Renovating a new dining setting

posted in: home, Home decor, Inspiration, vintage | 1

If you follow me on social media, you would have seen a few peeks of my latest foray into furniture renovation. Many years ago when we were church mice poor, I bought most of our furniture from second hand stores, giving them a new lease of life with a coat of paint, a clean or polish. Then IKEA came to Adelaide and as we lived in the Adelaide Hills, my access to second hand stores, where you really have to go in on a regular basis so as not to miss the bargains, was severely constrained. Thanks to Instagram, however, I have access to many second hand and vintage shops across Adelaide, and I’m enjoying changing out our Swedish furniture for something personalised and a little bit funky.

 

 

I had tossed around the idea of painting our old table, but I found this antique beauty at The Fabulous Scavenger for a very reasonable price of $175, and couldn’t resist. All it needed was a good clean and polish, which brought out the gorgeous Blackwood grain, and the plinth and legs were given a coat of chalk paint in Icy Grey. It’s a very subtle grey in some lights, but stronger in others. It matches tones in our stone benchtops, and as the kitchen is at the end of the large room we basically live in – it was important for them to feel connected through colour.

 

 

I just love the curved shape of the legs, and it works really well with my new chairs. They were a roadside find, just down the street from our house. The upholstery was worn and very grubby, but the timber, although scratched and stained, was solid with no give in the joints at all.

 

The chairs got coated in the same chalk paint, 2 full coats, with 2 of wax over the top. Hopefully that will make them a bit durable as we are always moving around this table and chairs, so scuffs will be inevitable.

 

 

I am in love with the oval shape of this table too, as it doesn’t have hard corners for me to walk into which I used to with our old table many times each week. Topping off the table are a set of fabric wrapped rope placemats. The bright colours and scrappy nature are so fun, and set off the timber and paint combination.

 

 

My FAVOURITE part of this dining setting however, is the upholstery. I dragged my husband to the local Spolight Australia over the end of year holidays, and together we chose this amazing fabric by Australian designer Jocelyn  Proust  who has an extensive range of fabrics featuring Australian and New Zealand flora and birds. The background is a dark almost peacock/slate blue, with pops of red, pink and orange for the gum blossoms over the print. A perfect blend of a colour loving girl, living in a house full of boys.  It was an ideal choice for my first full upholstery project, as there was no directional print or straight lines to keep track of when laying out the pieces. The chair seat pads were very straight forward, and I used one of the original pieces as a pattern for cutting out and seaming the chair backs.

 

So there it is, our beautiful new table and chairs for under $250 including the fabric. The fact that I put so many hours into them just makes me get a little thrill every time I sit down at the table, especially seeing my family use and appreciate the loving work that has gone into each part of the whole setting.

 

Of course, now I’m walking around the house looking for more pieces to add chalk paint to….. tell me, have you tried it? What was your favourite renovation project?

 

 

 

 Happy Crafting - Cassie.

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  1. Deb

    Oh Cassie! You have really “nailed” it. From your little sneak peaks I could not have imagined such a slick, colourful and modern result. Lucky family. Well done.

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