What a Difference a Quart of Paint Makes

Adam and I have spent much of yesterday painting, and it always makes me happy to see just how a new well-chosen paint color can have on a piece of furniture and a whole room. Wouldn't you agree?

Last week, I shared the skirted table project that Mom sewed for me. The skirted table covers a two-door mid-century oak cabinet that Adam and I inherited from his grandparents. The cabinet is actually in two pieces, with the base (now skirted) in the guest bedroom and an upper piece that serves as a small bookcase behind the loveseat in our den.

The bookcase is light oak, which is not my favorite wood tone. Someday, we'll reunite the upper and lower cabinets and have them refinished into a deeper tone. Until that day arrives, I wanted to rework both pieces to work for our space now. No need to live with something you don't love, am I right?

The before:

A closer look:

 Clearly, this piece needed help.

My Katie Ridder 'Seaweed' print pillow served as color inspiration.

I decided to go with "Lagoon" from Martha Stewart's line from Home Depot in a high gloss. I really liked the finish of the Martha paint that I used on my sideboard, so I thought it was worth using it again. 

(Martha Stewart for Home Depot)

It looks more like a 'Tiffany blue' in pictures than in person, where it reads more like a blue-green.

 Now newly painted, the bookcase brightens the space and adds some much-need color. 

 The side chair also found a new home under the stairs, as did the second papier mache table I made (in from the guest bedroom), to create a cozy little conversation area in the den. 

What a difference a can of paint makes!

Hope you all had a great weekend.