Ashley Ocean Park Dining Set

Ashley Ocean Park Dining Set

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Samantha Pynn: That heirloom dining set is fair game for a paint job

Here's the thing: It's yours now

Apr 29, 2015April 29, 20152 minute read Join the conversation
Virginia Macdonald for Open House Overhaul
Virginia Macdonald for Open House Overhaul
Dear Sam, I'm 24, and I inherited a large, older condo from my grandmother. I'm using her dining table and chairs as a place to sit while I make the place my own. The table and chairs are apparently fruitwood. The wood stain always looked extremely dirty to me — even more now that I've painted the walls grey. My parents absolutely do not want me to paint her furniture, which means I'm looking for a new dining table and chairs. I don't want a cheap fake-wood table, but that's what I can afford. Unless there is a way you can help me convince my parentals that it is okay to paint my grandmother's wood set. I have zero dollars, but expensive taste! Sincere thanks, Ava

Dear Ava,

Big taste and no money is the reason I got into the decorating biz. In fact, your question is the same kind of question I would have asked 20 years ago. Though I didn't inherit my grandmother's apartment, I rented a two-bedroom apartment for $1,000 a month.

My parents never wanted me to paint wood. In fact, in my first home, my entire family needed defibrillation when I told them I had painted the large wood fireplace mantel.

The first few times I painted wood, I doubted myself, but half of my furniture was from Goodwill, so none of it had any sentimental value. I tended bar in my 20s across the street from a giant Goodwill, from which nothing cost me more than $100 and most items, such as coffee and side tables, were $15.

The first piece of furniture I ever painted was my childhood rocking chair that my grandmother had given me. I told my mother over the phone that I was going to paint it, but she warned me not to "ruin" the chair. I painted it anyway. My mother would still be upset with me for painting grandma's chair if I hadn't made a career out of painting old furniture.

What I'm going to tell you next is going to get me into trouble with your parents — anti-wood-painting enthusiasts, please feel free to continue using my photo as a dartboard — but, paint that table and chair set. It's your set, not your parents'.

Above is an inspiration photo of an inexpensive dining table and chair set that we bought at the Elegant Garage Sale for a dining room on my new show, Open House Overhaul on HGTV. We painted the dining chairs the same colour as the wall and reupholstered the seats with inexpensive new fabric. I have a hunch that if you painted your chairs the same grey as your walls, you would fall in love with your grandmother's set. The more you repeat a colour, the more soothing a room's palette becomes. If you wanted to further update the set to make it feel less matched, you could add "mama" and "papa" chairs at either end of your table. After painting the chairs, if the wood stain on your table still looks "dirty," paint it a neutral black, white or dark grey. For an airy fresh look, go with white. Black or dark grey will give your table a heavier look that will work well in a classic space.

Good luck in your new place.

Happy chair and (maybe) table painting!
Sam

Send your small-space question to asksampynn@gmail.com

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Ashley Ocean Park Dining Set

Source: https://nationalpost.com/life/homes/samantha-pynn-that-heirloom-dining-set-is-fair-game-for-a-paint-job

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