Recycled chic: half-moon table

This old half-moon console table (below) was the perfect size for a small hallway, but years of misuse had left it scratched and battered and its dark, treacly varnish made it feel dated. A coat of satin-finish paint has given it a new lease of life, as well as making it resistant to the knocks and bumps of hallway traffic.

To paint the table

Sand with a medium-grade sandpaper to give the surface a key. Moisten a soft cloth or kitchen roll with white spirit and wipe down the table to remove dirt and dust; allow to dry. Paint on two coats of hardwearing satin-finish paint (referring to the manufacturer's instructions).

Look out for

● Dark-wood reproduction furniture and accessories such as mirrors, chairs and tables with carved detailing. These are inexpensive and easily transformed with a coat of paint, highlighting their architectural shapes.
● Pieces with practical but unattractive melamine surfaces that can be primed and painted or covered with fabric.
● Items made from different materials that can be unified with a coat of paint. Or if a piece, such as a bedstead, is badly painted, strip it down to reveal the metal or wood beneath.

Walls in Wimborne White modern emulsion, £28/2.5 litres; Farrow & Ball. Table, £20; chair, £25: both Sunbury Antiques Market. Table in Silk Yellow eggshell, £33/2.5 litres, Zoffany. Lamp, £109, The London Lighting Company. Perpetual calendar, £60, Pedlars. 

Styling and words: Caroline Reeves, assisted by Celia Stuart-Menteth. Photos: Simon Bevan  

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