Sit Down, Already!!

Dave and I went to the mall last weekend, and as normal, we parked next to Crate and Barrel and used their entrance into the mall.  Periodically, the store will have a small section where they sell their floor samples of rugs, furniture, and accessories for a greatly discounted price.  Bingo!  It was one of those days!  As we walked through, a few things caught my eye, but had my husband's eyes rolling.  He can almost see the gears turning in my head, churning out smoke and DIY ideas at an alarming rate.

The big ticket item I really wanted to buy, but ultimately walked away from, was a $1,700 kitchen table marked down to $199.  Nope, not a typo.  ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY NINE dollars for a beautiful wood table.  I tried to talk Dave into it, not because we needed another table, but because I thought that I could buy it, slap it on Craig's List for at least $500, and make a quick buck.  There was absolutely nothing wrong with the table, but my better judgement won out and I left the table behind.  Dave always thinks someone is going to answer my Craig's List ads and turn out to be the next Craig's List Killer, so in deference to my safety, I let him win this one.  He did, after all, just help me seal a driveway that was promptly rained on and half washed away.  I kind of owe him one.

Never fear, though, I did not go home empty handed.  This single, lonely, solitary chair was sitting all by itself, priced at $29, marked down from $179.  All because it didn't have the accompanying cushion to go with it.  Seriously??  I snapped up that baby, promising to use it and love it and treat it with care.  Dave just turned around in the car and kept saying, "Why, for the love of God, is there a metal chair on my leather seats?"  What a good man to put up with my crazy habits and tendencies.  He really is a gem.

This is where the chair will go.  It can't stay black, though, no sir!

So, the chair got dropped off in the garage with a blue tarp to await its new color and fate.  I couldn't just leave it black- it wouldn't look right in the guest room.  I have a framed map of our city in the room that I love the color of- it's not quite gold, silver, or rose gold- kind of a pretty mix of all three.  Unfortunately, the spray paint companies don't make rose gold spray paint...what the hell Rustoleum??  Get on that, please!!  I don't have a professional paint sprayer, and the chair isn't worth the cost of going all out for something like that.  

See the frame behind the cans?  Hoping I can create something similar.

So, a trip to Lowes for spray paint, and the transformation began.

Two coats of copper.

One light, airy coat of nickel.

I started out with a base coat of Vintage Copper, followed by a light dusting of Satin Nickel, and a coat of clear protective spray to protect it from scratches.  I probably should have done another dusting of the nickel, because the chair darkened up again when I put the clear coat on it.  I think I'll live with it for a bit to see if it still bothers me in a week.  If so, back to the garage it will go for one more coat.

In its new home.

Close up of final product.  Darker than the frame I was trying to match, but not a bad look.

Either way, for less than $50, I have an awesome new chair that fits the decor of the room much better than the slipcovered apartment chair that has resided there for the past 6 years.  I'm sure it will be moved around through multiple rooms and multiple houses over the next few decades, and will probably change colors along the way (If the room had any stitch of yellow in it, that chair would have been painted bright as a canary.  True Story).  For now, it will take up residence in the guest room.  Please feel free to come visit and plop your behind in it.

Before:  Too much fru-fruness for me.

After: Minimalist, but still needs a cushion or pillow to add some flavor.