Getting My House in Order # 2 – Bedside Tables (Part 2)

So, my nails are a mess, I’ve sustained several mosquito bites, and our garden is strewn with painting and sanding paraphernalia. But this weekend I finished revamping the two bedside tables we bought on Ebay, and I have to say I’m pretty chuffed with the result 🙂
I opted for a very pale grey, mixed from some Fired Earth Chalky White and some B&Q Slate Grey emulsion we already had. So I hope J doesn’t expect me to match this colour anytime soon because I have no idea of the ratios! I just dumped a bit of both paints in a large jar, put the lid on and shook furiously, decided it looked about right and off I went. Despite my rather slapdash approach to colour selection they look fab in our bedroom and tone perfectly with the wallpaper sample we have blu tacked to our wall and the new lampshades that are still awaiting the perfect lamp bases to go with them. I like to think of it as a natural instinct for colour…..(ha ha, NOT!) that’s what I’m telling myself anyway!

I found these handles on ebay for a mere £1.45 each with free postage. Score! They remind me a little of grosgrain ribbon 🙂 What’s great in terms of fitting into the room scheme we have planned is that they echo other details. There’s a metallic element to the wallpaper we’re going for, and they pick up on the vertical pleats of our lampshades and the horizontal ribbon tucks of our bedding….

I managed to achieve a nice clean finish on the drawer fronts because the way they were constructed allowed me to dismantle the drawers and paint them seperately. I didn’t want to go for an overtly “distressed” look on the paint finish so there are just a few subtle areas that kind of came about naturally during the finishing process, and the existing nicks and scratches on the wood kind of enhance that without it looking like it’s particularly contrived. Not really visible in these photos is the subtle sheen achieved with this particular technique (a step by step on that to follow just in case anyone’s interested) All in all I’m a happy bunny with the way this project has turned out.

Unfortunately there’s no rest for the wicked and I’m still painting, still getting mosquito bites (how do they find the one spot you haven’t smothered in repellant!!) and still trashing my nails.  I’ve begun work on our 6ft sideboard, a cute vintage chair that I rescued from the recycling centre and a mirror that I picked up at the charity shop. Then after that there’s ceilings, walls and woodwork to paint and wallpaper to put up. All with a nutty toddler running around. We are  frickin’ knackered!