DIY: How to Refinish a Dining Room Table

I have been wanting to replace my small dining room table with something that can accommodate a growing family in the future, so I decided to tackle refinishing a vintage 1930's dining set. Here are the steps I used, with photos, to help you NOT make the mistakes I did.

1. Locate your furniture. Make sure it is REAL wood, not laminate. You will be in for a rude awakening once you start refinishing it! Here was my befores of the vintage set I got from a friend:

Chairs were dingy but great (real) wood structures to work with

The table had a cherry stain which I hated, this was during sanding...

Underneath the checkered fabric I found the original fabric that had never been taken off

Once I got down to the bones of the furniture I found a few surprises. It looked like there had been multiple stain colors used over the years and the seats had the original fabric underneath the checkered blue fabric. The good thing was that the actual wood for the seats were in great shape so I was able to keep it.

Supplies:

Batting for seats
Spray Primer
Sander
Paintbrush (Two types: One large for Stain on table and small for chairs)
Paint- I used Semigloss oil-based enamel since I knew food might get on the chairs and you can easily wipe down

Here is the part that I HIGHLY say to skip..which I didn't. I bought chemical stripper and thought it would be easier than sanding all of the old stain off the chairs. I WAS WRONG. Here was during stripping:

Not only did I feel my skin peeling off (not really but it felt like it was with the tiniest amount on my skin even though I was completely covered head to toe in clothes). I'm pretty sure if I get cancer later in life the doctors will attribute this very moment as the reason for it. It did as it said it would but it was NOT worth the trouble. The stain bubbled up and I had to end up sanding every square inch of each leg anyway just to get this bubbled up stain off. The whole reason for it was so I didn't have to sand! That stuff just scares me to death now. Never again! I didn't get a picture of this process because I was worried more about my health than chairs at this point. I stopped the project for a week and had to regroup...

After my mere breakdown I got back to it. I got the sander out and took it to the large part of the chairs and the table. I got sandpaper and a steel wool pad for the small parts of the chairs and did by hand. I would do a chair a day for my own sanity's sake. It was coming together, although the furniture looked pretty pitiful at this point. This is by far the WORST part of the project but you have to stay patient, it's the most critical part.

After all the chairs were smooth and removed of any stain I took spray primer to them and did a very light coat. Here is one:

I had to move inside because it was so humid. How about Emma overseeing the project behind me?

After spraying each chair with one coat of primer I painted and thin coat of enamel paint on them each day. I did a total of three coats on each. This worked my nerves as well because there are so many tiny parts to these chairs and I felt like I was never going to finish!

The finished product was well worth it. I didn't get process photos of the table because it wasn't nearly as involved. Sand, stain, done. I stained the table a dark espresso. I also didn't get my process of recovering the chairs but here is a great tutorial that I followed. I got three yards of fabric at fabric.com. It was very straightforward and impossible to screw up. The only advice I would give is to make sure your pattern is the right way on all the chairs. I stapled and flipped over a few times to realize I did my chevron pattern backwards and had to redo:/

After:

Individual chair

Up close of the seats

I swore off ever tackling a dining room set again but I'm so happy with the results. Stay patient and don't beat yourself up if you totally drop the project for a week or two. It's better to do that than to rush through it.

Good luck!

Spring, it's heavenly!

It's official, it's spring! And here in the deep south it's already feeling like the dog days of summer. I definitely am NOT looking forward to the 100+ degree temps but I can't lie, I'm loving the weather now.

Josh and I planted an organic garden recently and it's taking off! I'm looking forward to having some fresh veggies in the near future. If you want to stay chemical free look into companion planting, we set up our garden like this and have had ZERO pests in our garden! It's amazing and we have chemical free produce to munch on all season.

Try companion planting for a chemical free and pest free organic garden

We have also enjoyed trying new types of gardening like for example growing pineapples, potatoes and tomatoes from their actual fruit. The tomatoes were actually an accident, they started coming up in our compost from an old tomato!

Left: Pinapple plant, Right: Sweet Potato, Bottom: Tomatoes from compost

Some other oddities around the Wright lake house is none other than LIZARDS. These guys are everywhere down here and I have to admit it took me a while to get used to them hopping around. The great thing is that I have hardly any bugs, which is amazing especially since we live on a huge lake.

These guys stay full and keep the creepy crawly bugs and mosquitoes off of me. I have grown to love them for that reason alone :) Even the ugly one is kinda cute when he sits on the mushroom and listens to the gnome's stories...

 

It's so nice to see everything in bloom, it rejuvenates my soul. I think I have come to realize that heaven in my mind is being surrounded by none other than plants, animals and pretty furniture. Random? Well, it is my heaven not yours :)

Plants...

My little herb garden

These bulbs were from my grandmother, she got them in Mexico

Sunflowers are about to pop..the birds love them!

I heart Hostas.

Our little front patio where we sit and look out over the lake

Animals...

 

Emma and Blue (aka the "kids"). I love how Blue (and his dirty nose) is sleeping standing up. Hard life!

These two go at it every morning on my dock..I have no idea what they are fighting about!

Pretty furniture...

My neighbor recently did a trade with me..I got these two circa 1930's beauties! Above is the bar cabinet

Circa 1930's china curio..gorgeous! Try trading with a friend, you'll be surprised what they want to get rid of!

See how I wrapped all of that up nicely? :) What is your idea of heaven? What would it include?

-Rach

before & after: vintage chair redo

One thing I love about living in Eufaula is the amazing thrift stores and, believe it or not, the random trash piles. Yes, I said trash piles. Maybe it's the large amount of elderly down here but it seems as if there are so many vintage pieces they discard, or maybe they do not know what they have? I'm not quite sure but I see so much potential!

Recently I ran up on this amazing little chair that my neighbor was sending to the trash (see??). Structurally it was in great shape and I just knew it needed to be in my living room. With a little bit of imagination, paint and fabric I was able to bring it back to life.

Have you brought new life into a discarded object lately?

Great Rooms, Graphic Patterns

Hi everyone! My name is Jenn and I am a writer for Arcadian Light, a website and blog that specializes in profiling top lighting trends from around the world. I just purchased my first home and I have become completely obsessed with light fixtures and finding the perfect one for each room in the house. Luckily, I have websites like The Inspired House of Wright, where Rachel never ceases to amaze me with her fun inspiring posts - thanks so much for letting me guest post here today!

Great rooms in graphic patterns are always a hit. With so much space to fill in a great room, a vibrant design can help occupy the openness and add dimension, style, and elegance. Applied to walls, furniture, or floors, or highlighted by a fabulous lighting fixture, graphic patterns always look great in great rooms, as evidenced by these eight stylish examples.

This great living room is decked out in with bold Moroccan-inspired bold colours and prints. The expansive sectional sofa features floral patterns that mimic the outdoors that can be seen from all angles through the massive windows.

The floor is a unique place for a great room with graphic patterns. The ceiling fixture illuminates the carpet's bold starburst design in muted reds and pinks. Even the furniture picks up on this interesting color scheme.

A fresh floral motif looks pretty on the accent wall of a great room, but the effect is further heightened by using the same graphic pattern in fabrics, such as the small chair's upholstery.

This dining room section of a great room is stately with gorgeous patterned wallpaper and a soft, breezy colour palette.

Graphic patterns are used in a myriad of ways in this great room - plaid on the chairs, floral prints on the couch, and striped table lamps all complement one another.

A rich shade of blue outfits this great room from head-to-toe. Although only a snippet of this great room is shown, the dramatic effects of this colour are obvious.

This great room is loaded with personality, from the bevy of prints on the wall to the brilliant patterns on the couch.

A great room such as this, with chinoserie motifs on almost every surface, lends a unique old-world feel whilst still being sophisticated. The chandelier is the perfect finishing touch.

What did you think of these graphic patterns? You can make your home a hit by adding some track lights or table lamps! Stop by Arcadian Lighting Blog for more inspiration and great design ideas for your home!

Image Credits: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

Honeycomb!

I'm loving honeycomb motif patterns right now, a staple in modern design. It was deemed the pattern of the year and I think we're safe to say it's definitely made it's mark in all areas of design once again.

Are you a fan of the lovely geometric pattern or is it too much for you?

(Images via here, here and here)

Heavy wood tables

By aaronyoungphotography.com

I'm dying over these heavy wood tables right now and can't wait to build our own custom one when we move next year (Like Rachel from A Touch of Gray did here). I love the idea of a wooden table that you can actually nick and scratch up without worry..so refreshing!

A Tiny Victorian Cottage

Tiny Victorian Cottage [via The New York Times "Home&Garden"]

 How perfect is this lil' cottage? It just looks like the most perfect place to take a nap, read, relax or just to collect yourself for a moment.

Sandra Foster turned this hunting cabin into the romantic cottage she had always wanted, doing everything herself, down to the carpentry work. It's only accessible by crossing stones over a little stream. How inspiring!

Wants.

This pretty mirror.

Tea towel (Etsy.com)

Fox Ring (Etsy.com)

Want. Want them bad. 

P.S. Head on over to Amy's blog (found HERE) for a chance to win one of my prints! Contest ends July 29th.

I Married Adventure

I Married Adventure, The Perfume (oprah.com)

I saw the book, I Married Adventure by Osa Johnson, popping up in almost every interior design blog and magazine a few years ago. Mesmerized by the couples amazing love story and the beautiful vintage zebra cover, I knew I had to have one. I was finally able to track down the original 1940's version at a bookstore in North Carolina that was going out of business for a mere $8. I love this book so much, in fact, that I've decided to use it in my vignettes for my paintings on the new website.

Oprah has featured it in her June 2010 issue and since then there has been a Kate Spade purse, a perfume and even a movie coming out! It's so funny to me how things like this come about, I bet Martin and Osa would be so happy about their books new-found cult following!

OKHA Coffee Table

Mercury Coffee Table by OKHA

OKHA, a South Africa-based design and interiors practice, have just recently introduced a beautiful line of furniture by a designer named Adam Court. How ah-mazing is this coffee table?

NEW! My Hand Drawn Summer Prints {Now Available}

Via My Etsy Shop

New summer prints now available in my Etsy shop (Click on titles to see illustrations up close). From my sketch pad to your home, A Whale of a Difference and Beach are both only $25. 11 x 14 recycled paper print comes hand-signed, rolled and ready to be put in your favorite frame. Perfect for your beach house, living room or nursery!

P.S. Can you tell that the beach has been inspiring me lately? :)

Etsy love

 I want this for my room:

And this for my finger:

Now that's not asking for too much, is it? ;)

Our DIY Mother's Day gifts

Hopefully our mothers listened when we told them not to read today's post because I wanted to share with you the gifts we made them...

As I mentioned here,  Josh has recently been learning the art of concrete making, concentrating mainly on items like table tops, bowls and planters (which I also want to post about soon). One of the gifts Josh made both of them are concrete bowls made with recycled wine bottle glass (that he crushed himself!). They look so awesome and are perfect for patio, sunroom or kitchen (third pic). He made an additional one for his mom with a lighter mixture to go inside on her coffee table (last pic).

The other two pics are of my mom's completed tealight holder that has a little bit of a story behind it. My parents had a small section of a very old olive tree that had been chopped up and discarded at a vineyard in Napa Valley. They wanted to make something of the beautiful wood as a bit of a keepsake of their trip but never found the time. My mom eventually brought the piece of wood to us and said that we could make something for ourselves since she knew Josh loves woodworking. I could sense that she was a little disheartened though as she handed over the dirty little log, so Josh and I came up with a plan to make something she would enjoy and got to work on it's transformation.

As Josh stripped and buffed away the bark were shocked at how amazingly beautiful the wood was underneath. We got our carpenter friend Nate Chesnutt ( bf of designer Jennifer Berndt) to cut craft the piece of wood into a modern tea light holder for my mom. It turned out way better than we could have ever envisioned and I can't hardly wait to see her face when she realizes where it came from.

Happy Mother's Day to all hardworking moms of the world. We appreciate you so much!