April 29, 2013

Barn Wood Coffee Table & Living Room Makeover: Part 1

I live in a world of brown.
My couch is brown, my floor & walls are brown, the chair & ottoman are brown, my TV stand is brown....you get the idea. I need white with pops of color in my life and I have decided it should start in my living room.
The first thing we decided to work on was the coffee table. Yes, the top is brown but I made up for it with other things in the room.


 I saw a coffee table makeover from City Farmhouse and knew that was the look I wanted. She used an Ikea coffee table and stained and aged wooded boards to give it a worn farmhouse look. 

I loved the look but I didn't want to spend $40 on lumber and I didn't want to take the time to age wood.

My husband and I were in the city one day and saw a pile of old barn wood. We fit as much as we could in our van and started brainstorming what we would do with it. 
We talked about building a patio table.
We talked about making a bench for our entry way. 
It was such a great find that I didn't want to use it until we knew for sure what we wanted to do with it.

A light bulb came on and the old barn wood is now the top of our coffee table.

I bought this coffee table at Goodwill for $7. Over a two year period I painted it a pretty greenish blue, then a light gray and then turquoise. I hated the turquoise!
I painted the table white and had my hubby add the barn wood to the top.


The boards are tongue and groove boards so they fit like a puzzle.
My husband cut the boards so they over-lapped the edge of the table, fit the pieces together and screwed them in place.

As I mentioned brown has taken over my house. I've said it before.....it looks like Mr. Potato Head threw-up all over my living room (and probably other areas too).
Yes, there is still brown in this space but this is only part 1 of this living room transformation.


this table was also a light gray and I put a quick coat of yellow to brighten it up.








I really wanted a custom slipcover for my brown couch but I can't sew and I didn't want to pay $400 plus to have someone make one.

Overall, I like the slipcover. It takes looking at pictures to see how you didn't tuck all of the fabric. Oh well!
I have been sleeping on the couch lately (all pregnancy related) and there is hardly a wrinkle when I get up. That fact alone makes me love this slipcover.

Want to know where everything came from?
I found the yellow pillows at World Market for $12.99 each
The woven tray is from World Market $19.99
Slipcover from Target $99
Rug is from Target  (bought 2 years ago)
The black and white photos were taken by Dan's grandfather so they are very special to us.
The other pieces on the gallery wall are pieces I collected and stored for doing this project and the 4 small colored prints are from a trip we took to D.C.


We have started looking at wall colors so that will be included in part 2.
We have a one-sided vaulted ceiling and a large open room so I'm a little worried about how to blend the rooms together without it all being one color. Suggestions?

What projects are you working on?
Has brown taken over your house....or are you a fan of brown?
I would love to hear about it! Leave a comment here or on my facebook page (click here).





linking up to:
alderberry hill
the scoop
elizabeth & co
a bowl full of lemons
finding home
one more time 
my girlish whims
savvy southern style
diy by design
primp
southern lovely
someday crafts
the 36th ave
mms
frugalicius friday
5 days...5 ways
city farmhouse - inspiration exchange 
under the table and dreaming