Stormy Seas Accent Tables

November 16, 2019

Hi Friends! I am on a roll with accent tables, and today is no exception. These little cuties came out of my brother’s cigar shop. He and his wife recently bought the shop, and they did some re-decorating. So these accent tables were up for grabs.

I don’t think they were purchased together, but they are a perfect pair. Same height, same width and curvy bases.

Prep

As you can imagine, the tables needed extra cleaning because of their history in a cigar shop. They washed up well with White Lightning, and surprisingly didn’t have any lingering smoke smell.

Layers of Paint & Wax

I had a vague idea of where I wanted this project to end up and the look I was going for, but it took a while to get there. Let’s just say there were a few more steps than I planned on!

I started out painting them with a base of Dusty Blue. This is a newer color from Dixie Belle, and it’s got a gray undertone.

Then I added a coat of white wax all over them, as an experiment. I wanted to see if it would create any different look or texture under more paint. This step is optional; it didn’t seem to affect the finished look significantly. Also, the wax I used is water-based so I could paint over it. Don’t try this with other waxes unless you want to be super experimental. Traditional waxes underneath a paint layer would cause the paint to fail and not adhere.

More Layers

Next, I added a layer of Mason Dixon Gray. I painted it on, and immediately wiped it back with a shop towel so a little was left in the details. It’s a good thing these tables are little because I’m 3 layers in, and still going!

They still weren’t as dark and moody as I had envisioned them, so I watered down some Stormy Seas and painted it on haphazardly. I took a shop towel and pressed on it, leaving a pretty thin layer with a little texture and spotty coverage.

This is where it got really fun! Using the Quatrefoil stencil, and the Moonshine Metallics in Gold Digger, I added a little bit of pattern here and there. This was the first time I used this color in the metallic line, and I have found a new favorite. It is very bright and bold out of the jar, but you can tone it down if needed with wax or glaze. It’s just a saturated shimmery beautiful color.

With the stencil, I didn’t do full sections of it. I wanted it to look kind of broken, so I just set it down randomly and filled in a portion of it wherever I thought it needed it. Then because I was so into the gold, I added more by stippling it on, spraying it with the mister bottle and letting it drip. I again removed a little with a shop towel. This left a beautiful marble texture.

And finally we reach the final step! I still wanted a little more of an old-world faded look for these accent tables, so I added a layer of brown wax. Using a fat natural bristle brush, I worked it in with a circular motion and buffed it.

Staging

Hey, did you notice my bricks are horizontal? I have been working on my staging area, and up until now my brick wall panel was too tall for me to use properly, so I laid it on its side and had vertical bricks. But I got it cut off to a more manageable height, so now I’m able to use it in the right direction. I’m really happy with the photos I’ve been getting with this backdrop!

If you’d like to see how I painted the wall, you can check out the Facebook Live video here.