Old People Stuff...For A New Generation!

My bf relayed the information that, according to his coworker, I have taken too long to post the pictures of my furniture-refinishing projects (Yes, Dana, I am talking about you! Thanks for reading!) from my highly successful trip to the local flea market (read the post here). I was waiting to get all of the rooms in which these pieces live complete before taking photos, but at the rate I am going, the house won't be finished until the year 2020, so now is as good a time as any to share my results:

The lamp just needed a good cleaning, so I didn't take any additional pictures, but the bench/coffee table and the seat both needed a complete overhaul:

The seat escapade was surprisingly easy. After removing the seat from its base, I realized that the shabby velour had been hastily stapled over another layer of fabric that covered a vinyl cushion. I was relieved that I didn't have to purchase foam and start from scratch (I would have if the seat hadn't been vinyl just to make sure I wasn't bringing anything yucky into the house). With a little (ahem, A LOT 0f) help from my mom (yes, I put my parents to work when they visited recently, I am a terrible child), the seat was reupholstered with a brightly patterned fabric. The gold paint on the metal base was chipping off, but had two layers of paint underneath, so I sanded it and painted it a subdued pewter.


The bench was a completely different ordeal. I liked the pale yellow color when I bought the bench, but the paint was chipping terribly and looked a little too shabby-chic/trendy (don't get me wrong, I like that style, but everything in moderation, people!) so it needed some work. My pops got me started with a sanding tutorial and all I can say is thank goodness for electric sanders! I spent numerous afternoons off in the garage sanding with my little Black and Decker, so I don't want to imagine how much time it would have taken to sand the whole bench by hand with sandpaper! After the bench was striped of layers of dirt and paint, I stained it a dark walnut (which is an endeavor in itself since each layer of stain gets rubbed with steel wool after it dries) and I think the sweaty afternoons in a muggy garage paid off:


The inside of the bench was not in great shape, so I decided to just repaint it with a bright turquoise. I love the contrast of the dark wood with the bright hue:

Now I can actually use my coffee table for storage and display! (The little things make me happy these days). I got a metal and wood tray and refinished the metal portion with the same pewter color as the seat. The tray holds a bowl of clementines, drinks and my latest flea market purchase, an antique metal cricket figurine.


Here is a close-up of the cricket:
I love it so much! (I'm a dork, I know)

It was great to refinish those pieces because although it was a lot of work, I smile to myself every time I pass the seat or bench in my house because I know what I am capable of and I feel like I have a good start on creating an inviting home of which I can be proud.

What do you think of the rehab job? Any suggestions for ways I could have done it more easily? And what should I name the cricket? Hehe