The Intersection of Design & Motherhood
More sneak peeks of the table project!
Isn’t it amazing? It’s enormous. And weighs 300 pounds or so. I love it so much! I know I owe more details and sources — a full post with more pics is coming. Now. Do I leave it as is? Or try to age it to look like this one?
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My name is Gabrielle Blair. I'm a designer and mother of six. We are currently living in a dreamy farmhouse in the French countryside. (I have to pinch myself each morning!) I post on the intersection of design and motherhood.
Like what you see? Join me!
New to Design Mom? Here are 10 posts to get you started:
What to Wear To Middle School
Napoleon Dynamite
Our Birth Announcements
Potato Print Clothing
Having Another Child
Young Einstein Birthday Party
Little Red LightHouse Outing
Porch Makeover
Waving Goodbye To The Atlantic Ocean
Build Two Toddler Beds for $75
Pimp My Ride: Family Edition
We've used our base in France to do lots of traveling. It's addictive! Here are some of our adventures:
A trip to Amsterdam.
Canoeing on the Dordogne River.
A Belgian Waffle Tour.
A wintery visit to Cologne.
Three cheers for Barcelona!
The tulip fields in Holland.
We saw the final match of the French Open.
One of our favorite spots is Mont St. Michel.
I wonder where we'll wander next! To see more of our travels, click here.
Here's something fun. Our family was featured in an episode of House Hunters International! Spoiler: we choose the gorgeous French Farmhouse. It's called La Cressonnière and we take pictures of it all the time. If you're curious, try these links:
The Kitchen
Summer at La Cressonnière
The Halfbath
The Stairwell
The Neighbors
Ralph's Bedroom
The Studio
Springtime at La Cressonnière
The Living Room
Maude's Bedroom
The Artists
Oscar & Betty's Bedroom
The Exterior
The Floors
Olive's Bedroom
The Treehouse
The House: La Cressonnière
I hope you enjoy the house tour! Oh. And if you'd like to see the episode, you can find it on Youtube here (it's in four parts).
I write a weekly column called Inspiration Scout on Cafémom. Find new posts on Thursdays.
I write a daily post (Monday through Friday) for Babble's Family Style blog.
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SO BEAUTIFUL! What a treasure.
Love it!! I would age it for sure, though!!
i say let it age naturally. :) it’s gorgeous. i wish i had such a handy nephew! :)
I say age that wood a bit as it would go great with the banged up metal look.
fun table! i say age it!
i just love the way these tables look all beat up. i’d say give it a little headstart and let your kids do the rest. nice job nephew!
pretty. I think you should leave it the way it is
Oh I can’t believe how great that looks. I agree with others and do think you should age it. Was applying the metal difficult? we have the existing table and my husband just can get his head around adding metal to it..he thinks it will be so challenging.
Leave as is! It will age naturally and you will be glad you didn’t fiddle with it.
I think it looks fabulous as is! I’d definitely leave it.
Too cool! I don’t know a thing about wood working, but I would think you’d want to seal the wood somehow too. I would think stained and aged like the picture you posted would be great. Or you could paint the legs white and age it that might look cool, depending on your other decor. Looking forward to more pics of the table (and your new digs).
Oh please give us a step by step…I want one!!! Age it :)
Love it! I am sure that you will figure out what looks best, your nephew has a talent, lucky you!
Terrific table – I would age it!
mary
hoganfe handmade
handbag originals
that looks great!! And I like it without the wood finish in that wel-lit locatio. I agree with maya…let it age naturally.
Wow, I’m so impressed and can’t wait to see your full post on it!!!! I agree on the aging!
Age It!!
I would let your kids help age it. It would be a great memory in your new home and beginning!!
Hmm. Hard to say. I’m thinking naturally. Maybe?!
Are you giving the steel a finish? I’ve seen great things done with a simple round sander on metal! Gives the table a really subtle texture like the one in the picture you posted of the inspiration table. As for the wood… I’m torn… I love natural wood! Such a lovely project!
so cool! i would definitely age it. though it looks amazing as it is now, i think aging it would make the table look even more one-of-a-kind.
age it.
I have a feeling if is going to age all on it’s own just fine! I might comsider aging or darkening the wood just a tiny bit?? Looks fab!
I would age it for sure; it looks great now, but I love the look of the aged wood. Great job! :)
I’m in the “let it age naturally” camp, but whatever you do it will look great. Let us know what you decide!
The table is looking great! It’s going to look wonderful!
This is looking stunning already, I can’t wait till you post some more photos.
I think this is one of those objects that will just get better with time.
Oh my God. This is awesome! I would definitely age it…
awesome. i would totally age it. great job!
I love it as is. The kids will age it soon enough. :)
Leave it. I love how it looks now!
You could loan it to me for a year or so. My kids have become quite skillful at giving furniture that old beat up look in a very short amount of time…
Please let it age naturally…you will be so much happier with the look over the years as your family lives their lives around it.
I think the aged looks good, BUT I like the top of the table as is. If you’re going to be using it as an art table as well, it’s nice to have a smooth surface for drawing on, and it will make an awsome place to role out clay! Besides, your kids will naturally age it if they are anything like my kids!
Perfect, perfect, perfect!
We *so* have to try this…
Oh, and to answer your question about aging…well, I guess I can’t really answer it, because I’m torn too!
Age it for sure.
to let it age naturally will take many, many years (the wood portion). and forget about evenness with kids in the picture. i’d try to stain the legs with something natural to give it a head start, like coffee grounds. try it on scraps first, of course. then a good waxing or sealer – but wax will allow it to beautify further, while still protecting it. or a tinted wax… that will let the grain through, also. there are lots of natural options!
it’s gorgeous tho – enjoy it!
Dying for the instructions for this table!! It is oh so fabulous.
Just hoping that you haven't forgotten about posting how you created the table. I was directed to this blog because I also want to make a table, and now I love your site!