Taking Back the Spotlight

I know you were all expecting to see the finale to the Outdoor Kitchen Series, but I got some disturbing news the other day. My aunt Janis and I were chatting on the phone when she informed me there was a new star on my blog and it wasn't me. It was Brent. WHAT!?!?!? The truth is this news didn't surprise me at all. I've noticed all the e-mails and Facebook comments, all the "Rent a Brent" requests and "wow, Brent is soooo awesome"... Enough! This week I'm back to remind you that I got the moves too. 

Our living room has been coming together piece by piece, but one small element that we were missing on an every day basis was a small table to sit by the door. 

Sounds simple enough but we really needed a landing pad. A place to drop the mail, to keep our keys, to store Luke's leash, a place to keep my headphones for my morning runs, etc. The table couldn't be too big and it needed to have a drawer because we didn't want some of those things (leash, headphones) just hanging out for all to see. 

One day while perusing the isles of Homegoods I ran across this table:

Good lines, good size and a drawer with a metal front. I liked it and the price was great, but the finish had me a little worried. I actually liked the look of the piece but our barmoire (armoire we turned into a bar) was a similar finish and I didn't want all of the elements in the room getting too matchy - matchy. So, I decided it needed a paint job.

My color of choice: Martha Stewart's Holly Leaf.

I took my painting project outside and set up shop on a garbage bag. Using frog tape I completely covered the metal basket weave on the drawer front because I had a different color in mind for the metal detailing.

  

Once the drawer was all taped off I went to painting. It didn't take me long, the dark green color covered the piece easily. Once it was all painted I left it outside to dry.

Note my paint brush also skipped over the feet. My plan was to paint the metal front AND the feet gold.

I sprayed the drawer front first. I slowly sprayed over the metal and waited a few minutes before spraying again to avoid drips.

                          

Once the drawer was golden I went to work on the feet. They were a little tricky because they were attached to the cabinet. So, I turned the piece upside down and sprayed each foot. Overall this approach worked pretty well, some of the gold got on the green legs, but it only took me a few minutes to touch up after my spray painting was complete.

For they keys I ordered some bulldog head hooks from Urban Outfitters in a dark blackish (technical term) finish and they were hung on the wall above the table.

After it was all said and done our wall transformed into this:

Luke's leash and my headphones are stored inside the drawer. 

The table top consists of my antique wooden man who is waiving Hi or Bye as you go through the door (although Brent prefers the Karate Kid pose), a handmade plate from Greece that is holding letters to mail, a monogrammed vase made by glass whisperer extraordinaire - Cindy Hammond and the happy print with a fun life motto to glance at as we leave for our day each morning. 

Down under I have two of my favorite design books, an oyster flower from Scott's Antique and a sunburst mirror from Ballards. 

Crazy how outfitting such a small area can up the organization factor 100% and make the room so much more inviting!

Go Courtney, Go Courtney - guess I'll be my own cheerleader :) JUST KIDDING, Brent is awesome and I'm beyond lucky to have the handy fool around. Truth is, the pizza oven is still in the works. We have been working away on it this week and will be back next week with the BIG REVEAL!

All photos are my own.