We all have that piece of furniture that just doesn’t fit. In New York City, people are coming and going so frequently that there’s hardly a need to go furniture shopping — there’s a different showroom hitting the curb every single day. And the price is right!
Much to my boyfriend’s dismay, I see the artistic and design potential in literally everything. This usually results in my dragging piece after piece of what I perceive to be “projects” and what he perceives to be “clutter” to our building and up the four flights of stairs to our apartment.
To his credit, they often don’t amount to anything, but every once in awhile they become much more than I even envisioned. When I saw this side table I wasn’t sure I had a place for it, but all it needed was a little TLC to become the den of my dog’s dreams!
What You’ll Need:
– Furniture in Need of a Pupdate
– Bed/Pillow of Your Choice
– Fabric of Your Choice
– Chalk Paint Creme Wax
– Chalk Paint
– Paint Brushes
– Scissors
– Accent Paint Color (optional)
– Painter’s Tape (optional)
– Sanding Block (optional)
– Measuring Tape (not shown)
– Sewing Machine (not shown)
– Small Tension Rod (not shown)
Note: Because each piece of salvaged furniture is different, I can only offer approximate dimensions. Use your best judgement for what will work well for your specific project.
The first thing I did was remove the drawers and assess what I’d have to do to get the table into a shape I could work with. This required getting out my toolbox, hammering out the center shelf…
…removing the inner drawer braces…
…and after giving it a thorough cleaning, I was left with this:
Although one of the reasons I love Chalk Paint is the minimal amount of priming it requires, I still gave the entire piece a quick once-over with a sanding block.
I wanted to brighten up the interior of Oona’s new crib so I taped off the edges and added a pop of yellow to the back panel.
Then it was time to do two solid coats of my powder blue Chalk Paint on the whole enchilada, letting it dry completely between each, followed by a coat of Creme Wax.
Now I turned my attention to the curtains. I measured the opening of the table (20″) and bought a tension rod to fit (18″-28″). I cut two panels out of my fabric, each several inches longer than the width/height of the opening itself. So rather than cut each panel only 10″ wide, I made each 14″ wide so they could pleat nicely.
Hem all of the edges of your curtains making sure to leave an opening at the top large enough for your tension rod to pass through.
Secure your curtains, pop the pillow in place, and get ready to give your pup a tour of their new sanctuary!
A fan of enclosed spaces, midcentury design, and all things cozy, Oona seemed to take to it right away. As did the cat, but that’s a tail for another crowd 😉
