furniture makeover: hall table

After months of saying I would do it, I'm finally going to paint this little sucker! I love where it is in the house (between the living room and dining room) and that it has a drawer for our menus and notepads and a shelf for our cookbooks. Please ignore the random item that is leaning against the right side of the shelf...what is that!? It is not there any more. I took this picture a long time ago.

I am painting the table black. My only hesitation is that the table in itself is not my style (each side has a small cut-out heart) and I wonder how long we will use it before replacing it with something else. 

**see finished table here**

I just watched Emily Henderson's "Secrets From a Stylist" and was immediately relieved when she stated that her client has three styles and she wanted to incorporate each style into the room she was designing. I have been trying to define my style in a simple phrase ever since freshman year of college when I was starting to create my own space, and it's hard! My mom decorates in a very traditional way w/ a hint of country charm- like a Pottery Barn catalog. During my first year as a wife I realized that a LOT of my home decor was looking more country than I wanted (note the black star above hall table). I love what I have, but I noticed my bent towards these items came from years of living among them, not years of picturing it in my head. In my head I picture our home with clean lines, exposed beams, built-ins, dark wood tones, modern yet inviting furniture, vintage accessories and pops of color. 

Oh, to own a home. No more white chair rail with fancy wallpaper! No more peach accent wall! No more beadboarded basement! 

I have to share with you this mid century modern wall unit that I found online. SHUT THE FRONT DOOR.

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I'm dyyying for a long, sturdy wooden credenza to replace our ridiculously ugly black media console. This one, pictured below, is just what I'm looking for. I tried to buy a credenza off Craigslist this week but never heard back from the buyer. It was tiny and wouldn't have held up our TV for a minute, but it was adorable and affordable. I need to stay off Craigslist until we either have a child or move.

Credenza is a fun word to say. I wish my style could be defined as: credenza.