Side Table Makeover

If you follow me on Instagram, you may remember this little goodwill purchase I made a few months ago...

I loved that this little piece was solid wood, and the shape and size of it just worked nicely to place our laptop on for when we hook it up to the tv to watch netflix.  

At first, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with it - whether to paint it or stain it.  On one hand, I wanted to stain it, because to cover a solid piece of REAL wood (which seems hard to come by in furniture these days) seemed like a crime.  On the other hand, I wanted to paint it since it was right beside our entertainment center, and use the color to help tie in some of the eclecticism of our living room.  

In the end, I decided to attempt to match the stain to the entertainment center, and paint the piece of paneling that lined the back to get the best of both worlds of reasoning that I listed above.

On the underneath side of the drawer, I stained the wood, and tried out a few paint colors I was considering.

Although we don't plan to keep this ole blue couch forever, I decided to use our current furniture to help determine the best paint color.  I felt the mustard was very versatile with any colors we may use in the future, and pulls the yellowish-gold tones in our current couch as well.

First, I stained the whole piece using a black cherry stain by Rustoleum.  

While the stain was drying, I painted the frame of the shoe rack that sits to the right of the entertainment system the same mustard yellow color I planned to paint the paneling in the back of the stand.

And tada!  Here is the finished product with fresh stain, a mustard yellow backing, and the drawer handle put back on!

I do believe the colors of the stain I chose and the entertainment system matched up quite nicely!

I love how the flower pot and quartz pieces stand out so much more now!

Here's the before and after.  I love the added contrast, and I thing the piece feels "softer" in general, which I love!  Plus, it is a really close match in stain to the entertainment system.  (Okay, now I'm just patting myself on the back!)

What charming thrift store, yard sale, or other pieces have you found and added your own personal touches to?  What made you like the piece before you did your makeover?!