This Bombay coffee table set has so much history. They really aren’t antique or anything like that but they are certainly vintage. My friend Lisa inherited them from her mother some 15 or 20 years ago and I’m sure her mother had them for at least 15 or so years in her own home. During Lisa’s last move she decided she was going to let them go and I was the lucky recipient.
Because they are mahogany I decided to refinish the coffee table top and completely paint out the end table. I began by chemically stripping the coffee table, sanding, and restaining with General Finishes Java Gel Stain. It’s so common with the mahogany veneer surface that as I’m staining the surface with the Gel Stain that I get what’s called colour lift. With a few extra steps outlined here, this can all be fixed. And the final product is amazing!
I painted the apron, legs of the coffee table along with the entire surface of the end table with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White. I find that Old white over the mahogany colour tends to have more of a creamy undertone. So it adds a beige tinge that works so well with the Java colour.
For added dimension, I distressed all those lovely edges to high light those lovely curves. As a final step and sealer instead of the usual wax that would typically go on top of the chalk paint, I used a natural soy (Oil) based sealer by Artisan Enhancements that is non-yellowing but adds great protection and durability over the surface. The end table received an extra coat. The magic with this sealer is that it goes on milky (cloudy) but dries crystal clear!
What an amazing Bombay coffee table set for any hip country-chic space in your home.
The coffee table measures 41″ D x 16″ H
The end table measures 28″L x 20″W x 21″H.
Before:
After: