Restoring Old tables - Get the Romantic Look

In this article, we’ll give you some ideas on how to restore old tables to give them the romantic look.

Nowadays, you’ll find many decorative styles in which you might recognize traces of the romantic look, like, for example, shabby chic or vintage styles.

In both these cases, people generally choose a light color pallet, which brings a sense of brightness to a room. Although these two styles have different origins, you’ll find worn, antique-looking furniture, that has a touch of nostalgia about it.

In this article, we’ll explain how to give your old tables the romantic look, so you can restore them yourself. As we’re seeing almost everywhere these days, some old styles are coming back stronger than ever.

The charm of worn wood

Just because a table is old, doesn’t mean it doesn’t have potential. Sometimes, you just need to give it a bit of a face lift to make it look good as new.

What exactly is meant by shabby chic can clearly be seen in the furniture itself – shabby chic furniture has a look which is weathered, yet stylish.

In the case of old tables, it is the passing of time that has made the wood look worn. Nowadays, however, people often deliberately try to achieve this look.

The weathered look is really useful here. Also known as distressing, this technique involves removing patches of paint. You can do this with sandpaper, sanding down different areas, like the edges or legs, so that it looks natural, and not over the top.

Otherwise, chalk effect paint is a great alternative, since the end result will be pretty similar. Plus, it’s really easy to do.

The ideal color pallet

Tying in with the idea of the weathered look, we want to underline the importance of choosing the right color for your new table. In the case of shabby chic, the main colors are pastel tones and pale pink.

Before you choose the color, think about where you’re going to put your table. It’s important to maintain visual continuity, so that you don’t create a jarring contrast between one room and another.

Remember that the important thing is to choose colors that are both soft and eye-catching. When it comes to creating the weathered look, it has to look natural and casual, as if the look has been achieved over years of use.

Exactly the same goes for vintage or rustic furniture. The colors should be light, like blues, greens, beiges etc. And if you want to give it a more dynamic look, you can leave some parts of the wood visible, like along the edge of a table – so long as it’s uniform all the way around.

Get the Toile de Jouy romantic look

Toile de jouy is a cotton fabric painted with a monochrome design (usually red or purple) on a cream or smoky background, like those we just talked about. The decorative motifs are usually pastoral scenes with lots of plants.

Although this technique was originally reserved only for textiles, today you can find it on wallpaper or even on furniture, like for example, closets.

It’s very simple, all you have to do is paint the furniture in light colors, then paint on plant motifs in a color that complements the background. You don’t need to paint motifs all over the surface; you could just paint a couple along one side of the table top.

Old table, new look

With these ideas, you can make an old or unused table into the talking point of your home. Plus, as you can see, the process isn’t really too difficult. Just make sure you sand the surface well before you paint it (in the right colors, of course!)