Number Fifty-Three: DIY Antique Coffee Table

I've had the idea to make an antique coffee table from this old table we picked up months ago and just finally got the chance to attack it last week.

My aim was to retain as much of its history as I could while repairing it and making it into a piece that suited our home.

It was once a dining table with the drop leaves now missing. I left the hinges intact. Just a little detail about its past that I loved.

You may have noticed in the before picture that there was a good chunk taken out of the top of one of the legs. It was stable, but I wanted to fix it up a bit. I knew I wouldn't be able to get it perfect, but since this is an old and imperfect piece already, I thought it would work. I simply filled it in with wood filler, let it dry and sanded it.

We obviously cut the legs from dining table to coffee table height and I painted the base with General Finishes Antique White, a color that was very prominent in our old home so I am thrilled to be incorporating it again here.

(PS do you follow me on Instagram and Facebook? If so, then you know Figgy is saying this..."I jumped up on some furniture I wasn't supposed to and knocked over a huge potted plant. There was dirt all over the dining room table and floor. That will obviously teach them for not playing with me today. Love, Figgy." Good thing he is a cutie!

Lastly, I left the top as found, something that I absolutely love to do on these antique pieces. The years of age and wear tell a story that I don't always think should just be painted over.