before and after: kitchen table and chairs

table and chairs: after

I love paint. It’s such a fun and cheap change. And if you don’t like it later, all it takes is more paint. It’s easy and fixable, and it can be a great way to add color and character to your space on a budget. And if you’re a renter who can’t paint your walls, why not paint your furniture?

I started with a kitchen table and chairs that, though lovely, were not exactly my style, and I ended up with the perfect fun, bright table set for my kitchen. I guess I spoiled it by starting with the after, but here is the before:

kitchen table and chairs before

The chairs were covered in a forest green with woodland creatures. And the table was very nice, but not my favorite shade of wood.

kitchen table and chairs before

I wanted to add some color and make it my own, so I immediately turned to paint. With a few coats of paint and some new fabric for the chairs, I knew I could turn this table into something brand new and totally me.

I was inspired by an image I saw in HGTV magazine that unfortunately got tossed during the move. I love the strong red and the contrast with the white inside the bathtub. And the delicate wallpaper is so beautiful.

bathroom inspirationI decided on a two-tone table, using a bold color and white, and painted chairs to match. I started by picking out fabric for the chair cushion. I fell in love with this fantastic blue and white fabric that was delicate, graphic, and interesting–like the wallpaper in my inspiration. (Fabric is Valley of Azure, designed by Leah Duncan in the Meadow collection.)

recovered seat cushion

I waffled for days on what colors to choose and exactly how to paint the table, but I ended up with Midnight Swim and a pure white of True Value EasyCare paint in a satin finish. I decided on blue for the top and white on the legs.

painting the kitchen table

And I think it turned out so great!

kitchen table and chairs: after

flowers on the table

painted, recovered chair

What do you think of the transformation?

The paint job took many hours over several days, and I had a lot of help. Recovering the chairs was something I had never done before, but I think they came out pretty well. It was so fun to turn something relatively plain into a big focal point of my apartment. I think this will be one of the biggest projects for my new space and I am so relieved and excited that it’s done. Now all that’s left is to invite everyone over for dinner to use it!

8 thoughts on “before and after: kitchen table and chairs

  1. That is amazing! I would’ve walked past the original without even a thought! Now it looks absolutely amazing and unique!

  2. Oh my gosh…. This is so great!! I never would have dreamed the original table and chairs could look this good. WOW!!!! I’m amazed :)l

  3. Pingback: 27 | Rae's Days

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