Rustic Chic Console Table

After replacing our busty, builder-grade lights, bidding our old-fashioned hall tree adieu, swapping tired carpet and forever-dingy tiles for hardwoods, and giving our front door a few coats of peacock blue, our front hallway has come a long way. (The walls are the same shade in both pictures – hard to believe that time of day and camera can have such a big impact!)

But what was really missing was some functional storage in this highly-trafficed space. Because yes, I was super tired of seeing the hubby’s car keys and wallet parked on our mantle like pieces of decorative art.

When I spied this rustic-X console on Ana White’s website, I knew it was the perfect piece for our front hallway. This beauty was built by Hillary of The Friendly Home – you can get all the details here.

We tweaked Ana’s plans to remove 2″ of depth, so it would be just the right fit for our space. With plans in hand, it was time to start building.

Although we spent several days trying to figure out the appropriate angles and cutting methods for the Xs, we came up empty. I was super frustrated that we couldn’t figure it out, but figured I could live without them. After we had the table assembled, we hauled it inside for a preview.

The baskets that used to live in our bookshelf are a perfect fit… with room for two more! After thinking long and hard about how to finish the table, we dragged it back outside. We whitewashed the bottom of the frame and gave the top a coat of Minwax’s Dark Walnut, followed by a stain and poly-in-one in American Walnut. I absolutely love the contrast between the top and the bottom, and how perfectly the top ties in with our rustic floors. Stand by for beauty shots.

Next up, styling. The mirror is just a temporary visitor – I’d like something that better fills the horizontal space. Plus we’ll need a lamp. I couldn’t resist playing, though!

The decorative cabbage I picked up at the grocery store is my favorite – all that texture, the rich green color, and how they perfectly fill my big square vase ($6.99 for the bunch, not too shabby).