I would paint the sides and the base black. I would do something different with the top but I would have to think about it. How about painting the top gray?

I have a table like this in my kitchen. It is white,but the top was left oak. the chairs are white with fitted cushions of blue and white toile.

@lovetoshoop61- that sounds pretty!

Hmm... or you could paint the base and sides Mayflower Red and the top Standish White...

Something like this? Top of the back mimics the shape in the upper cabinet doors.

We are very appreciate of comments received, but see I have made the newbie's mistake of not being specific enough with the questions. Sorry, mea culpa, may I try again?

- Should we paint the table (ex chalk paint) which gives a solid color, or stain it, which allows some grain to show through? We've seen both, but are not sure which would give a cleaner or more classic look.
- Style we are going for is more classic or transitional to blend better with rest of the rooms
- We would like to stay clear of country or traditional. (we inherited the kitchen cabinets but don't wish to emphasize them).

@ Margo C - like the idea of base/sides in black, would top be dk grey?
@ carolins - Like the idea of parson's chair but maybe without the curve on top?

Yes, I meant for the top to be gray. I like the idea of red wall and gray. I thought I was seeing gray in your curtains, am I? Maybe like this blue-gray top, only with black sides and base

Paint it all in black and then you can do more fun things like a different color on the chairs (grey, wood, black or maybe even colors?!) I have this black table in my dining room and it really grounds the room (also have wood cabinets I am dying to paint!!) I can't see your curtains very well -- do you want to bring those into the design even more or are those up for a new look as well?

I would paint the table black (concur withLaura) and add chairs like these:


or play it up with something racy french like this:

If you decide to purchase artwork I have original abstract paintings available ~ I also offer custom pieces. Let me know if you have any questions.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/gperillo

I'd definitely paint - I'm not big on the yellow pine color -- too 80's country looking for my taste. Black would be handsome, maybe with distressing too age it up a bit,

I would paint the entire table black, the picture above from Laura McGann shows how great it would look.

I think I'd then try to find chairs that have a wrought iron look, but are chrome or silverish finish. This would give you the Barcelona "wrought iron" feeling you like, and match the tones of the appliances. It appears the light you have over the table has silver toned metal in it. These chairs on Wayfair.com come with multiple metal color and seat cushion fabrics: http://www.wayfair.com/Tempo-Somerset-Side-Chair-TP1623.html

I would then carry that wrought iron look to the shelf supports for the open shelving you want to do. I recently purchased inexpensive Rubbermaid shelves. They can be painted with chalk paint (no sanding required) and a satin finish used from the chalk paint product lines to keep the finish nice. I found great wooden shelf corbel supports online, and I'm sure there are lovely ones in wrought iron.

Terri, Sorry for taking so long to respond, have a house full of people on the way. Love the table it is an incredible find. I am not sure I would paint it black. The table is oak, not a bad thing, but you will never get a really smooth finish. Oak is very grainy and can be painted with lots of prep, several coats of primer and a whole lot of sanding between each coat. The pedestal will be the biggest challenge. personally for the room you posted I would use General brand stain in Cranberry. I would sand the piece down removing all the current varnish and restrain in a fun color. Sherwin Williams has a nice selection of transparent and semi transparent stains that would work well too.

My table is similar & I plan to paint it all white with black windsor arm chairs, similar to the green ones pictured, although I'm going for a more contemporary look, with traditional furniture....

Every room needs some black and a round pedestal table is versatile - might need it for a foyer table some day.

I saw a you tube video where the woman used Anne Sloan chalk paint in old white on the base and wiped it off prior to waxing. It gave the base a gray like the tables in restoration hardware. Then she used black paint for the top and sides of the top. Kind of a knocked-down dressy look if you know what I mean.

I'd use colored stains on a table like this, not paint. Stain makes it much easier to get a good finish, and it will also be much more durable than paint.

Go black. Enough said.

Wow, so many nice suggestions offered, but the image of the black painted table above is calling my name! I'm excited, can't wait to work on. Would like some sheen (shine?) to the finish, but not full on glossy. Have read up on chalk paint, does it give this type of finish? And do you recommend buying one of the name brands or chalk paint or a making it myself from DIY recipe? What color wax does one use on black?

Thanks for all of the other suggestions on artwork, wrought iron corbels for the shelves, and chairs.

@ Gina Perillo - nice etsy shop, like your artwork

My suggestion would be do extensive research on how to finish a table top that will require constant wiping. I have refinished oak furniture and have found three coats of polyurethane gives a great finish. I have noticed quite a number of tacky tabletop dilemmas on woodworking forums, so I suggest you get all the advice you can regarding the best option. Good luck, I think the black will look great.

I like the idea of painting the table base black but the surface might look nice stained grey or what ever colour your curtains are.

There are places you can have the table spray painted professionally. I believe benjamin Moore has a paint specifically designed for what you need if you choose to do it yourself. It will be beautiful when you are done. The paint has to cure between coats and after it is done. Have fun with it!

My vote is for black. I painted a very traditional solid cherry dresser black. Boy, did I learn a lot of lessons of what NOT to do next time. One piece of advice. You can take it or leave it. I LOVE BEHR paint BUT NOT their BLACKS!!!! For whatever reason, it did not matter how many shades we tried, it was just difficult to work with. Never had that happened with their wall paints. Painted another dresser with a different brand, but it was so long ago I can't remember the name, and did not have that problem. My father in law who builds furniture said he had had the same experience. Good luck. You should post "after" pics for us!

Black without a doubt ,there is already too much wood on display. Black will add a dramatic statement ,you can always use Annie Sloan chalk paint no need for sanding and if you use a roller you get a nice even finish. To add a bit of quirkiness you could use liquid chalk to write guests names on the table ,easily wiped off again . Good luck and would love to see the final result :)

This is a photo in one of my ideabooks.
http://houzz.com/photos/448456

That's pretty Judy! That's an amazing job of taking away the '80's vibe without painting the table.

This is what we did with our. We have black Windsor high backs for chairs. The paint is lamp black milk paint. You can buff it to a shine. Stain is early American

My mother left her's the natural wood and bought white chairs with some brown hi lights on it. Looks great. Seats have cushioned seats with some color in it.

I have a pedestal table, painted it popcorn white (behr paint) waited till it was dry then stenciled a pretty random design on top in aqua spray. Once dry poly the whole table looks pretty.

I think the white chairs (kinda a creamy color) would look great with your walls. I love the color of your walls by the way.

Oh, I have a antique bench for 1 person , 1 high back antique ladder chair and still looking for another cute chair to go with, I didn't want matchy matchy. I can fit 4 around the 32 inch table , love it

I really like what Jackie Albright Brodzik did with hers and think it would look great with black chairs.

Beleanducy- I was also thinking of doing a large random pattern on top. I was going to paint the table black and do a white stencil. I have a paisley 14x14" stencil. Could you post a pic of your table? This place is the best for new ideas!

How did you do, I wonder? Do you have an updated photo? I ask because we are in the middle of painting our oak pedestal table with Annie Sloan's 'Graphite'. After we finished painting the table, we realized how much work we would need to put into the four Windsor chairs, so we decided to leave them alone, unpainted. I think I will like the end result. We have not started the waxing stage yet, and I'm a little intimidated. But, I do think it will be the look we want.

peggyos - no photos just yet, as this is still in progress.
After much research into latex paint vs chalk paint, I decided to go with black chalk paint. Your 'graphite' color sounds nice, too.
I picked up a small side table at a garage sale to practice on, and am now working on the actual table itself. I will probably wax only the base & feet, and do a more durable finish (ex. satin poly) on the tabletop. I'll have to test the poly finishes on the small table first, as I want to match the poly finish to the wax finish on base/feet.
Have to say it's been great fun so far. I'll bet your unfinished chairs look just fine with the painted table, do you have a photo? You are correct in that it would be a lot of work to do 4 chairs.
I found a couple of really good tutorials on Pinterest for how to apply the wax. Check out the blog inmyownstyle.com - very good info and be sure to read through all the comments posted too.
I'm using Vintage Market & Design Furniture Paint (sold at a local vintage shop in my hometown) - it's a dream to work with. Completely covers the primer, which I used to help smooth out the oak grainline of the wood.
Will post photos when done - I promise!

Any photos on this thread yet? I am browsing around looking for ideas for a large oak dining table. Now that we have renovated, with dark hardwood floors, better lighting throughout main floor and Grey Owl and Coventry Gray - the oak table looks very yellow and woody in the room. I am going to go look up the chalk paint idea, thanks!

Just saw this post. Love the black paint idea and would like to see your finished project. ( I've been trying to find out the different effects of black paint vs black stain.) Mjdcanada, if you haven't undertaken your project yet, here's an idea: I've stumbled across "DIYDriftwood.com" and have been looking for a project to use it on. It may be just the look you need to "get the yellow out!"

Turns your piece sort of a weathered gray and is quite reasonable. The owner is very helpful - even to the extent she recommended against using her product for my last project because I wanted a weathered brown.

Paint the base and stain the top.

Paint, definitely. Choose a color that coordinates with you color scheme. Don't be afraid to finish in a high gloss or be bold in your color choice. If your decor is one that leans toward "vintage," you can get funky. Use a solid for top surface, stripe the apron, combine dots, stripes, and spirals for base in a combo of colors. Good luck, and have fun!
Highline Design - J Pope designer SLC
High line De

Why definitely paint, highline design? And why paint the base and stain the top, SP? I had some cheap pine bedside tables since college - stored in the basement until last summer when I used Zar Ultra Oil Based poly (the one with stain and polyurethane combined). Sent them across the country with my son's mover but the color (Fruitwood) was too red - I wanted brown. When I visit him I want to either paint them black or use Minwax Polyshades oil based stain/poly in black. Can not for the life of me figure out the difference in the effect I'll get!