If you’ve been hanging around these parts for a while now, then you’ve seen this little nook near my entryway a lot.

table2

This has been its current state for the last several months.Β Fine. A year. I wouldn’t necessarily called it styled. More like…piled? It’s kind of become the roosting place for all the little decor doodads that get moved from somewhere else.

Which has been just fine by me. In the past six months, I’ve had a (sixth!) baby, muddled through the winter doldrums with a newborn plus homeschooling, hunkered down for a spring of semi-single parenting, and then done my fair share of traveling this summer.

Home decor hasn’t exactly been on my radar.

So much so that when, recently, I started to get inspired to do a little house sprucing and decluttering and refreshing, it felt a little like exercising a muscle that had been neglected.

SO much so that when I started changing out the little display shelves on my living room wall, taking down the little white wooden trees (not Christmas trees…I promise…ahem) that were still lined up and the glitter reindeer I’d left out after Christmas for “winter decor,” Shaun quipped, “Well, you’ve only got six months to go til it comes around again. Might as well leave them up.”

Ha. Ha.

But then, all of a sudden, Abbie got her decorating groove back. (Whoa. Not sure why I just referred to myself in the third person, but that was a little weird). I got the “itch” again.

Even so, I wasn’t planning on giving that cute little table the axe. I love it.

Buuuuuut…

It’s not terribly functional. We never actually use it as a desk. And it’s not much good for storage with only those 4 little drawers.

So, when I spotted a cute little blue and cream chest on our local FB swap and shop, it got my wheels to turning.

I couldn’t get it out of my head.

I stopped by the lady’s house to see it in person. I wandered around her estate sale, finding bargains on name brand clothes and then circling back with my pile of tops to take another look at the chest, which was even cuter in person. I finally made up my mind to leave it, but as I was backing out of the driveway, I just couldn’t.

So, I hopped back out and asked if she would take $20 less than her (already reasonable) asking price if I threw it in the back of my van right that very second, and…she squinted…and cocked her head a little…and then sighed and said yes.

YES!

So, I plopped it on top of my stroller in the back of the van (where my 6 kids had been watching Loony Tunes in the air-conditioning while mama circled a piece of furniture at a garage sale like some sort of weird decor vulture), and brought it home.

Then, I commissioned Ezra to help me wrestle it into place, did a little clutter editing…

Et Voila!

table1

Not only was it the perfect size for the space, but (and this is what ultimately sold me on it), it has waaaaay more storage than the little desk and is the perfect depth to house all of my BodyCombat/BodyPump DVDs and notes (which are currently languishing in disarray in a cabinet that’s too shallow to hold them properly).

BUT.

As much as I loved it, there was something just noooooooot quite right. It was a little too mousy and subdued sitting there in all of its blue and white pristineness.

I knew just how to fix that, though.

10 minutes later, I was perfectly content with my new/old little chest.

table3

Did you spot the difference?table

How about now?

Yup. It was practically begging for some gold knobs.

I thought about heading to Hobby Lobby for something funky, but it’s hard to beat the immediate gratification of a little spritz of spray paint, and ultimately, I love the simplicity of the little bit of understated shimmer.

So, what do you think? Do you love my little table switcheroo as much as I do?

I’d love it even more if it didn’t take away my excuse for avoiding organizing all of my exercise junk. Sigh.

Happy Friday, y’all! May you find the perfect thing for the perfect space this weekend–even (or especially) if it’s just the perfect little body to give a big tight hug.

0 Comments

  1. I love it! I would have swooped it up in a hot second If I had seen it at an estate sale. Next you will have to show us where you decided to put the desk…my guess is Ezra’s room!

  2. Love the swap!!! I’ve been itching to add just a few new things to my living room. After a quick trip to Hobby Lobby I added a DIY magnolia leaf (I am obsessed with Joanna Gaines), a tiny black ampersand, and a red, metal arrow.

I love hearing from you guys!