DIY Farmhouse table for two (with a little bit of chicness)

DIY farmhouse table for two – learn how to make a X leg farmhouse table from scratch, how to paint and distress it, but also add a little bit of chicness to make it special

Living in the country has definitely some advantages and for me, being able to spend time outside whenever I want to, it sometimes feels like a blessing. Especially after spending almost all my life in the city (and living in an apartment), the feeling of freedom you get after moving to the countryside it’s unbelievable.

So for today I have a beautiful project for you, one that will help you want to spend more time outside and enjoy these beautiful days of summer – a DIY farmhouse table for two… with a little bit of chicness :)

Of course I could have named this post ‘a DIY small but chic farmhouse table’ or ‘a DIY multifunctional farmhouse table’. Or maybe ‘move your chic office outside this summer with this DIY farmhouse table’, because this table is perfect for doing some outdoors work on your laptop:) All these could have been great titles because this DIY farmhouse table is THAT GREAT! :) But the idea of sharing it with someone special, having breakfast in the garden or sipping a glass of freshly made lemonade seemed more appealing … so a DIY farmhouse table for two it is!

As always, Mr Dreamy made the table and I painted and distressed it. So the table is for two but it is also made by two! :) And what I love most about this project is that we used things that we already had around. For the table top for example we recycled some wood from old pallets! I love it when we are able to do some recycling and to keep things to a minimal when making a DIY project, don’t you?

So if you decide to make this project I would suggest going deep into your wood stash first and see what you can find! :) I usually love working with things already in hand and just adapt and improvise when it comes to size or shape… and see where the final project takes me … take us in this case.

How to make a DIY farmhouse table for two

Our DIY farmhouse table consisted of two large steps:

1. The table top – for the table top we used 8 pieces of reclaimed pallet wood (that had one million holes to fill and had to be sanded really well with an orbital sander) that we glued and screwed together using other old pieces of wood on the back (arranged perpendicularly). Super easy, right?:) Each piece of reclaimed wood that we used on the front had about 3 – 3.5 inches (8.5 – 9 cm) so our table top had a total width of 28 inches (71 cm) and a length of 49 inches (125 cm).  

2. The X legs – we wanted to keep things simple at this point too, so Mr Dreamy cut 4 pieces of wood in an angle to make some X legs. I actually came up with this idea after Pinteresting a little bit :) The X leg table seemed simple and easy to make, plus we wanted something that wouldn’t take too much of our time when making it. As you can see from the pictures below Mr Dreamy measured the angles for the end of the legs and cut them using a Makita top handle jigsaw*.

To screw each pair of X legs together he used another piece of wood (one for each pair) on the exterior, on the upper side. Then he drilled holes where the X legs were inter-crossing.

And attached the two pairs of X legs together using a round piece of wood (I don’t know how it is actually called). Of course he measured a lot during this whole process and made sure the top of the X legs were perfectly intertwining the pieces of wood used on the back of our table top.

Don’t be afraid to improvise and adjust, just make sure you measure, measure, measure … before cutting :)

Then we just added the table top and our DIY farmhouse table was ready! :)

Well, almost ready :) … because I wanted to add something else to this table, THAT small thing that would make it a more special one:) So I created a design for the sides of the table using a piece of cardstock and drew it on a piece of reclaimed wood from our stash. Mr. Dreamy cut it.

And voila, that little bit of extra chicness was just born! :)

I’m not sure if you can see it from the pictures, but we attached this chic special extra piece of wood to the top part of the legs (forming a frame with the upper woods used earlier) and not to the table top, because I wanted the table top to be completely detachable when needed. Like (maybe) quickly chasing some natural light and moving it to another location and use it as background for food or product photography :)

And here you can also see how the back of the table top looks like.

And the final chic look! :)

How to paint and distress a DIY farmhouse table for two

I used black acrylic paint to stain the surface,  Deco Art Americana Chalky Finish Paint* to paint it and Deco Art ultra matte varnish*  to protect the surface afterwards (suitable for using on outdoor projects). 

When painting large objects I usually use a sponge and some highly diluted dark paint to quickly cover all the surface. I just love how all the grains in the wood are starting to appear, giving the wood a really worn look.

Some people prefer this stained look, so if you are one of them you can just stop now and admire your work! :)

But if you are like me and love all things in white and in pretty pastels, please proceed to the next step! :)

I rubbed some candle on the edges (you can do that too, it will help with distressing afterwards) and then applied the paint. And yes, the color you see in the photos is pink! :) I tone it down with a little bit of white and I just loved it! The Deco Art Americana Chalky Finish Paint* is the only chalk paint I have ever used (it’s the only chalk paint available in my country) and I’m really happy with the results I get when using it. It has a great coverage and it dries super fast (especially in the summer, if you work outside, like I did). And it is a water-based paint, which means that it can be diluted with water and you can wash your brushes afterwards with only a little bit of soap and water. For me that’s a big plus, I hate using harsh chemicals on anything.

I applied two coats of paint and distressed the planks a little bit before applying the varnish. I decided to go for a matte  finish so I used the Deco Art ultra matte varnish. The final result was just amazing!

I just loved how the new painted table top looked with the stained X legs, so I decided to leave them like this. As you can see, I had a good helper around me the whole time! :)

I initially wanted the DIY two small benches for our new chic farmhouse table, but I had some fancy ironware chairs I wasn’t using anywhere inside the house, so I decided to just paint them and put them to good use outdoors. I used the same Deco Art Americana Chalky Finish Paint* and just loved how amazingly versatile this paint was!

And yes, my little dog just had to watch the whole process! :)

The chairs also had some cozy easily removable cushions so I think they were a good choice overall.

And then we just sat and enjoyed THE PERFECT lemon infused water on our new DIY farmhouse table for two! :)

And even added some fresh mint from the garden – which by the way is growing like crazy lately! But I don’t mind, because I just try to find new ways to turn something into a new delicious Mojito recipe. Don’t believe me? Check my Strawberry Mojito Smoothie! :)

See? I told you this table would also look great as a food photography background! :)

I’m really happy about this table. It’s not perfect, but that’s the beauty of a DIY project, it doesn’t have to be perfect! :) And I’m even more happier that we are now using it outside on a regular basis, whether it’s for lunch or dinner, a few minutes of decompressing or just catching up.

I’m even thinking of moving it on the porch when the bad weather will start to settle in, but for now, we are enjoying this beautiful summer while it lasts.

That’s it for today, I hope you’ll give this project a try! And don’t forget to save it on Pinterest (or share it with all your friends and family! ;)

P.S. Thank you so much for all your lovely comments from my last DIY project Shabby French Recycled Tin Cans, I will answer them all soon, as always, I promise! :) I don’t want to sound like an old record, but for the past two-three months things have been really crazy for us. The handmade shop kept us so busy, I still can’t believe it’s the middle of August already. I have tons of new DIY projects, yummy recipes and so many more things to show that I don’t even know where to go from here or what to show you next. But I’m slowly putting things in order, so stay tuned for more! :)

P.P.S. And pleaseeeeeee, can someone give me my summer back? :)

Don’t forget to smile,

Diana

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