Pottery Barn Side Table Makeover

I had my first experience with my new shipment of the highly-anticipated, Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, and it was a success! 

I found the paint to be very workable and forgiving, and this is coming from someone with limited experience painting furniture.  I tried not to read too many reviews on the product (everyone raves about it), because I didn't want it to influence my opinions.  But I have to say, I will definitely continue to use the paint, despite the hefty $35-a-pint price tag. 


Here is a picture of the piece in progress.   This is what the piece looked like during the first application of Annie Sloan's Country Gray.

As you can see, one coat allows the color underneath to show through.  The paint was developed to provide a great deal of versatility.  According to Annie Sloan's website, the paint can be diluted with water to create a "wash" of color.  The paint can also be thickened by allowing it to set overnight with the paint can opened, which will provide a textured effect.


I will provide a more detailed product review in an upcoming post, but first, I wanted to share the finished product with you.  I just love how the Pottery Barn side tables turned out.  


Here is a picture of one side table before.

And the end result.

The color I chose was Country Gray.  It is almost a pale, pistachio green.  The paint dries in a soft matte finish shown above.  When you wax it (recommended), it turns slightly darker with a subtle sheen.  The proprietary wax also offers versatility when distressing the furniture, while providing some protection.  


I chose not to distress these side tables because I loved how pretty they were in one solid color.  I am just going to let the pieces distress naturally with normal wear and tear. 


I dressed these babies up with some gorgeous, vintage-inspired drawer pulls purchased at Anthropologie.  They have an incredibly unique selection of hardware.  It can get pretty pricey, but I was able to purchase these pulls for $8 each.  They are the jewelry, after all.  Since I only needed four, it was worth the extra splurge.

I also lined the drawers with some linen wrapping paper purchased from World Market for just $3 a roll.  This was a huge upgrade from the standard shelf liners, and it's cheaper too!  

I measured the sides and bottom of the drawer, and cut the paper to fit as shown here. 

I adhered the paper to the drawers using a spray adhesive.  I had Elmer's Spray Adhesive in my arsenal, but there are several different brands.  It is holding up OK so far, but I think next time I will use a stronger bonding agent such as Mod Podge.  If you go the spray adhesive route, make sure you lay a cloth on your surface prior to spraying. Then attach the wrapping paper to the inside of the drawers, making sure to apply enough pressure to eliminate any ripples.  

So there you have it.  These side tables will be right at home in my newly-painted guest room/office.  I love how the room is coming along.  I can't wait to have my own sanctuary to sip my morning coffee. 


Let me know what you think!