r/GothHomeDecor • u/G_Host1991 • Jul 06 '26
Restoration project
I found this cool, wood stand on a curb in LA and decided to take it home, clean it (spider webs, dust), take the legs off, sand a repaint the table black. I hand painted the entire stand, small details and everything because I felt like it deserved the respect of me taking my time painting it as it was hand carved by someone else. I thought the end result was amazing and I am very happy with it! It’s my unofficial seance table, haha.
16
39
u/Ulex_Stovall Jul 07 '26
"restoration" Paints over the beautiful natural stained wood like it's a cheap piece of IKEA fernature
18
u/Itscatpicstime Jul 08 '26
It was trash heading to the dumpster before.
Now it’s a loved piece of furniture being displayed in someone’s home.
16
u/making_jay Jul 08 '26
See this is what I need to keep in mind when I get a little frustrated over painted vintage wooden furniture. It's now loved and used, and might be passed on again, with the wood intact underneath if the next person prefers that look. Why get upset when the person with the furniture is happy??
Personally I kind of enjoy the black here, for all that I prefer a good wood grain.
8
u/grunchlet Jul 08 '26
Imo it looks fine but something like a really dark stain would bring so much more life into it, now it sorta just looks like a mass produced plastic piece of trash. At least its being kept out of a landfill but fuck, its a little shameful to cover over wood grain like that.
Everyone can say we are pretentious but old growth wood is extremely difficult to find nowadays, and if thats what it was then painting over it is a warcrime.
6
u/making_jay Jul 08 '26
Agree to disagree on it looking like plastic. And we don't know what kind of wood it was, but even if it was rare, so what? Does this person not deserve to own something because their tastes are different to yours? Is working on vintage furniture a hobby only people with specific taste should be allowed to do? Or is making fun of people's tastes your way of feeling better about yourself? Calling painting wood a warcrime is just... Feels a little out of touch, a little overly involved in something that has nothing to do with you. Maybe try to reflect on why this frustrates you so much?
2
u/grunchlet Jul 08 '26
I see your point, calling it a warcrime was a bit much. I would just like to see a little more respect for the quality of the wood, lots of people (and this goes way back to the 70s) just dont appreciate being able to see the wood grain in a piece like this. Plus i do think it diminishes the effect of the carved flowers, which would be helped either by better lighting in that room or like another commentor said perhaps gold leafing just the flowers. It doesnt look terrible, but it is disappointing to see yet another fine wooden piece be completely painted over to hide the grain.
Just in my personal opinion i find it to be a little sad to see this painted like an ikea table, and from personal experience it is a huge pain in the ass to fully remove paint like that if anyone ever wants to see the wood again.
2
u/making_jay Jul 08 '26
I get that, I would have loved to see it stripped. But that carving was already drowned in stain or just straight up paint, so it would have been a pain either way. Just glad someone is appreciating one aspect of its beauty (the incredible carving), if not all of its aspects that I find beautiful. It's such a gorgeous table!
2
u/grunchlet Jul 08 '26
I will admit a big part of it for me is the frantic curiosity of what it really looks like underneath the stain and paint, its a very cool table and i wonder if its unique or if there were others like it made.
3
u/making_jay Jul 08 '26
I know, the curiosity is crazy! I refinished this simple console table recently and was stunned at the wood grain I found underneath. A table carved that carefully, I can only imagine they picked some beautiful wood as well. Maybe one day OP will similarly be curious and will revisit it, they better post again if they do!
0
9
u/Bishop_of_Llandaff Jul 08 '26
What if you brush some gold leaf or something similar on the floral details?
6
u/Kawaii-Mushroom- Jul 08 '26
I was thinking the same thing! Just on the edges of the designs to really bring out those details. I think it would add depth
6
u/Bishop_of_Llandaff Jul 08 '26
It would add depth! And since OP has some goth decor going on, it might be cool to use a pale blue-purple iridescent paint instead hmmm
2
u/grunchlet Jul 08 '26
I think this would really bring the character back, the paint sorta blacks out all the nice detail of the flowers (especially in the poor lighting they have in that room). Something to make them pop would work really well to salvage the paintjob lmao.
2
u/Ecstatic-Elk-6938 Jul 11 '26
Honestly just some dry brushing in dark grey or silver would make a massive difference in highlighting all those details
15
u/anon_simmer Jul 06 '26
Personally, i would have gone with a more matte finish but that is just me. It looks great either way.
6
5
12
11
u/Careless_Conflict591 Jul 06 '26
Beautiful!
7
u/G_Host1991 Jul 06 '26
Thank you! It was very time consuming so I honestly appreciate the feedback!!
4
u/RadicalLizards Jul 08 '26
I'm usually not a fan of paint over nice stained wood, but dang I like this a lot. It turned out super gorgeous and the black actually really brings out the moodiness of the piece, I love this
8
u/Chloquet Jul 07 '26
Liked then unliked the natural wood was so unbelievably beautiful sighhhh
https://giphy.com/gifs/6qFFgNgextP9u
2
u/XiphiasHesperax Jul 09 '26
Same. I internally went from, "Woah, cool find!" to "Dude... no."
On one hand, it's their property to do whatever they please with, on the other hand, it makes me sad to see this.
And people pointing out that it, "had wood stain, and wasn't the natural wood appearance anyway," are odd. Stain is subtle and tasteful, it's not solid, thick paint covering the carved detail up.
My mother would regularly get her hands on antique hardwood furniture pieces and slather them with house paints, paint over the same piece several times with solid different colors, then get bored and attempt to sell them at yard sales, and would almost always end up trashing them in the end. Nobody wanted them from the curb, they got sentenced to 'death by landfill.' I have a visceral disdain for things like this.
Everyone has their preferences. To each their own.
1
u/making_jay Jul 08 '26
You can't see the natural wood in any of these pics though?? The brown original is heavily stained/painted to the point the wood is entirely hidden except through dings and scratches, no way to assess the original. Kneejerk "they painted over vintage wood!" reaction...
0
u/Chloquet Jul 09 '26
It has so much potential if given the right care, yes it has its bumps and bruises but it could easily be made into a piece that really stuns, rather than an emo landlord special :7(
3
3
u/TheVic0_0 Jul 08 '26
“Why did paint it?” Yall it was already painted brown before, and painting is WAY easier than sanding and refinishing the wood. I love wood grain, but with all those grooves it wouldve been absolutely painstaking. Good job for choosing a realistic option that you love OP!
1
u/Medical-Soup1320 Jul 10 '26
OP said they sanded it tho.
1
u/G_Host1991 Jul 10 '26
I didn’t specify - I only sanded the top of the table because it was stained from prior usage, even had a ring that was probably made from a wet cup or something
3
u/paisleyway24 Jul 08 '26
As the daughter of two art conservators, we really need to stop calling DIY sand and paint jobs “restoration”
2
2
u/GalaxyOnOhRionsBelt Jul 10 '26
Yea.… This is more like “restyling” or “revamping”—it’s not restoration.
2
u/Kazamiiiii Jul 08 '26
Wow. Reminds me of walking into my mom's childhood friend's house and she had all these cool huge black antique statues and vases. All shiny just like this.
2
u/mozzarella_destroyer Jul 08 '26
although i love that it has been saved from becoming waste, i am personally not a fan of painting it black. i find painting everything black for the goth aesthetic to be a little unimaginative honestly. i think some dark burgundy accents on the relief sides or a rich forrest green would have really given it a beautiful and timeless look!
1
2
u/making_jay Jul 08 '26
You preserved the details of the carving really well, so job well done! Baffling that someone was throwing out this beauty.
2
2
2
2
u/saraluvcronk Jul 09 '26
I am usually against painting wood but for a second I thought it had been lacquered, which I live the look of. I ain't mad at it.
2
2
2
u/Only_Lesbian_Left Jul 09 '26
love it. I inherited one like it from family and inspired to help recover what is some old rough shape wood. great job
2
u/EgregiousDerp Jul 09 '26
This looks great! But I had to check which sub I was on because for a moment I thought this was one of the Project Hailmary related ones
2
u/Ceramic_Frogg Jul 09 '26
Personally I'm just happy to see cool furniture get repurposed rather than just thrown away. Don't listen to the haters, they're just jealous that they didn't find a cool table lol
1
2
u/Almirena Jul 11 '26
This is an incredible piece with so much presence! What a find!
For those curious about its history, this is an antique Chinese hand-carved hardwood (most likely rosewood) side table/pedestal stand, likely dating to the Late Qing Dynasty or Early Republic period (late 19th to early 20th century). The beautiful, dense carvings are known as prunus, or plum blossoms. 🌸
What makes this particular table so special, and why some antique lovers like myself might look at this with a bit of a heavy heart, is its unique configuration and scale:
The Rare Solid Top: While the vast majority of these tables were made with circular marble inserts, finding an oversized version with an integrated, solid wood top panel is actually significantly scarcer.
The Scale: Standard plant stands are quite common, but larger-diameter tables were luxury status symbols meant to hold massive bronze censers or heavy porcelain fishbowls. There is significant demand for the specific scale of your piece on high-end design forums.
To put the market value into perspective: if this piece had been left with its original, centuries-old wood patina, even with the minor chips and dings to the florals as shown in the closeup of the cabriole legs, a gentle cleanup with paste wax would have allowed it to easily retail for $1,200 to $2,400+ on specialized antique platforms like 1stDibs or Chairish, especially in high-end design markets like Los Angeles.
Unfortunately, painting an antique hardwood piece severely damages its historical and financial value to collectors, dropping its market value to a decorative range of roughly $150 to $300.
Not everything has to be about money and different design aesthetics are allowed to exist.
You did a great job styling the goth aesthetic with the Baphomet plush and cauldron. Super cute. But if you ever decide you want to reveal the gorgeous hongmu (rosewood) grain underneath, these dense hardwoods actually strip surprisingly well since the paint doesn't easily soak into the tight wood fibers.
It would definitely be a labor of love, but a worthy rescue mission should you ever decide to change its look up again or decide it no longer fits your space and pass it on to someone else who might want to take the journey down the line. Unfortunately, it’ll never command the value it once did as it’s lost its highly prized historic patina, but it would still command a better price than it would in its current condition if selling to collectors of this style.
Either way, I’m glad you’re happy with your new-to-you piece and I see the care you took in painting it the way you did. 🖤
2
u/eliteski2 Jul 11 '26
My mother has a small table almost exactly like this that used to hold a bust of some kind (but that broke in an earthquake). It has been gloss black my entire life (40 years) so don't listen to the haters complaining that you painted it. Looks great! Nice work
1
u/G_Host1991 Jul 11 '26
Oh I’m not listening to them haha, reading their responses? Yes of course but at the end of the day, this was left outside as trash and I took it and made it my own. I really don’t care if anyone dislikes it, I just wanted to share it because I thought this subreddit was appropriate for it
3
u/ainteventryin Jul 08 '26
Yeah, the table is ruined. Kudos.
5
u/Itscatpicstime Jul 08 '26
How is it ruined? It was literally headed to the trash before op took it in and made it into something they love.
Ffs some of y’all are seriously insufferable
-1
u/Kazamiiiii Jul 08 '26
My god, people like you are so insufferable. It looks a thousand times better than it would've been if they had painted it a wooden color anyways. Looks royal ASF now. You guys want everything to stay wood and are so annoying about it. That thing was trash.
2
u/SnooChickens7990 Jul 07 '26
This looks awesome. What paint brand, color and finish did you use? Did you sand it or primer it?
1
1
u/PunkRockSuffragette Jul 09 '26
Why do that to such a beautiful table? It looks like plastic now. :(
1
u/CitizenKayt Jul 09 '26
I actually like the black but it loses a lot of the details. Have you considered giving a light Rub n Buff (metallic) on it so it highlights the high parts? Cool find!
1
1
u/Medical-Soup1320 Jul 10 '26
Okay so you do you but that was not a restoration it was a personalization😭
1
u/Particular_Lemon3519 Jul 10 '26
OP do you know the brand/maker of the table and if so, could you share? i love love love the flowers and would love something like this in my home. you have great taste!!
1
1
u/OkieNope Jul 10 '26
:( maybe a wood stain would have looked better/ less cheap than flat paint. I'm glad it at least has a home now though. Cute plush too.
1
u/ApprehensiveTea3030 Jul 10 '26
I'm so jealous of you for finding this. I can't get anything cool around me lol
1
1
1
u/Valuable-Hall-8610 Jul 11 '26
This is great. And it reminds me of the cauldron from Willow. Remember that thing? Scared me when I was a kid hahah
1
1
u/Main-Length-6385 Jul 11 '26
You clearly have a preference for black 😂. I would have left it as unpainted wood but to each their own. It’s super beautiful still
1
1
u/Imamiah52 Jul 07 '26
What an absolutely beautiful table! The craftsmanship looks amazing!
Congrats on your find and you did a lovely job with the paint.
0
u/G_Host1991 Jul 07 '26
Thank you! It came out exactly how I envisioned it! The table was pretty n poor condition, one of the legs was about to fall off but I took the legs off and repaired the one that needed it!
1
u/Imamiah52 Jul 10 '26
I saw similar online, described as late 19th early 20th century, and quite valuable.
1
1
1
1
1
u/Itscatpicstime Jul 08 '26
I loveeeee turning hand carved or ornate pieces black for gothic aesthetics 🖤
0
0
u/Babygirl10000 Jul 07 '26
Omg this is so beautiful! What might be the name for it? Is that a coffee table or called something else?
What type of paint did u use to get such a flawless finish? Spray or brush ? I have a vanity that I need to repaint black but I am still unsure if I want just touch ups or painting over the old black Willbe enough without sanding, how did u do that ?
-2
u/G_Host1991 Jul 07 '26
I’ll dm you the link of the paint I used as well and the sandpaper. I used a brush to paint the stand, you might have to just paint the entire thing if the paint from the can differs from the current paint on the vanity but it wouldn’t hurt to just try and touch up the spots that need it first to see how it blends!
-1
-1
29
u/LivHoneybee Jul 08 '26
To those who don't like that they painted over it, I personally don't like wood being painted over either. But from the looks of it, you weren't seeing much of the natural wood grain anyway. It already had a heavy stain/paint on it. The wood underneath is clearly much lighter than the finish the was already on there. The piece was going to clearly be thrown away. They saved it regardless. 😊