Fancying Up the Dining Table

So we've had this table FOR.EV.ER. It's still super sturdy and functional, but it has rust stains and kid paint and lots of chew marks where our dog Max decided it needed some extra visual texture. This table has history!

But although we want to get a new dining room table - a big fat rectangular monstrosity is what we really want - the dining area in our apartment is small and our little round table fits in perfectly.

So we decided to do something about the look of it.

Look! Nipple-shaped decorative nails! Yay. I was able to pop those suckers right out.

Look! More nipple embellishments! The ones on the chairs are there for the long haul. There was absolutely no way to get them out. I tried! Oh, how I tried!

Lots and lots of stains to prove how our table has been loved over the years.

Out, out, damned spot! We sanded and painted...

And stained and polyurethaned...

But then the chairs were much too white, so I distressed the paint and picked up some colorful chair cushions (they were on clearance at Pier One for only $5 each!).

Look at us now!

Happy, happy table.