DIY: Framed Art Coffee Table

by BygoneVintage

I am firm believer of the “if you can’t find it, make it” philosophy, so when I couldn’t find a coffee table for our living room that was either a) unique enough, or b) in my price range, I set out to create one of my own. Now I’m not a carpenter or a welder, so this limits the amount of from-scratch work I can do, but I’m good with a paint brush and hell-on-wheels in a resale market, so I set out on a mission.

diy framed art coffee table, painted furniture, repurposing upcycling

I love thick, elaborate frames on art and mirrors, so my goal for the day was to find a great frame on a cheap piece of art and an inexpensive bench or side table and somehow throw them together to make something useful. My original thought was that if I could find a frame I liked, I could lay it over glass or wood and affix it to the top of a nice sturdy table – preferably a solid wood pedestal type side table. I headed to the local Charity Guild resale store on a weekday, when there’s less traffic and usually more items being brought out for inventory in preparation for the weekend crowds. I practically had the place to myself and I was feeling lucky.

First pass I found this great Ethan Allen solid wood end table that had a great pedestal shape and carved details for a mere $22. SCORE!

I was planning to paint it anyway, so it didn’t matter what shape the finish was in, and I loved that it had some depth to work with. Instantly gold leaf came to mind.

Next to find the perfect frame. Since I was planning to paint that too, I didn’t care what color it was. More importantly, I was searching for a baroque style that I could paint gold to coordinate with the large gold mirror in our living room. And then, there it was. This fabulous Rococo style golden frame, surrounding a great old signed Petitjean mezzotint engraving. The more I looked at the art, the more I loved it. It had a lot of the gray tones that we have in our home, and the scene had a beautiful classic art vibe that worked well with our other art. Plus, it was already covered in plexi making it a perfect waterproof surface as it was. Just the right size and a TOTAL WIN at only $78.

Want to find out how I put it all together? Check out my blog for the full details on my painting techniques and method for affixing the table and art together (this is a total breeze). Check it out here:

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2 of 14 comments

Pat - Australia on Sep 29, 2017

As long as you like it that's all that matter's.

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Thea on Jun 21, 2020

It’s beautiful but framing glass is definitely not robust. It will crack in an instant.

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