When in doubt, paint it white

I had a ton of great luck over the summer.  I found all sorts of furniture on the side of the road.  Most of it needed some work, but some were really easy updates.  

I found this mid-century-ish side table on the curb.  It looked like the previous owners had started to redo it, but never made it quite there.  Parts were sanded down and they'd added some trim around the top edge.  The wood was also extremely dry and cracked.  

I started out thinking I'd paint the whole thing white just to give it a cleaner look.  But, once I'd painted the drawer front and added the new knobs, I decided I really liked the contrast of the wood and white.  So, I just painted the upper trim white to balance it out, oiled the wood, and left it otherwise untouched.  I think the whole process took about 30 minutes (plus the drying time between coats of paint).  

The knobs on this little guy have quite the story.  I got them from Anthropologie when I was in a middle school and had them on my closet doors in my parents' house all growing up.  They moved with me to DC, where they previously resided on our hall closet.  They're slightly pokey because they're made of bits of sea glass, so they weren't great to have on something we were constantly opening and closing.  I switched them out for some recycled class knobs (which are completely round and easier to grab without stabbing risk) and moved them here where we're less likely to impale ourselves.  [Sometimes beauty really is pain.]

The cast iron fans are also trash rescues.  I think they're architecturally interesting, but the best part is that they still work!  

Now the only thing holding me back is my terrible iPhone photos.  I need to get my act together and actually photograph my projects when I'm finished.  But maybe that's just asking too much of myself...