If you really don't like the legs (think I am reading this as fact), take the legs and the apron off. You could put a sheet of wood over these and padded cushion...for a bench.

Then use the upper part as another furniture piece, add some new legs which are lower and larger to fit the size. Perhaps small bunn feet.

Painting both in a French country look could change the whole visual for you.

It seem like a lot of work for a piece you don't like. Why not just sell it to someone who likes this style? There is an interesting thread on the Organizing Forum titled, "It was so liberating to get rid of . . . "

I love the idea of taking the legs and apron off and making the top half into a bench or a low TV stand or a coffee table, depending on the scale. I also like the idea of using it as a sofa table-- you could always skirt it but you don;t sound like a "skirt it" kind of person. I'd paint it either black or cream.

You could have a shelf installed on the bottom, and then put a plant or stack of books on the shelf to help ground the piece. I think the finish would depend on the type and color of furniture, but I think it would look great painted and glazed to highlight the details. It would work great as a sofa table or a tv stand.

Reno, now matter what you decide, I am sure it will be fabulous since you have outstanding taste.

Blessings, Heidi

Excellent idea to remove the legs and apron -- and turn into a French Country bench!

Or -- as you mentioned -- it could work itself into a sofa table with a couple of buffet lamps on it. And baskets under it to "fill" in the lower half.

Paint it satin black or how about red? :)

I literally gasped when I saw this piece. I saw it for what it "could" be with some TLC. Before you do anything, see what it looks like painted either a white or black, rubbed. and glazed.(very french country) It might change the whole feel of the piece for you. If you still don't like it, THEN remove the apron and/or legs if you want, but give this piece a chance! Ha Ha!

I would add the lower shelf as Heidi suggested. Have a small apron or trim added around the shelf. Then paint and glaze it. Or you could put an undercoat of a contrasting paint (such as gold or red), paint it antique white, glaze, and then distress down a bit to the color underneath. Find some large, vintage pulls for the cabinet doors on ebay and some handles for the drawers. You could even paint these and then distress them. Place baskets loaded with dryed hydrangeas on the lower shelf, stacked on vintage books to fill up the space. I think this would look very french country and would draw the eye away from the legs that you don't like. I would leave the existing apron as is. None of this will cost you very much, and if you still hate the lines of it afterward or decide you just can't grow to like it then sell it on ebay or Craig's List. Someone would adore it.

As this era of buffets goes, I actually like the simpler style of yours. To me, it looks like it's crying out to be painted to bring out the charming little details.

Oh RenoFan, this is a really, really pretty piece!! Don't cut it up just yet.

Here's how you could bring new life to it:
1. Before you do anything irreversible, try sanding down the top to get to the natural wood. Then go over it with a tack cloth to get all sanding dust off it.
2. Then lightly sand and prime the rest of it with a good latex primer like Zinzer or Kilz. Let it cure for a day.
3. Paint the lower half high gloss black enamel. Let it set for a day to dry well, then give it another coat. Let it set for a day to dry well.
4. Look at the detail routed out in the front. You could take a paint brush and go over that with gold leaf paint or any other color to give it that french country look.
5. After the paint on the bottom has cured very well for SEVERAL DAYS, go back to the top and decide if you want to stain it darker or stay with the natural wood, and then put a couple coats of polyurethane on the top. (I would cover the lower half that was just painted in high gloss black with newspaper that's lightly tacked on with painters tape to protect it while you work on the top.) That way you can USE the top of it and not worry about water stains, etc. If the top is stained badly with water marks, you could always paint it black to match the bottom or glaze it in an off-white color. But I think the natural wood top with black bottom and gold highlights would be just striking.

One last note, when you paint a piece of furniture, let it sit inside, UNUSED, for several days to let the paint cure really well. Alot of folks make the mistake of thinking that once the paint "feels" dry, that it's done. Then the paint started peeling or chipping and folks wonder why. Paint needs several days, even a week is not too long, to cure (dry and harden), especially if you are using several coats with primer and top coat.

It has such potential to be a really lovely piece. Sofa table, stand for a flat screen TV, etc. Once the legs are painted to match the rest, they won't look so ugly to you :)

I wouldn't hesitate to paint it! how about ivory or cream with a slightly darker glaze? a crackle finish along the same lines would look great, too. You could glitz it up with some gilding on the filigree if you really wanted "to get crazy".

I like the idea of adding a lower shelf to the piece, too. I prefer that route to removing the legs, personally. I think it holds great promise for a "fun" project involving little else than patience and elbow grease.

My firend has one and she painted itblack and it looks way different and will give you the look you want. Here are some dark cell phone pics and it is in a pretty full dining room, so they are kind of hard to see, but you can see how it sort of looks. She has hers in her 1920's French Tudor.

{{!gwi}}

the top and how she has it decorated for the holiday

{{!gwi}}

front view

I can see if she can send me a better pic! Sorry these are not great!
Summie

Pieces like that just speak to me. I love that it has a family connection, and the piece would be great for extra storage. I found something similar when we were mere newlyweds; it was the first piece of furniture we bought as a married couple. It is a mahogany sideboard that we bought at an auction for $80. I intended on stripping and refinishing it, but it was too much for me to handle DIY.

A few years ago I took a deep breath and painted it. Then I glazed and distressed it a bit. I absolutely love it now, wobbly legs and all. It holds all my china, wine glasses, and tablecloths. Try painting your piece before taking the saw to it and see how you feel about it.

Here's my sideboard in my new house (still a work in progress, but I love that I have an actual dining room!):

{{!gwi}}

Here's a side shot of it in our old townhouse:

I think it has great potential, particularly for the look you are striving toward. Perhaps painting it a lighter color will alleviate that top-heaviness. Don't give up on it just yet!

Reno, do you know how old it is? If it was me, I wouldn't touch it and would store it until someone in the family wanted to use it. I'm not nuts about painting furniture unless the wood is ruined.

I don't have family.. My parents came here in the 50's, never knew grandparents or aunts & uncles. I would love to have a piece that belonged to someone in my family.. heck, at this point, I'd love anything that was handed down.

OMG I am loving these suggestions! I'll try to address all the helpful comments:

As much as I like the idea of possibly turning the one piece into 2, I'm leaning toward leaving it intact as one piece. I'd like to keep it's "bones" intact.

With regards to keeping it or selling it or giving it away, I probably should have included in the original post that it is most definitely to stay with us. It was my late FIL who gave it to us. We used to use it when we were first married about 15 years ago, then we moved into smaller places and it ended up in storage. We've been dragging it around ever since. I do want to use it, and I like that it was a family piece. I just have never been able to see a way to bring it around to being my taste, or serving a useful purpose in my house since I already have dining room furniture. (Also handed down....)

Sippi, those instructions are spot-on regarding painted furniture. If I did paint it, I'd likely do a matte black rather than glossy, but probably would do just what you're suggesting. I love the idea of the natural wood top and the painted base. (I normally would do the cream/antique paint, but I have quite a lot of painted trim in the house, and my kitchen is all white, so I'm sort of leaning toward a "heavier" look for this piece.)

Chelone, I'll probably do a shelf on the bottom. I think it would really help balance out the "fat dog" effect that bugs me so much!

Summie, I love how your friends look painted black. My hardware isn't as cool as hers, but I do have the original hardware. I think mine would look a lot like hers. It would be AWESOME if you could get another photo of her piece.

Tonilynne, I adore your blue dining room. It's gorgeous! I love that piece in your room. I love love love the legs yours has. I'd have used our buffet a long time ago if the legs were as cute as the ones on yours!

Rose, not sure how old it is. I am happy that it's a family piece, but I know I'd be happier if it were a family piece that were actually used and loved! There's only one other person who would ever get it, and that would be my DH's little sister. She's in college now, and if she ever wanted it, we'd give it to her. But it would likely be another 10 years or so before she'd even ask for it, and that's assuming it was even something she'd want. I'd rather use the piece for those 10 years, and then if she wanted it restored we'd just have that done for her.

At this point I'm leaning toward a shelf on the bottom, stripping the top to all natural with poly coat, and painting the lower matte black with a rub through.

I put it in my room to get a feel for how I like it, and I really do like it. I'm starting to see how I could make it my own.

I'll keep everyone posted!

You might try to email this guy with pics of your piece and measurements and see what he would suggest.

Here is a link that might be useful: Table Legs

Reno, you can buy all sorts of furniture legs. I've even seen a few on eBay and there are some in hardware stores as well as online.

Here is a link that might be useful: Furniture legs

Reno, I was looking at it again and it would be so very easy to put a shelf on the lower T-bar. Great idea! And really, I think you could do it without damaging the integrity of the original piece because those bars are flat. Painted the same black as the rest, no one would ever know the shelf wasn't "original" to the piece. I'm seeing some natural-wicker color baskets resting on that shelf to match the natural wood top. It's going to look spectacular! Have fun with your new project :)

Put a shelf on it, strip it, paint it or refinish it if you can get the new wood to match the old, and then throw a piece of marble on it, and you will have a neat piece.

I have seen several people buy marble tops for these and some granite. You can go to a marble/granite yard and buy a remnant for it quite inexpensively. I got one very close to that size for $28 and the guy charged me $100 to do all the prep work, cutting, sealing, etc., for my dresser top.

Oh Reno_Fan,

Workable?

Oh my yes,

In MY House!

I have this thing for curvy (I'm not, so the things around me might as well be. ~g~).

Even the ends of my window sills are curved instead of straight angles.

As far as detail, without thinking I find myself gravitating to anything with curvy scrolls just like the design on the front of your piece.

So, ya see? Your piece, should you find it not workable, would be perfect in my home.
I know zilch about period pieces, I only know what I love and grabs my attention, my heart.
This piece does.
Beautiful piece, Reno. Just beautiful.

Here is one more she just took for me. It is the best she can get. It really does it no justice. It is lovely painted black. I sent her the pic of yours and she said they are very, very, similar. She always has it done cute and it comes in very handy when she entertains.

I thinkit's be great painted black with a little bar set on it! You can use the underspace to store things too!

{{!gwi}}

ToniLynne,

Gorgeous Buffet--Looks equally beautiful in either room!

Summiebee,
I have a love for buffets. The PO's had already turned the 3rd bedroom in this house into a dining room.
Yep, an 8 x 10 dining room with an opening of some kind in every wall.
I've wanted a buffet since I was a late teen but this house is way too small, thus, my love for buffets still continues.

I lightened your pic up a bit so that I could see it better.
It it beautiful!

{{!gwi}}

Not mine! Thanks though! I will pass it along to my friend that you like it!!!

I love patricia43's suggestion of a marble (or granite) top. I think you should add the lower shelf. Then paint the whole thing red. Let it dry, and add another coat of matte black. Let it dry. Distress back some of the black to show the red. Add the marble/granite top. Put the hardware back on. Maybe throw a small tassle on the cabinet door hardware. Fill the shelf with baskets of dried hydrangeas. It wiil be gorgeous!!!

I think your "buffet thing" has a lot of potential! I was browsing through the new Gump's catalog today and saw a chest that reminded me of your piece (I've linked to it below). You could add some motifs, such as those found decoratorssupply.com, and paint it similar to the one pictured. Decoratorssupply.com has some really nice French onlays. Check them out - they may very well inspire you to turn your buffet thing into a beautiful piece of furniture that you will want display prominently in your home.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bas-Relief Chest from Gump's

Teeda's painting advice: I love patricia43's suggestion of a marble (or granite) top. I think you should add the lower shelf. Then paint the whole thing red. Let it dry, and add another coat of matte black. Let it dry. Distress back some of the black to show the red. Add the marble/granite top. Put the hardware back on. Maybe throw a small tassle on the cabinet door hardware. Fill the shelf with baskets of dried hydrangeas. It wiil be gorgeous!!!

Teeda, I learned to ALWAYS paint red first and then go over it with black, distress it and let some of the red show through. :)

This is too funny. I just purchased a similar piece on ebay (haven't even picked it up yet) which I bought intending to paint! I paid $81 for it! I thought it would be a great serving piece. I just painted an old dining room table with distressed black legs and am working on restoring the walnut (or oak?) top to it's original wood. I thought the two pieces would look good together!

So, come on, Renofan... if I can do it, you can do it! Let's work on them together!

Here's the table... everyone here helped me along with my decision on how to rescue it. Of course the top isn't done yet. I want to do the buffet in a similar way, I think!? Or maybe another color??

Here is a link that might be useful: buffet on ebay

Oh bloomin! I love that buffet! I'll trade ya. ;)

I love that table as well. Great legs. I can't wait to see how they turn out.

We "test drove" the piece in the room for Christmas. DS got Guitar Hero and DD got a Wii, so the whole family has been wanting to play both games. We moved DS's TV into the gameroom and temporarily put it on the buffet. It's a perfect fit for the room, and there's plenty of storage for the games.

Because I'm wanting to use it in a living room setting instead of a dining room, I'm thinking of painting it a khaki color and then using an umber glaze. I'm thinking of leaving the top wood. It would look similar to my kitchen table. I'm afraid if I paint it distressed black it will look too much like a dining room piece. I'll experiment with Photoshop before I do anything.

hi there
sounds like you have plans for the buffet and they are good ones. my inlaws cut the legs off a similar buffet years ago to use as a tv table. it looks just wrong.

fwiw i agree with the shelf idea, but i just had to post because i have always had the same thought when i see those buffets, they look sort of like a pudgy dachsund, or pug dog on little tiny legs!! maybe you could set a subtle framed picture of a pug on the top of your refinished buffet, just to share the joke!! i sympathize, as i have many well loved, must be kept old pieces that are the wrong shape, wrong size, wrong color, or all three!! good luck kren

renofan - Khaki would look lovely in that room! Love the red drapes, by the way. Would you go darker than the wall color or lighter? A glaze would accent those lines beautifully, IMHO! And I think leaving the top wood would allow it to wear better. Sometimes painted tops show scratches/dings more readily than wood ones. Photoshop is a great idea... I really need to learn how to do that! I've wondered if I should paint my server a black or creamy white... or red?! It would be great to see it before deciding!!

Good luck with whatever you choose for yours! I think it's adorable, and love that it's a family piece.

bloomin...

I'd probably go lighter than the walls. Ideally, it would look similar to my kitchen table:

'Course, I absolutely LOVE the blue/antiqued look of this kitchen island. I wonder if I could pull that off....

Ooooh... I love that island! Is it like an antiqued robin's egg blue? I think you could definitely pull it off in your space if you keep the color light enough. It would be a pretty little accent piece; instead of blending in the with its environment, it would be like a little jewel in it! Delicious. I like your kitchen set, too... and I'm sure your server would look lovely with that finish, although it may be hard to match in case you ever decide to move the piece to the same room as the table. But if you don't, it won't matter! Or what about a chocolate brown? That might look nice against your wall color... or are there any other shades you could pull out of those curtains that you could use for the server? I can't really see what colors are in that pattern. See, your problem is that you have TOO many options!

Please keep us posted with what you decide to do!

bloomin...

The curtains are excruciatingly difficult to photograph well. They're mostly rust red, but there is a subtle floral print that has gold, sage green and the same tannish/brownish/greyish color that's on my walls.

Here are severals shots, none of which are true to the real life color!

With flash-completely washed out colors:

Without flash--too dark to see detail:

{{!gwi}}

From across the room---most accurate color, but can't see the closeup colors:

{{!gwi}}

The look I want in here is comfy, a little worn, a little mismatched and not deliberate. I want people to feel as if they can kick off their shoes and curl up with some cocoa.

I'm curious to see what my photoshopping can yield as far as a visual for different colors!

Will keep ya posted!

Hmmm... Not like you need more choices, but what about a creamy ivory, glazed and distressed? I think that would look real pretty... or a pale sage green to pull out one of the colors in the curtains. Either way, definitely bring attention to that routed detail on the front like another poster suggested, and get some pretty pulls, maybe with a teardrop dangle thingy?

Oooh, maybe I should think about creamy ivory or sage for my piece!!

Please share your photoshopped server if you have a chance!

bloomin...

Reno, In my feeble attempt to convince you that you NEED to keep this great piece, I am linking to a blog that has a very similar piece that was painted ROBIN'S EGG BLUE!!! (and antiqued) Remember when you decided that you NEEDED to incorporate this beautiful color SOMEWHERE in your home? THIS IS IT!The lightbulb went off in MY head, so I am trying to amp up the connection in your head! LOL! PLEASE, please please, look at this blog! There is even a paint recipe for the ROBIN's EGG BLUE paint she used! It would be stunning! Scroll down the page a bit when you get there and you will see the dresser in the REB!

Here is a link that might be useful: Robin's Egg Paint recipe

I absolutely love those curtains!! I have been looking for something like that for my LR. Did you make them or buy them? if you did buy them, where?

Thanks,
Ruth

kmcg!!!! That piece is stunning! Thank you for that link! Okay, so robin's egg blue or red are my top 2 choices now.

I'm going furniture shopping next week for a couch and chair. I may let those choices dictate which direction I go.

roorezzi, thank you! I kind of made/kind of bought the curtains. The panels are from Ross, the valances are from Lowes, and the trim is from Hobby Lobby. I "customized" them by sewing them all together. I rather like how they turned out, and I can't complain about the price; only around $95 for the whole wall of windows!