A couple of weeks ago, after 8 years of eating in the kitchen, I decided we needed a dining table.
After fruitlessly trawling what felt like every chazza in the West Midlands, I found a likely candidate on eBay, in great condition, the perfect size and a short drive away. I popped in snipe bid, poured myself a rum & coke and went off to watch The Apprentice. When I checked later I'd won it for 99p and we collected the very next day (combining it with a charity shopping road trip, naturally!)
We rescued twelve of these chairs from a skip outside a church hall years ago and they've been festering in the shed ever since. Jon sanded four of them down, giving each a couple of coats of Wilko emulsion (using different coloured tester pots) and finishing them off with clear varnish.
Shabby gave me these 1960s cushion covers which I stuffed with hideous cushions bought from a pound shop (which worked out cheaper than buying a bag of stuffing). Obviously, they needed pom poms and luckily I had plenty in my stash. Like the chairs, no cushion is the same, just the way we like it!
Jon made this table lamp from an old soda syphon.
The Victorian mahogany bookcase came from my Grandpa's office in West Bromwich.
My Dad collected these Penguin paperbacks. I love the iconic design.
The articulated monkey used to hang from the top of my Grandparents' airing cupboard and fascinate me & my brother as children, he's very old.
The coal bucket contains scavenged pine cones, left to dry out over Summer. They're a great fire starter.
Plastic planter and Hockham Pottery "owl" mugs from a car boot sale, the 1960s enamel coffee pot came from a jumble sale.
Total cost of our dining room makeover?
99p 1960s dining table + 4 x £1 tester pots + 4 x 99p cushions = £8.95
Updated for Beth! I bought this Victorian tri-fold screen from a junk shop when I was 11. I know, I was a bit strange even then. I did stick some extra pictures on, which I salvaged from old birthday cards, but 37 years later I still haven't got round to varnishing them.
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| 1970s lurex maxi, kids' denim waistcoat, 1960s St Michael psychedelic blouse, fake suede platform boots, Indian tribal jewellery |
Looks awesome and all under 10.00 pounds!
ReplyDeleteAm I no 2???
ReplyDeleteYes!!!!!!! That is a great makeover!!!! You've done a great job, I'm v impressed. X
ReplyDeleteWhat a deliciously colourful dining set! Well done!!!
ReplyDeleteYou two are upcycling masters and deserve your own TV show. I'd watch!
ReplyDeletebisous
Suzanne
Great makeover! You and Jon do such amazing work - and I will never see pompom trim without seeing you!
ReplyDeleteLove the ruffly pink top!
Haha, I love the 99p shop cushions for stuffing nicer cushions, it is cheaper than buying stuffing! Love that little monkey, too. You're looking a wee bit matchy-matchy with your background again :D
ReplyDeleteExcellent lesson on how fabulous things can be achieved on a modest amount of money. The chairs look brilliant painted up and of course pom poms were required on the cushions, goes without saying really.
ReplyDeleteFabulous love. It all looks brilliant and for under a tenner. Get in!
ReplyDeleteI love the colour of the chairs. Just goes to show you what can be done on very little money and lots of style.
Loves ya.
xxxxxxx
wonderful!
ReplyDelete2.hand, streetfinds and a some paint make the best individual dining rooms! yours has a nice india touch with that colors, pompoms and rug :-)
xxxxx
What a great makeover , Love what you have done to the cushions , they look great xxx
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! I love those pillows, Vix - everything looks better w/ pom poms. And round tables are my favorite.
ReplyDeleteIt really does show you can make a room look great without spending an arm and a leg. The internet and a few hours and you have it.
ReplyDeleteLove it - the chairs look fantastic, I really like the similar-but-not identical designs. And of course, pom-poms make everything that much more fabulous. Well done, you two. xox
ReplyDeleteAwesome. Who doesn't love a thrifty decorating makeover and 99c ebay wins. Love the table and the colours for chairs.
ReplyDeleteWe're still step by step trying to get our dining room just the way we want it. Biggest challenge right now is I need a rug a big one 3mx3m it's very hard to come by anything appropriate cheap and not spend hundreds of dollars. Oh well a solution will present itself at some point I'm sure.
Fabulous makeover. I'm glad you reminded me about horrible round cushions. I bought some at a jumble sale with the sole intention of covering them. Note to self: must find them and do something with them. Love, love, love, the chairs. Oh and the monkey is adorable. xx
ReplyDeleteWehey! It looks ace! Good old Wilkos tester pots, those chairs look fantastic. I can't believe anyone would throw them away in the first place. People are mad!
ReplyDeleteI'm very envious of your magnificent fireplace and log burner. All that free heat! In my next house I'm definately getting one! xxx
One of my favorite makeovers! A nice cozy dining room, perfect for entertaining. I love those owl mugs, never seen anything like them.
ReplyDeleteWow, what a find! It's the sort of thing we live for isn't it? I have a dining room table from the 80s that isn't my cup of tea, maybe someday I will try and transform it. :)
ReplyDeleteLove how you pulled the mismatched chairs together with the cushions!
ReplyDeleteThe chairs are great with the cushions and I love the lamp he made! :)
ReplyDeleteLove the mix of 'old' antiques with mid century. Those chairs are perfect with that table, and I do like a round table for get togethers. Really fab finds! I spy Nina in your CD collection, love her. And especially covet those Hockham Pottery "owl" mugs.
ReplyDeleteFaboulous makeover and your home looks so cosy and inviting - i wanna come over !
ReplyDeletexxxx
Your house is so cool :)
ReplyDeleteI love the beaded cushions.
ReplyDeleteLizzie's Daily Blog
First i love what you are wearing
ReplyDeleteThat lurex maxi is a dream and that shirt, wow!
I used to find cheap furniture all over, charity shops, garbage, etc...it was so much fun
I love the cushions, so cute, adore the pompoms!
We have a massive wooden dinning room table that wxoe seldom use, but it's useful when the familia comes for X-mas or i use it for sewing.
Love
Ariane
Fab xx
ReplyDeleteyeah! You rock the home decorating world! Just goes to show that you don't have to spend $$$ to have a pretty home.
ReplyDeletesuch a breath of fresh air during the height of consumer spending. love it all vix!
ReplyDeleteLove it. Love your blog and always like to check in to see what you are up to. Now im about to pin your new dining room on pinterest. Thanks for the inspiration xx
ReplyDeleteLove it! Love your vision in putting it together more!
ReplyDeleteOur dining table was a welding bench once :) The screen, pompoms and Mr Monkey are delicious - thanks for the tour xx
And that, my darling, is just one of the (many) reasons you are so bloody brilliant! Cheap and cheerful and stylish and sensible and quirky and fabulous - your dining room makeover just sums up you and Jon's approach to life perfectly! I love the table and what you've done to the chairs, it looks fantastic. No more storing your stock in that room now, then...
ReplyDeleteAs always, it's great to see glimpses of the fascinating pieces you have in your home. Penguins are wonderful, aren't they (I refer to the books, not the bloody John Lewis ad...) and that wooden monkey from your grandparents' house is just great, I love him. Can Jon make a lamp out of anything? Hairdryers, soda siphons... The man's a genius!
If you don't mind me saying, you look as smug as anything, sitting at your new dining room table - and I don't blame you one little bit!
Love you! xxxx
mwahaha, you're brilliant!!, and you're also The Boss when some bargain is involved!, love your great attitude!!
ReplyDeleteAnd those chairs are just cute and look very comfy!!, and life is better when your cushions have been pompom-ized!!
besos
Sigh.....It's SO "right"! Nothing cookie-cutter about you two or your dining room. (And as you know, I LIVE to see the details inside your house! Never disappointed.)
ReplyDeleteYou and Jon! Marvelous! Such a fun, cozy and quirky dining room - and for this amount? It would cost you more to go out for curry I guess. :) Love the monkey too!
ReplyDeleteSo much to learn from you, dear wonderful amazing friend! xxxxx
I'm echoing Natalia's thought: you and Jon have achieved a delightful dining area for less than I spent taking friends to an Italian supper last week!
ReplyDeleteYour guests will have so many visual treasures -- and stories --to enjoy, seated next to that handsome cabinet. (I'd probably forget my manners and pick up the siphon lamp for a closer look.)
I love your new bright dining table set, its so cheerful. That darn monkey is so cute, I love that monkey!!
ReplyDeleteSo much to love in this post! What a score that table was. And the found chairs look perfect with it. And what a great monkey, with so much history to go along with him.
ReplyDeleteWhat a bargain - the chairs look brilliant painted and all on a tiny budget - very clever.
ReplyDeleteFantastic! We can always rely on you for chic home ideas for very little cost and effort. All looks lovely! xx
ReplyDeleteJust love it! So stylish and unique :-)
ReplyDeleteI just adore the look of your place ... I want to come over for a drink and have a good sticky beak :0)
ReplyDeletexx
Oh yes, this is classic Vix. It's amazing how much really cheap 60's and 70's furniture you can still find in charity shops. But hang on a minute, have I seen this room before? I don't recognise it. I love the fireplace xxx
ReplyDeleteYou never cease to amaze me! Looks amazing!
ReplyDeleteOooo!! Very nice indeed!! And I got to see your woodburner, which has pleased me no end. Your alcove is huge compared to ours though. We've bought our woodburner and are having it installed the week before Christmas, it's so exciting!
ReplyDeleteReally fab looking room, I bet you'll have some great dinners around that table now x
Looks flipping fabulous and im loving those chairs I remember those from my school days :-) Also loving the 50's green plastic planter :-) You home looks so gorgeous and cosy its making me want to go hunting again, Enjoy, dee xx
ReplyDeleteI want to know when the BBC is going to wise up and give you two your own TV show!!! I love being able to virtually snoop around your house - there's so much cool stuff to look at, and a story behind every piece.
ReplyDeleteNice work on the Dining Room re-boot. The cushions are the icing on the cake.
Fark yes, it's a magic dining room makeover and for feck all! Not hard, is it?! We swapped a bottle of wine for our table, and picked up the chairs all over the place, covering them with scraps, but not as cheap, obviously, as your score. A bit of imagination plus a shallow wallet works wonders!
ReplyDeleteLove Helga XXXXXXXXXXXX
What a great redo! That's a steal for the sweet little table and the chairs look perfect with it. It looks like a lovely place for the two of you to share a meal.
ReplyDeleteIt all looks SO awesome. I'm in love with those chairs and that wooden monkey!!!
ReplyDeleteYou're both so wonderfully creative, I love it! xx
ReplyDeleteMe, again, confessing to tinkering with my computer to get a closer look at that fascinating scrap screen. Is this a family piece or did you decoupage it yourself? "Show and tell", please!
ReplyDeleteAmazing score on the dining room table Vix. The cushions are so groovy with the pom-pom trim (love the pink and orange) and how about those school chairs...takes me right back. I reckon I could spend hours looking around your home, so much to see from so many eras. Roll on April. Aah, I notice you have a 2CV Haynes manual, did you ever drive one?
ReplyDeletexxxx
I think I disappeared. Like I said, those chairs are very solid. We have a desk and chair the same vintage. I love your dining room makeover/creation. You are both so great at making and visualising. Loving the monkey! Enjoy having meals nice and close to the warmth. And I adore that brass coal bin! xo JJ
ReplyDeleteYou two are just miracle workers, I love it.
ReplyDeleteYour monkey looks very wise but then they say wisdom comes with great age.
Cute table and chairs. Love your style.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant make-over and for such little outlay too. Thanks for giving us a nosy around your room - I love your monkey, he looks like a right little character!
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend xxx
Love that monkey!!! What a fantastic dining room makeover and I am just shocked at the price. It would cost me around five dollars just to get a tester pot of paint and a table in good condition for 99p is amazing! So, I will be right over for a cup of coffee and to admire those adorable mugs.
ReplyDeletexoxo
Wow super cute!! May you enjoy many curries and veggie pizzas there!! ~Love Heather
ReplyDeleteAha! Proof that you were born with The Eye of Discernment! We who hunt for treasures in tips and gather bits and pieces to feather our bods and nests salute you!
ReplyDeleteThanks very much, Vix, for giving us a closer look at the screen. It's truly a wonder.
Lovely! I really like your art nouveau coal scuttle and the syphon lamp is really clever. Andy wants to paint our mismatched dining chairs as they are all looking rather tired. I don't usually like painted wood and absolutely forbid the painting of my CC41 utility chair, but I quite like painted mismatched chairs so look forward to it getting done xxx
ReplyDeleteI love love love thedining table set!!!!!
ReplyDeleteits so cool.....and its got the best prop (you!!)
www.myunfinishedlife.com
So wonderful to see these amazing results from your fabulously creative and thrifty approach to any and every situation. You should teach courses! Nobody would ever be in debt if they followed your example. And doesn't it look amazing! Such a lovely rug, too. Bet it feels lovely to have that room defined. I had a scrap screen just the same, bought at an auction as a teen, but I gave it away years ago. We've been to dinner with the daughter of the man who founded Penguin books, she's lovely. It's a very literary family, the founder's son in law is Michael Morpurgo. That soda syphon is genius, he's a clever boy, your Jon. He's the King of electrics and you're the Queen of pompoms. What a team. Xxxxxxx
ReplyDeleteOh it's fantastic! I love what Jon did with the chairs- what a stroke of genius and your cushions are fab! My favourite of all though is that amazing Victorian screen- we had one when I was a child and I found it fascinating! What great taste you had even at the tender age of 11! Impressive! XX
ReplyDeleteWhat a great makeover, that table was such a brilliant find for 99p! x
ReplyDeleteOMG, that scrap screen ... you were a visionary at age eleven!! :)
ReplyDeleteFirst things first - BLUE LUREX MAXI! Ok now I have that our of my system, I love this make over, its such an awesome set up. I also love how you and Jon work together on projects like this. It makes them even more awesome. Pom poms forever :D
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