Earlier I hinted at the stash of exceptionally tacky brass objects I picked up at the Goodwill yesterday.  I had been looking for the perfect little table to sit next to my master bathtub for keeping soaps, washcloths and other bath products handy.  Then I spotted a hideously shiny metal table that I knew I could transform with just a bit of spray paint. 

Here are the items before the transformation.  They consist of a shiny brass table and candlesticks, rusty planter, tarnished mint julep cup and brassy framed mirror.  Total rejects right?  Wrong.

Here’s my transformation: 

First things first.  In order to shout “Be gone, vile brass!” you must arm yourself with spray paint.  I have a very prized collection:

I wanted to give the candlesticks an antiqued look, so I sprayed the first layer with an espresso color:

Then I gave the candlesticks a second layer of Rustoleum’s ‘Heirloom White’ (a favorite) and wiped away a bit of paint with moist wipes to expose the brown underneath.

Next, I spray painted the $2 mirror and $1 rusty bucket with the same paint.  I wiped away a bit of paint on the frame to expose the beaded trim underneath.

I spray painted the $5 brass metal table with the same Heirloom White paint.

And I cleaned up this silver mint julep cup with a bit of silver polish I have leftover from the 90s.  Honestly, this stuff lasts forever. 

Now cue the instrumental music.  This silver cup is a symbolic to me of how too many people are willing to throw away tarnished goods, when just a bit of TLC and it will glisten again.  OK, cut music. 

I also picked some flowers from this hydrangea bush going gangbusters next to my front porch.  Please ignore the dying annuals I forgot to water.

For my tablescape, I simply added some candles and towels from Kohls, some soaps and hydrangea buds, and now I have my lovely bath side table, equipped for all things relaxing. 

Who would throw away this lovely silver mint julep cup?  It’s a classic, and I paid $2 for it.  I wish I could have found a set!  And I simply love the harlequin pattern on the base of this little table.

This $3 set of candlesticks will serve me well for years to come. 

The mirror and bucket bring beauty and function, brought together with the cohesive use of white. 

This shell dish I purchased on a trip to Hawaii years ago for use in my “dream” master bath.  It was so nice to finally pull it out of storage.  

Conveniently, the little table also provides a bar for hand towels. These were on sale at Kohl’s for $4 each.  They remind me of the Restoration Hardware version that sells for much more. 

Notice the black hole in the background?  Yep, that’s the master shower, otherwise doing duty as a storage closet for the last three years.   But not for long !  I get to order that Oceanside glass tile this week to trim out my next big home improvement project:  my dream master shower.  

Finally, stay tuned for a HUGE GIVEAWAY courtesy of CSN Stores, coming on  Friday.  You’re going to want this !

Tags: spray paint, thrift store fin

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009 at and is filed under Before & After, Decorating, Drab to Fab, Rescued & Revamped, Spray Paint: My BFF, Thrift Store Transformations. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.