Land of the Silver Birch: Entranceway Set

I had a Queen Anne style table hanging around in the garage since last October when I was collecting chairs (and tables, apparently) for the YMCA Chairs for Charity event.  I didn't have any chairs to match (they were used for the charity event!) so I held on to this table for a while...

A week ago it hit me - I can separate the table top and use each half for a different project!  Duh!

Separating the tables was super-easy, just a few screws to loosen and remove et voila!  The table skirt came off with a couple of whacks from my mallet, and we were in business. 

I primed the table half (and I really should have primed it in white, not grey....but I wasn't thinking), and then painted two coats of off-white latex paint over top.  After these dried, I set about painting over the base coat with the blue-grey paint, and creating the birch-tree effect. 

Painting a string of birch trees is easy - I free handed the trees in, painted the 'background' behind the trees with the blue-grey colour and left the tree trunks white.  To create the bark effect, use your blue-grey paint and paint in lines of various lengths in random locations along both sides of the trunk.  Easy!

I sealed the paint after I was finished and then I used an awl and hammer to tap in the nickel-plated upholstery nails one-by-one.  Once I got the hang of it, it actually didn't take as long as I expected.  The final touch was adding the coat hooks and the chalkboard banner at the bottom.  Too cute! 

For the bench, I gave it a couple coats of off-white chalk paint and bought some 1-inch thick foam to pad the top.  Once upon a time this bench was a coffee table.  *gasp!*  (OK, it's not rocket science but it's the first time I've done it).  I stapled down a double-thick layer of batting over the foam to give everything a nice smooth feel.  I stapled down the fabric, pulling it as taut as I could as I went. 

Then I repeated the same technique I used on the coat rack to paint the birch trees on the fabric of the bench.  I used latex paint and after it had dried overnight, I used medium grit sandpaper to soften and distress the fabric.  The fabric doesn't feel like cotton anymore, but more like outdoor-furniture fabric.  Perfect for a busy mudroom or entranceway.  It wipes clean and resists water!

The coat rack is meant to hang on the wall above the bench if it were in a mudroom or entranceway.  You could put this in the bedroom, too and have the bench at the foot of the bed and the coat rack could be used to hold hand-bags, belts, scarves and even jewellery! 

This set is for sale ***$150*** and it's yours! 

 

I'm also sharing this upcycled project over at Fingerprints on the Fridge. 

Check it, and lots of other cool projects, out here: