How to Quickly Update an Ugly Accent Table

This is my season of playing catch-up around the house. We are in the middle of one bigger secret project (more on that soon, promise), but during the in-between times on that project I am tackling all the tiny projects I’ve wanted to do for ages, but haven’t gotten around to yet. The funny thing is most of the projects I’m finally doing only take 30 minutes or less. Simple with big impact.

First up is a long overdue accent table makeover. When I bought this little table I was drawn to the ogee patterned base and the petite go-anywhere size, but I’ll admit I was not a fan of the black finish. I always knew I would change the color. This little table has floated all around our house, but we love it best in the living room. In this room we don’t have a lot of bulky case good furniture, preferring to keep the space open and light. Plus with a super long sofa we don’t have space for larger end tables. This little table is perfect tucked at the end of our long sofa.

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It finally got the makeover it deserves. Step one was to coat the base with my favorite gold spray paint. Bye-bye black. If you’ve been reading for while, then I am guessing you already know how I feel about black. I do not subscribe to the myth that every room needs a touch of black.

I planned to spray the top gold too, it looked horrible. It’s hard to get an even finish with spray paint on a large flat surface. So I went to plan B: cover the top in something to contrast the gold base. I considered painting the top white or covering it with wood veneer, but I craved some pattern. So step two was to cover the top in a pretty pattern.

Turns out I had the perfect sized scrap of my favorite fabric, Cloud Gazebo, to cover the table top. I decided to keep this project as simple as possible. I simply stapled the fabric on the underside of the tabletop. I used lots of staples while pulling the fabric tight to avoid the fabric puckering around the round edge. Before reattaching the base, I finished off the underside of the table with decorative masking tape to hold down the raw edges of the fabric. If I ever want to change the look of the table again, the cover is completely removable and replaceable.

I adore the fabric texture and the large scale floral pattern next to the gold ogee base. This once black eyesore in our otherwise light and bright living room is now a pretty little gem and delightful surprise when you take the seat closest to the window.

Now to find a replacement plant for the corner. That gorgeous guy stealing the show up there happens to be toxic to dogs. I found that out after we brought it home. Our dogs didn’t bother with the plant, but I don’t want to risk it. So I am on the hunt for an attractive, large plant that isn’t toxic to dogs. Something the same size and with as much personality as the corn plant had. If you have any suggestions, please share them in the comments below.