Last week, while walking the boys to school, we walked past a garage sale where a little metal side table caught my attention.  After dropping them at school, I walked back past the sale and stopped in to get a closer look.

I was smitten with the size, shape, and interesting tray like top.  It was covered in a thick, bubbling layer of rust, but for only two dollars, it was worth the risk.

When I got it home, I got to work scraping off the layer with a sturdy metal spatula.  A few corners had rusted more than the rest.

Still, it was clean and the top was as smooth as it was going to get and ready for paint.

Since I loved the character and age, I didn’t want it to look too perfect and new, but it did need a coat.  Black spray paint would have been easy, but I thought it’d be too stark.  Instead, I pulled out the leftover paint from our bathroom, Benjamin Moore’s Wrought Iron.  What better color to paint a metal table than Wrought Iron?!

I brushed on two coats, starting with the table upside down, then flipping for the second coat.

Once the second coat had dried, I sprayed it down with a few coats of clear matte spray for a more wipeable, durable finish.

Adding a hit of dark makes me happy, but also makes everything on it pop.

Without overhead lighting, I wanted to add another lamp to the room, and this table is a perfect perch.

The lighter table frame balances out the visually heavy sofa.

Across the room, a stump and the floor lamp flank the wood and linen sofa.

Yet another small change toward a finished living room.

But, then I decided to try a different lamp to try to better balance the height of the floor lamp.

Despite loving the white lamp, I think I’m liking the other better.  For now anyway.

It’s a pretty wonderful almost ugly, handmade, signed lamp that gets the attention it deserves out here.

Maybe I’ll tuck a basket of blankets below to really cozy this room up for the fall weather we’re starting to have.