Header Image
 

A Tale of Two Tables

by kenz on January 9, 2013 in Decorating, Little Touches with 29 Comments

If you saw my post on the DIY Mercury Glass Tutorial, you might have noticed something different about my living room.

I’ve been living with this fat-bottomed (still on my Queen kick) coffee table for several months.

Eclectic Living Room Before

lol, Indy’s horrible hair cut.  Ew.

Herringbone Coffee Table

I bought it with the intention of turning it into an ottoman.  After the Christmas decorations went down, I pulled out my ottoman supplies.  I had purchased this fabric before YHL made it cool.  Months ago.  Just sayin…  I bought it online, thinking the colors would go with the rug, and I’d be able to layer patterns.  But, it wasn’t really jiving with me.

In theory I thought it might work.

Eclectic Living Room

But, it just didn’t seem to “go.”  It can’t always be Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan chemistry.  Life is cruel that way.

Eclectic Living Room

So I did what any DIYer would do: start trolling the classifieds for something that would work.  Chomp chomp, click click.  That’s the sound of internet trolls doing work.

I found this little beaut.  A lot smaller than Big Woody (get your mind out of the gutter), which helped the scale of the room a bunch.  We decided to ditch the tall circle table as well, leaving room for you to actually walk behind the chairs to the window seat.

*Please don’t mind the puppy photo bombs.  That’s just something you’re going to get here.  Ain’t nobody got time for keeping dogs outta pictures.

Eclectic Living Room

Eclectic Living Room

Eclectic Living Room

I’m telling you, this room has been HARD to furnish.  The scale is tough.  It’s a really small room with hard layout.  The window seat, fire place, half wall, and walkway made is so there were no walls to put your furniture to.  I was 100% new to “floating furniture.”  But I think it’s coming together.  Should I remind you what we started with?

bad living room

Anyway.  Back to the new coffee table.  I decided to give it a Mercury Glass treatment the same time as the vases.

DIY Mercury Glass Tutorial on a table

Does DIY Mercury Glass work on metal? DIY Mercury Glass Tutorial

The Looking Glass paint didn’t have the effect on the frame as I wanted, but it still gave it a slightly tarnished metallic look.

DIY Mercury Glass Tutorial on a table

The transformation wasn’t anything hugely noticeable.  A subtle +1 in my opinion.

DIY Mercury Glass Tutorial on a table

DIY Mercury Glass Tutorial on a table

And here’s how it all fits together.

DIY Mercury Glass Tutorial with pictures

What do you think? Do you like the ottoman better or the Mercury Glassed table?  And do you have a hard time with scale/furniture too?

You might also like:

kenz
Tagged:
  • Emma (Broke Ass Home)

    I think what I like most is honestly that you now have room to get your lack ottomans away from the fireplace. It’s so pretty that I hated it being hidden by them. I’d still be on the hunt for a smaller table to put between the two chairs, as I liked the angles that created. BUT I do like the smaller table :)

    • Kenz

      I’m looking for smaller end tables too. I bought some fabulous lamps while thrift shopping, and I’m super excited because I can get rid of the floor lamps now. but i need tables to put the new lamps on. One day I’ll find just the right thing.

    • http://twitter.com/MiddleClassMod Tracie

      Ha, that’s exactly what I was going to say. Now you can see your pretty fireplace. I really, really love your new coffee table.

      • Kenz

        I like being able to see the fireplace too! Thanks Tracie :)

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Vanessa-Lund/100002729840071 Vanessa Lund

    HI, Kenz
    I love this table much better. It’s not a chunky and fits so much better in your living room. I love the before. The room looks cohesive. You rock!

    • Kenz

      Hi Vanessa! Thank you. I’m trying to get this room in order since it is the first thing people see when they come into our home. It’s been one of those “add one piece at a time” kinds of rooms.

  • http://twitter.com/SandpaperGlue Stephanie

    1. You’ve Got Mail.. ::sigh:: I was so glad when they reunited for that movie.

    2. I like the new table better then the wooden one… but I agree with Emma that maybe you need a smaller table between those two chairs. Or do like I did in the sunroom, get a garden pedestal so it’s still interesting but it’s short and the top is flat so you can put a drink on it. TJ Maxx & Marshall’s have them all the time, even off season :) .

    • Kenz

      Anytime You’ve Got Mail is on TV, it’s a rule that I stop whatever I am doing, and watch it through the end. Thank your.

      And you’re right. A garden pedestal would be lovely in the mash up. I’m going to need to put my hunting glasses on and start looking.

  • Gretchen@Boxycolonial

    looking good! I look forward to the day when I can have glass things in my house again. Also, I think you still need to make fox pillows for SOMEWHERE. You can send them to me if you don’t have anywhere to put them ;)

    • Kenz

      lol, I never realize how un-kid-friendly my house is until we have children over. Then they are running and crashing into everything. The good news, is: I never spend a lot of money on glass things. Always thrift stores or classifieds. And, I am totally still going to make fox pillows. Isn’t the fabric amazing? It was suggested by Emma. I just need to get around to ordering more than a swatch.

  • http://www.facebook.com/henrietteh Henriette Hoel

    It looks great! Much more “airy” (if thats a word) :D (and I love the photo bombers, they are the cutest. I need a little dog!)

    • Kenz

      I think it looks more airy too :) Takes up much less visual space. And you DO need a dog! Now that you have a house, you need a dog to fill it with.

  • http://everyday-simple.blogspot.com/ Rachel

    I like the mercury glassed table. Kind of like the poster below me said, it “airs” up the room. I’ve been searching for a table like that in the classifieds for for-eh-ver. No luck yet.

    • Kenz

      Gotta love KSL. I feel like we’re spoiled in Salt Lake that we don’t have to use Craigslist. KSL is SO GOOD.

  • MarLyn

    I love the mercury glass! Also, I could not agree more with the Tom Hanks Meg Ryan reference. I do love the new table!

    • Kenz

      Thanks Min. I do love Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. It doesn’t get much better. Even Joe vs the Volcano. Pure magic :)

  • A

    It is hard to tell from a picture concretely, but I think the table being just a bit longer would have been perfect. It looks better then the wood table for sure. I always get stuck when I when 1 table is too small, but 2 is too big. It’s like I always need 1 1/2 tables.

    • Kenz

      Hi A! I agree too. I think if it were slightly bigger (not as big as the first table) or longer it would be a little better . I also think that I small circle table would look fabulous. But I just gotta work with what I have/what is available in my price range. I’ve still got my eyes out though for the very perfect pieces.

      • Amy Mueller

        I got an email from Farrow and Ball for their 2013 color trends it looks like you are spot on for gray and blues. I am doing the same scheme right now, but with yellow accents. People thought I was nuts to paint my house interior gray in Portland, but I changed their minds once they saw it and realized gray-blue can be a calming neutral.
        http://www.farrow-ball.exvn.com/tdocs/85784/UK-News-0113.cfm?id=0xbe1c0299ffa15da087762e13fd7bad4a.1.85784

        • Kenz

          Oh awesome! Thanks for sending me that link. It’s nice to know I’m doing something right, lol. Your color scheme sounds lovely! do you have a blog? I’d love to see pictures of your room.

  • Jen @ The Yellow Brick Cottage

    Am I complete weirdo for liking the scale of the rectangular table that you had in the beginning? Although, for my own greedy purposes, I kind of want to see the ottoman finished, so I can be inspired to finish the pile of crap on my bedroom floor, too :) …and YES scale is sucky, sucky! I am having such a tough time in our new house with the layout and vaulted ceilings…and as the garage door can attest I have a hard time with depth perception and remembering the size of my SUV versus the size of the garage space….

    • Kenz

      lol Miss Jen, you are NOT a weirdo. I suppose the rectangle table worked with the furniture we had, but it would have not worked at ALL with the new stuff. The “before” picture doesn’t do justice to how out of place that couch was in that room. It was not good.
      I’m just like you when a project goes wrong. I either abandon it for awhile until I have enough fresh energy to re-attack it. Or I just abandon it completely and scrap it. In fact, there is a something I’ve never shared on the blog, because I’m STILL too mad to. I tried to build an ottoman from scratch. Yeah. It didn’t go well. As soon as I calm down, I think I’ll be able to write about it. So don’t you fret! Take as long as you need to finish that dang thing.

  • Pingback: $15 / 15 Minute Project Link Party! | Interiors by Kenz

  • http://www.facebook.com/kristy.attaway Kristy Wainscott Attaway

    I was wondering how easy it is the clean the mercury glass table top. I was considering doing this in my guest shower on the glass door but not sure how easy it will be to clean. Gets very little use but still have to be able to clean it! Did you do put the painted side up or down? I could paint it on the outside where it doesn’t get totally wet…

    • Kenz

      Hi Kristy! I’m glad you stopped by :) I did the mercury class on the bottom side of the glass, so the top is just like cleaning normal glass. I have heard that the mercury glass spray paint can rub off if it is touched or handled too much. I’m not sure how well it would react with the shower. Maybe test it out on something small first, just to be safe!

  • http://www.facebook.com/kristy.attaway Kristy Wainscott Attaway

    by the way…I like the mercury glass table way more than the ottoman and I think scale is perfect!

    • Kenz

      Thank you! I like it too!!

  • Lesley

    So glad I found this! I’m found a used coffee table with potential, but it’s not quite what I want…black bamboo with a glass top. But now I think I can paint it a different color and give the glass this mercury effect and it will be perfect!

    • Kenz

      That will look really pretty! Send me a picture when you do it!

←
→
 

Copy and paste into your site: