It's a table, it's a bench, it's...a TRENCH!

Things have been quiet here on the blog but things certainly not have been quiet at Eight Hundred in general. This project was the only one that I was working on for the past week or so (unusual for me - I'm a multitasker) and it took much longer than I anticipated.

Sometimes projects are like that. You have a clear vision for your piece and the execution doesn't go quite the way you had it mapped out in your head.

Been there?

I saw a solid wood coffee table advertised on a Facebook yard sale site about two weeks ago. (P.S. - you can score some amazing deals on local yard sale sites!) My Dad and I picked it up, carted it back to my apartment, and I set to work.

The coffee table was just the right length and height to be transformed into an entranceway bench. It had three compartments along the bottom - one of which had a set of doors.

There were posts on each side as well, creating the perfect cubby for a basket!

The hinges were pretty difficult to remove. The screws were flat head, however the ridge was so tiny that none of my screwdrivers could fit.

So I set to work with a hammer and screwdriver and pried the doors off the hard way. I filled the holes I created with wood filler and then sanded them smooth.

I visited my local Annie Sloan Stockist at Love Street and picked up some "French Linen" at her recommendation. It's a chameleon neutral that looks gray in some light, beige in another. It's the perfect "greige"!

The surface of the coffee table was slightly shiny, but the nice thing about Annie Sloan Chalk Paint is that it sticks to virtually any surface regardless of the existing finish. I don't typically stick to one product for my furniture pieces. I use a variety of brands to suit my needs. For this coffee table, Annie Sloan was the perfect fit.

As I started to apply the paint, I had instant coverage. This paint is so thick and creamy that you probably could get away with doing one coat. I wanted to put on two though, so I went a little thinner on purpose.

After two coats of paint and a coat of furniture wax, it was time to work on the cushion and baskets underneath. I took a quick trip to Joann Fabrics and determined it was going to cost more to make a box cushion than it would to purchase one. I did have a coupon though, so while I didn't walk out with fabric, I did walk out with three adorable straw baskets! Once I got them home, I realized that I didn't measure properly and had to make a second trip to exchange them. Lesson learned - always measure the WIDEST part of your baskets instead of the NARROWEST part.

September is the perfect time to go shopping for patio furniture because everything is on sale. Unfortunately I couldn't find cushions in any brick-and-mortar store that I checked. They weren't the right size or color. So, I went online and scored a cushion from Home Depot that was the perfect dimensions and color to match my French Linen paint. Plus, most patio furniture is on sale right now, so it was discounted too!

Once the cushion arrived (thank you free shipping), I assembled my new trench and here she is:

I hope that she will add a much-needed touch of organization to her new home, and perhaps inspire you to transform your old coffee table into a trench!