... and a Little Black Vignette

About 20 years ago, we purchased this Shaker style sofa table from a man in Houston who made furniture. He used poplar, which is a hardwood that is most typically painted. He chose to oil  this table, as it might have been finished traditionally, instead of using polyurethane.He constructed it with dowels instead of nails or screws. This particular poplar was a yellowish color, which worked well with our golden oak furniture pieces. I think we paid $80 for the table. A little later we purchased an 8-feet long dining room table, which I still use. 

After years without re-oiling the wood, the surface became dry and the top acquired a rust stain from an enameled bread box that sat on it for a while. Eventually, I painted the table with Rustoleum oil-based gloss black paint. I love Rustoleum oil paint! My woodwork is painted in gloss white, and I plan to paint my front door in the gloss black soon. My dining room hutch is painted antique white. I have chairs and a bench painted "farm implement red" This paint wears so well it will last for a lifetime.

The glossy finish didn't work for this table, though. I left it alone for a while, but eventually decided to distress it. Recently, I got my palm sander out, and did just that. I concentrated on the edges, hoping to highlight the simple lines of the table, and reveal the dowel joints. I wiped the table down with Minwax Gel Stain. I like it much better now. It took about a half hour to change the look of this table to something I like! I should have done it months ago.

I plan to use this table in my living room, where my color scheme will be a wide variety of greens and black. Tonight, I pulled some of my favorite black items to stage the table and to present a counterpoint to my last post - a little white vignette. 

In the top photo, there is a piece of black metal art that reminds me of an old ceiling tile. I don't know the origin of the piece, but I found it in a used furniture store and paid $11 for it last year. Below the metal piece, there is a little silhouette I bought in a thrift store for .50c. It had a rust colored frame, which I painted black. 


Items on the table include a hand I purchased earlier this year for $12 from one of my favorite shops - Gray is Grey. I think it may be a glove form. 


Next to the hand are three framed black and white family photos. The small one was .50c in a thrift store. The larger two were gifts from my daughter, Hannah - in the center photo. To the right of Hannah's photo is a new purchase from Goodwill last week - a wire house. It cost $2. Next to my son Ethan's photo is a lamp purchased for $1.91 at a thrift store. It is wearing a borrowed shade from my bedroom - one I found at Walmart for $10. The lamp is resting on a stack of three vintage books. 


In the top two photos, you'll see a black wicker chair. I purchased it at the store where I found the metal art, and paid $10 for it. It was a very chippy white. It still chips off paint, so I occasionally pull it outside and touch up the black paint. 


After years of having lots of warm, beautiful colors in my home, I'm ready for something different. I'm still using the colors I love, but instead of mixing them all up in a room, I'm having a green room, a red room, a white room, a brown room, etc. Most rooms will have some black in them. Black helps ground a space, and its timeless. 


Next, I'll show you what I'm taking to Hannah's house this weekend!


Word of the Day:


Isaiah 44:3-5


3For I will pour water on the thirsty land,
   and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring,
   and my blessing on your descendants.
⁴ They will spring up like grass in a meadow,
   like poplar trees by flowing streams.
⁵ Some will say, ‘I belong to the LORD’;
   others will call themselves by the name of Jacob;
still others will write on their hand, ‘The LORD’s,’
   and will take the name Israel.


May your Wednesday be AMAZINGLY blessed!
-Revi