This end table has been with us since 1988 when we were issued government furniture after moving to Germany. At that time, the government didn't allow us to take all of our household goods over there because they provided the furniture. When we left Germany in 1991, we could buy any of the furniture we were interested in keeping for a very small fee. I ended up keeping two end tables, a coffee table, a sofa, three bookcases, a chest of drawers, and two twin mattresses. I never really intended to keep any of it for long. We just needed something until it could be replaced with what I really wanted.
We kept all of the furniture until 2006 when we moved into our current house. That army furniture is strong sturdy stuff, let me tell you. When we moved, we gave away the sofa, coffee table, and two of the bookcases. We got rid of the mattresses and I kept the end tables, a bookcase and the chest of drawers.
I was never thrilled with this table. It was functional but it did nothing for me otherwise. I decided I had nothing to lose if I painted it. The color I chose was Arles. It's kind of a butterscotch color.
I chose old white for the accent color. After painting I used clear wax for finishing but I wasn't loving it. Since I had the 'I have nothing to lose' attitude, I got brave and used the dark wax too. I was really delighted with how that turned out. The table finally had a used, aged look.
After all these years I finally like this end table that was supposed to be temporary! But my favorite part is this...
That pop of Emperor's Silk red when you open the drawer! It just makes me happy!
I think I'll be keeping this end table for a while longer!
Great that you kept it all these years, Annette!
ReplyDeleteI'm quite fond of end tables, especially with drawers in them :) Nice work!
A fun back story and a great finished piece! Love the red drawers!
ReplyDeleteGreat job it looks fabulous. What a great conversation piece of your travels and adventures xxx
ReplyDeleteI love how this turned out!
ReplyDeleteI still have the very first piece of furniture I ever owned. My mother bought it for me at a garage sale in about 1972. The intention has always been to refinish it and yet, there it still sits all these years later!
Hi A. :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely story and a great end to your tables journey :)
I often tell our kids when they are thinking about buying furniture to seriously NOT buy the cheapest thing as they need to remember they may have to live with that piece for longer than they intended, but I am talking to Millennials............the throw away & Ikea generation, lol :)
Hope you are having a lovely week, cheers, T. :)