A Lack Thereof

We’ve had this little wicker coffee table on our front porch for as long as we’ve lived in this house. It belonged to Nick’s mom and he co-opted it to serve as a media stand in his room at the frat house. It was one of the few things that came with him when we moved in together and it’s served us well, but I’ve known for a while that I wanted to replace it.

I’ve had my eye out for something modern. I was thinking maybe metal and glass, but when I saw this orange parsons-style table on the curb I thought it had potential. Once I had it on my porch I thought the proportions were just perfect! The size and scale are a really good match to the space, and the modern lines are a nice juxtaposition with the more traditional swing and wicker chairs

Unfortunately, upon closer inspection, this table had definitely seen better days. That’s particle board you see poking through the surface.

But never fear! Being the internet home decor junkie that I am, I recognized that little table as the infamous $10 Lack side table from Ikea. And I just so happened to be planning a trip to Atlanta this weekend. But, ya know, I’m kind of over the Ikea experience. We were coming to town to visit with friends and I really didn’t want to spend half a day being herded like cattle through Ikea’s showroom. I was telling my lovely hostess, Lauren, about my plan to leave Nick and Jack in the car while I ran in to pluck a flat-packed box of side table parts from the warehouse, when she told me she actually had two Lack side tables she wasn’t using. I was planning to get white and she only had birch effect, but I figured I could try my hand at painting it and it would make an informative blog post. Behold: Lack in birch effect on my porch.

I actually kind of love the birch! It warms things up a bit. There is a little bit of damage on one of the legs where the paper veneer is peeling up. This furniture is not really meant to be outside or stand up to a lot of wear and tear (that’s why it’s only $10). I may coat it with some sort of poly to make it a little more weather-resistant, but even if it only lasts a year I’ll be happy.

Next I’d love to get some new cushions for the two chairs, but dang if those things aren’t crazy expensive! I’m not sure they’d be cheaper to DIY, what with the cost of foam and all. We shall see what happens.

We had such a great time in Atlanta. We mostly laid low and hung out with BFF”s from high school, drinking Trader Joe’s wine and playing this hilarious game, but we also did a little shopping (HomeGoods! H&M!), had a delicious dinner at Nuevo Laredo, and visited the Grant Park Farmer’s Market. It was the perfect weekend trip.