Grandma's Vanity Turned End Tables...

While the vanity this project started out from was not my Grandmother's... it was certainly old enough to have been.  And it had definitely seen better days! The vanity below is NOT the piece I started with.... 

(source)

However, it is very similar in design (three drawers on either side and carved legs) and the mirrors are pretty close (with the center one being much taller, only my side mirrors weren't so curvy).  The major difference is this one seems to be in good condition... MINE was missing drawers, had cracked veneer and was so dirty that the finish was almost black.

We took the mirrors off first... I'll show you what I did with them in a later post.  The "shelf" in the middle eventually became this...

...And these would eventually become end tables in my living room.

This is with 2 coats of ASCP in Old White and a coat of clear wax. I sanded the tops, put on one coat of Jacobean stain and then waxed when dried.  Up against the arms of the sofa, they were a little low and looked kinda' "off" to me.

I didn't have any "legs" in my stash, but I did have some wood knobs leftover from another project.  I just flipped them over and screwed them to the four corners.  It's not a big change, but the extra 2 inches I gained in height put the tables at a better level next to the couch.

Because I was missing so many drawers, I did away with them all together.  I tried some small baskets I found at the Dollar Store the first time around...not lovin'!

Then I swapped those out for all cigar boxes.  Gives the tables a little more of a masculine feel and I think they look pretty cool.

I also used cigar boxes to bring the lamps up a little higher...

...and on the other side of the room for these smaller lamps.

Love me some cigar boxes... I use them to coral all the crappola I have laying around.... especially in my office!  They're inexpensive, easy to find and come in all sizes and types.  The cardboard ones are the cheapest (around $2 to $3 ) but they usually have the coolest graphics.  The wooden ones aren't much more (maybe $5 or so) but have a bigger selection of shapes & sizes. Either way, they both come in handy!

It was just the touch the room needed!

Savvy Southern Style

Handy Man Crafty Woman

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Elizabeth and Co.