Back in the Spring of 2016, I shared my Summer Blueberries Pedestal Coffee Table Makeover. Shortly thereafter I took it to an outdoor market and had tons of interest but at the end of the day, it came back on the truck. I tried again at another market followed by listing it on a local buy & sell site. The sad truth behind my pedestal oval coffee table is that not a soul was interested in buying it. A hard pill to swallow, as any fellow furniture reimaginer can attest because most often we pour our heart and soul into our pieces.

Sad Truth Behind The Oval Pedestal Coffee Table

And so it sat in our basement collecting dust in a back bedroom. Tired of it taking up valuable floor space I posted the table on my Facebook Page asking for feedback. I wanted to know what readers felt made the table unattractive to potential buyers.

One of the comments I heard most was that the blue painted base and the dark walnut stained top (picture further down in this post) did not work well together. The popular consensus was that the dark stained top would look better if the base was painted white. I have painted a few pieces in that combination including this Farmhouse Side Table, one of the most popular posts on the blog.

And so the second makeover began based on that popular opinion but mid makeover - ahem - something changed...


I realize that heavily distressed furniture isn't for everyone. I also realize that white painted furniture sells - which was the whole point of giving the coffee table another makeover.

But dang, this new direction was getting my creative juices flowing and excited about this makeover again. So I went with it. Can you see the French poem on the top?

Before I get into the what the heck happened details, this is the photo I posted on Facebook of the FIRST makeover...


I'll start with the how-to of pedestal table makeover number two and share the pretty shots at the end of this post - so stay with me 😁

Repainting the table base

I'm not going to lie, it was very difficult covering the pretty blueberry paint color and I was feeling uninspired as I brushed the first coat of white. So uninspired that the table sat on the workbench for over a month.


When sanding smooth the first coat of white paint in preparation for the second, this happened...


...and I liked what I was seeing. If you read my previous post Kids' Rocking Chair With Vintage Farmhouse Charm you'll know about the lesson I learned in not underestimating the power of your gut instinct.

Onto the tabletop

Not wanting to paint over the stained top, I attempted to add a large floral stencil in white. Sorry I didn't take a photo because I washed the stencil off before the paint dried. Cute but not feeling it.

My second attempt was to add white wax to the dark stained top. Nope, wasn't liking that either and removed the wax with denatured mineral spirits.

I figured since I removed the blueberry color from the base, why not add it to the top? Yeah, I'm a little crazy like that.

Third times the charm because the blue provided the pop of color needed for what I planned on doing next.

A French poem

I think the wow factor is the French poem stencilled white on the top but then I'm a sucker for anything French.


To soften the stencilled top and the base, I applied white wax to the entire table. You can see in the photo below how it nestled into the grain of the wood.


It softened the distressing on the base too.


This is certainly not the direction I had planned for this oval coffee table nor is it anywhere near the suggestions provided on my Facebook page. If I were to be totally honest, part of me wonders if I did the right thing but when I look at the photos I'm happy with the results.




What do you think, should I have played it safe and painted it white? I guess the proof will be in whether it sells.

If there is one important lesson from this post it is not to be afraid of picking up a paintbrush because you're worried you may ruin a piece of furniture. It's just paint and this table is proof that you can always change the plan if you're not happy with the results.