We all know that one of the most important things in life is coffee.
So, it therefore goes without saying that coffee tables are an absolutely essential piece of furniture for any self respecting human being. Even more so if you are in your early twenties when you wish to portray yourself as:
a) really grown up and having some sort of grip on your life;
b) completely financially secure and not having to stash gin in your handbag on a night out because you can’t afford bar prices;
and
c) an extremely cool young thing who prefers nights out to nights in, and doesn’t wear bed socks (coffee table magazines work wonders for your street cred).
With this in mind, the day we moved into our new house we decided that it was time we invested in a coffee table. Before we had even thought about unpacking, cleaning, or food shopping – it was that important – we trundled along Broad Street in Reading, perusing every charity shop that came under our radar for our new coveted living room essential. Alas, we were unlucky and went to Argos to buy a kettle instead, where, like divine providence, a battered and bruised runt of the litter coffee table was there ready for us to rescue. Because it was so ugly, it had been reduced from £100 down to £25, but it was completely functional and made of solid pine. We snapped that beauty up and Sam had to carry it on his shoulders through throngs of bemused shoppers, the mile back to our house. Totally worth the weird looks.
And this is where the fun started.
In poundland, we bought some paint brushes, and although they are not tippety-top quality, they did they job just fine.
In homebase, we bought some furniture paint. It took a whole half hour to decide between three different shades of white.
In TKMaxx, we bought some door knobs. They are really fun and make me happy.
Whilst Sam was at work, I set to work shining this minger of a table into something chic-ish. Being completely over-excited and impatient I firstly made lots of mess…
Silly girl, remember your 6 P’s
…and then I discovered the virtues of newspaper. I would recommend covering everything you own, including yourself, in newspaper. Try to paint evenly and smoothly, and not flicky (even if it makes you feel like you are on Changing Rooms), because you will end up with paint all over the sofas and in your hair otherwise.
I finished my fast track to adult life with the shiny new door knobs (once the paint had dried, of course). They came in a pack of four, so I am excited to find a use for the two left over. Suggestions very welcome!
The finished product.
This little beacon of adult life is now bedecked with candles, a scrabble board and a couple of well placed magazines, just in case any one decides to drop by for a coffee. And if they don’t like coffee or pop culture, we could always drink cheap cider and dance to Kasabian instead.
JoannaJessica 