say that I like this table.

In fact,  at the moment, I kinda love it just a little.
I don't even miss the farmhouse legs... 
all that much.



And there you have it:
My make- it -work farmhouse table.

Next up: The bare naked wall behind it.
Yeah, I know.
More decisions. 


40 comments:

Lynn said...

It turned out great! I love the pretty top with the white legs-enjoy:@)

Deanna Rabe - Creekside Cottage Blog said...

It looks really great!

Debbie you've got great style!

Deanna

Debbie said...

Oh I am LOVING it all. The table, (and those legs ~ yes, VERY farmerish) the tile, the cupboards, the counters...sooo good! And now anxious to see what you do with that bare wall!! Enjoy your week-end Debbie

Chatty Crone said...

I would take that color and that table and those chairs any day. You did a GREAT job. I love it. The whole kitchen is fantastic. So how long did it take you?
Hugs, sandie

Elizabeth Edwards said...

well, i consider myself young & hip (at soon to be 35 yr. old, ssshhh!! please don't tell any one. ha. ha!!) so i say yipppeee!! i love it. super duper cool color. nice!! time to relax & start making a design for that wall. wish ya well. i know it is tough. you don't want to do anything that dates the room. i like to think on my parents home we grow up in house that screamed the 70's & they are still working on it now & again. but i guess the only real way to get rid of it all the dated materials is tear it down completely & start anew. but i have gone on & on. enough said. have a great weekend. take care my friend. ( :

Vee said...

Debbie! That's wonderful! It looks perfect and perfectly at home. Oh the money you have saved!

Babs said...

LOVE it! You did a great job, and I think the color is perfect!
Hugs,
Babs

Unknown said...

I'm with you! I love it like this!! love the tablescape also!

Barbara Neubeck said...

Hi Debbie... LOVE the colour and sheen of the table........ it makes me smile just looking at it... well done.....
Hugs and blessingsBarb xxx

Sharon said...

I really love the warm, rich color of the *new* tabletop. It's perfect for the look that you're going for in that farmhouse of yours!!

I have a dining room table that I inherited from my dad's aunt. Complete with leather-seated chairs, brass tacks, and fancy doodads on the feet. It's not really working in our mountain home...

But, it's an heirloom.

What to do???

Marty@A Stroll Thru Life said...

I love your redo, your kitchen, dining area are gorgeous. I also really envy all the space. Hugs, Marty

The Polka Dot Closet said...

Oh Debbie, I love it! Does that mean I'm not hip either lol! I can't wait to hear what traveling pants thinks!!

Carol

Christine said...

B-I-N-G-O!!
S-C-O-R-E!!!
Take a look at that kitchen, WOW!
Best Self-Kitchen Makeover, I've seen in Blogland.

Barbara F. said...

Love your "new" dining set, you did a great job. xo

elizabeth said...

It turned out super cute, Debbie!

Nikki (Sarah) said...

I'm in total awe. This is fabulous. I love what you did. You Debbie....got talent!!!! Hey and it's good to see you around again. Have a beautiful Saturday out there.

Tricia said...

Wow, that looked like a LOT of work -- but the end result is so worth it! The "new" table really fits perfectly with your new kitchen look. And I love how you set the table to show it off!

Miss Char said...

I love it to Debbie, no hipster blogger in this house either. Great job my friend.

Denise said...

I absolutely LOVE the table. I think it's beautiful and suits you perfectly. I also think you can scratch "look for table for the kitchen" off of your to do list. I don't suppose you'd be interested in finishing a threshold for me. You are so talented.

BTW, in case I haven't told you a hundred times already, I love your kitchen.

Debbiedoos said...

What a great redo Debbie. You totally freshened it up. You must be smitten with your new kitchen!

Sue said...

Love it Debbie! And I love the checked placemats.

Alycia Nichols said...

What in the world has gotten into you??!?!?! All these HUGE projects!!! I am in awe...and a little bit jealous, I will admit! :-)

You did a great job! The table looks a billion times better, and I think that freshening it up with white legs and chairs really made a difference in the whole space.

You're not alone, Debbie...I'm not young & hip, either. I have hip PROBLEMS (and back, and shoulder, and knee, and....), but I'm not hip! :-)

Tanna said...

Looks fabulous, Debbie!! And, kudos to you for knowing and sticking to what you love! blessings ~ tanna

Unknown said...

I think your table looks great and I can relate to a young blogger not living here! You made this your own and it's beautiful!! Great job!!

Mrs. Kelley Dibble said...

It's incredible! I love it!
Kelley~

kitty@ Kitty's Kozy Kitchen said...

You did a great job, Debbie, on the table. I love the painted legs and matching chairs. The table is set so pretty, too with the black and white check and pretty napkins.

bj said...

ooo, I love love love it, Debbie girl. The whole set is, indeed, very farmhouse looking.
I love your dining area...and can't wait to see what you do with the wall.
With those black and white mats and red flatware, I thought it was one of MY settings at first...OH WAIT...NONE of mine have ever been that pretty. :(

Sharlotte said...

Wow, I really like it! It looks great with the rest of your new kitchen. Plus you have the satisfaction of knowing that it's exactly what you want!
Hm...wondering what you're going to come up with for your wall????

Kim@stuffcould.... said...

I am not young and hip...I love that maple color, in my case natural wood color is always the best

Manuela@A Cultivated Nest said...

oooh I love it! My dining room table is one of those tables too. I keep trying to buy a new one and then "other things" always come up and I don't. My chairs too (which I've painted and re-covered a zillion times).

Love the contrast of the deep rich maple with the white chairs. They look great with the white of your cabinets. You do set a lovely table!

Btw, it was me. I didn't put the right link into that post but it's fixed now. :)

Anonymous said...

Great job, Debbie! I like the chairs in white too. The whole space looks terrific!

Mary said...

Debbie, Your table transformation is wonderful! Love the deep golden color and white trestle! Your white chairs are wonderful too :)

corners of my life said...

This room gets more charming with every addition.

Amy Kinser said...

I love what you did to your table. Really, I think it looks perfect!!! What does your husband think about the updated look?

Hope all is well in your neck of the woods.

Anonymous said...

DEBBIE!!! I was so happy to see your comment this morning. First thing I did was rush here to let you know and to say hello. HELLO!! You had not seen the page because I deactivated it while I dedicated more time to my other page, The Shop Around the Corner. Our family is in a very transitional year (moving twice) so I felt it was best to go back to simplicity.
I'm just happy to be back in touch.
Looking forward to visiting.
I'll stop by later for a little catching up.
XOXO's

The Quintessential Magpie said...

I was out of town all week and decided to pop in and check out what you'd been up to, and WOW! I love this, Debbie.

I've decided that the "young hip" crowd are missing out on a lot with the cookie cutter interpretation of what is hip and cool and young. It's like lemmings to the sea, too.

I just went to a party at a "young hip" house, and it seemed a bit on the spartan side. In truth, it looked like something out of Restoration Hardware, an-anyone-can-buy-this-look-with-enough-money house. I like a look that is distinctly a person's own with things that are unique, a house infused with that person's personality. The girl's mother's house does that, and I adore her house. But this one just screamed, "rich young hipster", but maybe that is her personality. I don't know, but I was expecting something more, something that said she lived there, was from a family of collectors, and that she loved her heritage.

I was a little disappointed, but then I went home and started looking around and wondering if I still like my clutter. Isn't that funny? And the answer is, yes, sort of. LOL When I start giving away my china, look OUT!

Then I went to another party, and the girl who had it is about ten years younger than I am. Her house was a home and was infused with personality and color. As a result , it was so warm and inviting. She had her collections out, all layered, and she had great food she had cooked. There was comfortable seating. No one wanted to leave. It was wonderful You felt at home, even the new girl who didn't know a living soul. This was a sorority alumni group..

Then we went to yet another party this weekend, and while I adored the house, I was stunned to discover it didn't have anything in it that told me that someone actually lived there. It might as well have been a hotel, albeit an expensive one. It was comfortable and beautiful and utterly devoid of personality. I don't get it. Were the homeowners sold a bill of goods by some decorator or by the internet? It's pretty, but it didn't tell me one thing about them. They don't collect art. They don't collect china. They don't collect books. What do they do? It looked like a very expensive beach house, but maybe that's what they wanted, comfort with a few simple pieces. I just didn't understand it.

I think there is a contingency in the decor world that is driving design in some circles into a gender-free, personality-free zen zone. I've been thinking about this a lot.

No, I'm all about putting your own stamp on things, and I love that you did that here. I also love your cute tablescape. You do such a great job with those.

XO

Sheila

xinex said...

I love it, Debbie! I love how you painted the legs and the chairs white. I knew you would make that table beautiful. you are so good in staining. I am also looking for a farm style table for the house in Florida...Christine

Shannon @ A Cozy Place Called Home said...

Debbie, I think I love your table, too! The maple stain is a very pretty color. The entire kitchen looks great!
Shannon

Bargain Decorating with Laurie said...

What a difference that made! The table, along with the white chairs are perfect! I also love your table settings, and the b/w checks look so great with your new kitchen look. You've been a busy girl, and your kitchen is reaping the benefits of it. laurie

http://bitsandpieces-sonja.blogspot.com/ said...

It's beautiful Debbie! The whole kitchen looks warm and inviting, and really classy! I am dragging my heels on getting the master bath finished, it's such a mess right now. Your clean finished look will surely inspire me to get moving... won't it?? :)

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