Alchemist End Tables

I found a cute pair of (almost) matching end tables at a thrift store a few years ago when I was first exploring painting furniture. They were the traditional creamy yellow of most reproduction French Provincial pieces, and in good shape. I painted them in pale green and ivory and added a bit of gold to match the hardware. It was my first time using wax to seal furniture, and I may have been a bit heavy handed with the wax. They were in my storage unit the summer before I moved into my cottage, and it got so hot in there that the wax partially melted, and the tops were damaged from things stacked on them.

I’ve been using them with tablecloths and finally decided it was time to redo them.

As you can see out the window, it was snowy when I painted these initially, so it was hard to take photos with the bright reflections. I gave each table two coats of Country Chic Paint‘s Alchemist, a gorgeous coppery orange that’s a little pinker than terra cotta.

The tops and insides of the drawer fronts got two coats of CCP Cheesecake since I planned to use decoupage paper and wanted a similar background color.

I used Weathered Damask Rice Paper from Decoupage Queen on the drawer centers, adhering it with ReDesign by Prima‘s Matte Decoupage Gel. I cut a pattern first for the inset drawers so the shape would be just right.

I used Queen Bees Decoupage Paper from Painting Lady Designs for the tops of the tables. I was careful when applying the gel around the edges to only get it where I wanted the paper to stick. After it dried, I used a sanding sponge to gently tear away the excess paper.

I love how crisp the edges look, even around the curves. I wanted to give the sides of the tables an aged look, so I used Country Chic’s Limestone Glaze with a small amount of CCP’s Leatherbound to create a warm, pale glaze which I brushed on and wiped back for an aged appearance.

To clean up the torn edges, I used my finger to apply a bit of DecoArt’s Metallic Lustre Furniture Wax in Iced Espresso around the edges of the drawers and randomly over the raised areas of the tables. A quick spray of RustOleum’s Rubbed Bronze Metallic Spray Paint made the hardware blend in nicely. A couple of coats of Minwax Polycrylic in Satin will protect the finish and gave it a beautiful sheen.

I love the depth of color achieved by the application of the glaze. It combined with the papers to bring these pieces to life.

While they still have the French Provincial lines that I love, these don’t look like run of the mill reproductions anymore.

The details really stand out with the glaze and wax accentuating the uniqueness of each table.

The color blends well with my French Godin wood stove on one side of my great room, and my copper escargot pans and jam pot on the other. The bees remind me of my sister’s hives down the hill from my cottage. They are just perfect for me!