Union Jack Side Table

Welcome back to another challenge from the great group of Furniture Refresh bloggers!

This month’s challenge theme was ALL IN THE DETAILS.

You guys, this project definitely required detail. Just look at the pile of tape I had to go through!

This one kept me up until about one o’clock in the morning – thanks largely to my overcrowded/say yes to everything schedule this month – but it was SO worth it. I am in love.

Check out the before!

Not much to love here.

But I loved the shape and general structure of the table, so I snagged it off my online garage sale site and hoarded it away, waiting for inspiration.

Then, sick and tired of my husband’s whining that I stole his good side table for the sitting room, I decided it was time to make this baby sparkle. I knew one thing – I wanted it red.

I sort of have this aqua and red thing going in our sitting room – that’s where my metallic stenciled side table lives – and the white couch and gray table needed a definite POP! of something red.

So I got to work!

The above picture shows two parts of this process. First, I covered the entire table in two coats of DecoArt Chalk Paint in Rouge. Once that was dry, I covered it all in one coat of Pittsburgh Paints Trim Door & Furniture Paint in National Red, leftover from my Ikea dresser hack. See the glossy shine vs the chalk finish?

If you don’t know this about me, I’m a total Anglophile. I met some wonderful Brits years ago while they were on holiday in Chicago, and they were sweet enough to host me a year later when I decided I was going to England, come hell or high water. It was nearly twelve years ago, and I have been dying to return ever since I left.

My friend Simon thought I was looney for wanting to take a photo by a phone box! — My friend Simon thought I was loony for wanting to take a photo by a phone box

Wow, twenty-something Megan. Sure won’t catch me showing midriff today, ha!

Anyhoo, staring at my shiny red table inspired me to add a bit of my British obsession into my decor!

Taping the Union Jack flag was not fun. I detest math and measurements, and typically eyeball most of my work, unless I’m suddenly feeling super precise. Since I was frantically trying to finish this project last night for today’s post (ahem, organization is key!), I did a small amount of measuring and a large amount of eyeballing.

Thankfully, all these paints dried very quickly, since I had to do a lot of tape shifting to get all the lines properly covered. The blue paint is my Modern Masters Metallic in Sapphire. The white is my leftover Nautica At Home in White from my upstairs bath makeover (post coming soon!).

Yep, I used four different brands of paint. I have a lot of love to share. 😉

And now the reveal!

Ugh, I love it so much!!!

It may be a bit on the nose to house my London Eye coffee table book (a going away present from my chums on my last night!) here, along with my collection of works from British playwrights (theatre major!), but I love the display. The Friends book I actually bought in England for the plane ride home, and the one in the middle is Memories of a Munchkin, the autobiography of Meinhardt Raabe who played the Coroner. I got him to sign it at a meet and greet once. 🙂