apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

How about a beautiful piece of fabric in a modern print cut to fit the table top. It can either be laminated to a thin board or covered with glass.

*Please* don't change that table! It's too nice.

Update it by what you put on it. Put a modern metlaic vase for instance. Or one of the large modern items from Pier 1.

I have a small table like that in my den. I put a large retro style Casablanca fan on it and it fits right in. To me, anyway.

http://www.lampsplus.com/Products/Desk-Fans/01393/

But before you paint that table, at least post it on E-Bay and give other classics lovers a chance to buy it. LOL.

hey,
the table looks beautiful as is, but i know what it is to need the modern change! that having been said, if you wanna make a drastic change *anyway*, i personally love the look of white (or black) laquer finishes on ornate furniture. i just recently refinished a chair that i hey,
the table looks beautiful as is, but i know what it is to need the modern change! that having been said, if you wanna make a drastic change *anyway*, i personally love the look of white (or black) laquer finishes on ornate furniture. i just recently refinished a chair that i <3 love after---granted the before was not presentable at all.
click on my name to see the chair!

forgive the overuse of *anyway*
duh.

A different rug under the table is my suggestion to modernize.

Also agree in changing the accessories (maybe something zen-ish) but not altering the table!

These are all great ideas. Thank you!
I certainly agree about the rug.

How does the laquer finish work exactly?
Would I need to sand down the table or can I just paint over it?

kelly, look at the archives in atny, i think curtis may have spoken about how to achieve the laquer finish (it didn't sound easy, byw).
hope this helps.

I'd find a place for the table away from the window frame. And definetely get rid of the rug. Why not get a brightly colored rug if you're going to keep the table there? No matter what you do though, that table is always going to look antique. My mom had queen ann style furniture when I was growing up, and Im not really fond of it. The window frames are great though...you're lucky to have those. It's the table, not the frames that make it look heavy.

Paint the entire thing. Black would be another dark piece....White would be fab, or go nuts and add some bright color to the space.

I think the table is actually pretty light and graceful, and it's the angular dark window frames that are most responsible for the room feeling heavy and not-so-modern. Simple curtain panels (maybe in a nice retro-modern fabric, like a persimmon or chinese blue cotton velvet) would soften up the hard edges of the windows and give your table a more complimentary home.

Curvy, ornate shapes are everywhere in home accessories and textiles right now; think about bringing more of those into the room too, in sofa cushions, rugs, and curtains. They'll pick up on the curves of the table and give you a more harmonious look.

Finally, I agree with those who've suggested a change to what's on the table rather than the table itself. A collection of white ceramic pieces and maybe a white lamp would set off the dark wood in a very modern way.

Since condo seems to imply ownership, rather than renting, I'd paint the walls a fresh modern color. The push/pull of that modern note, against the antique wood (trim and furniture), will do a great deal to update your space without covering over all that lovely stained wood. A few modern accessories, anything like: pottery or pillows or rugs or drapes, and I think you'll find everything seems very current but the integrity of the 'old' will have been preserved.

BTW, I've been painting using Benjamin Moore's new Aura line (no affiliation with them), and what a difference. Low VOC, the painting is done in one coat (touchups are seamless), and it dries in an hour. It's more expensive, than the typical home center paint offering, but it's well worth it. Now I wouldn't think twice before changing the paint color on my walls (where it used to seem so daunting, to me, to paint!).

I think I would echo what a lot of people here are saying; change the accessories on the table (my own eye is drawn to bold colors over white, but white could certainly work) and paint the wall a bright, popping modern hue. Something fun and kinda saturated.

The woodwork will contrast, the table will echo the wood, and the feeling won't be dated.

Also, I would lose the rug entirely. JMO.

I'd move the table to the right, between the two windows at an angle. Place the floor plant between the first two windows. A different rug under the table, if any rug at all. A rug with green in it, or for beneath the table use pots, vases, books, etc that all have some green to them. Perhaps another smaller plant on top of the table. You have a tree outside that window, and the plant and green items will help bring that tree "inside" the room.

There also seems to be a red building across the street? Add some red to the mix, something asian or "zen" looking.

I'd buy or make roman shades in a modern print.

I really wouldn't paint the table, and I LOVE the woodwork.

I wouldn't paint the table. But all the brown is making the room look very traditional.

You can lighten the heaviness of the window trim with some sheer curtains. I would even go all the way to the floor to lighten the base trim too. West Elm sells sheer linen panels in a selection of nice colors.

Suggest replacing the rug under the table with something larger that fills more of the room and adds color (the table doesn't need to be over a rug). Check out Angela Adams, The Rug Company, or Flor.com for do-it-yourself colorful Flor carpet tiles. The CB2 store sells a selection of Flor carpet tiles in their store if you prefer not to order on-line.

Then I would put some modern accessories on the table, like bright colored and/or metallic vases and bowls. Or a modern lamp.

I think the table can make a nice contrast if you modernize the room a little. Good luck.

Don't paint the table unless you're sure it's not a valuable antique. Antique enthusiasts will pay big dollars for a piece that isn't altered -- paint it, and you've destroyed the value.

Also, the rug looks like a Persian hand-made piece. Sell it, don't throw it out.