Help with TV stand

[thecatinthehat]

This is our current TV stand. Really good quality wood I got from a consignment store for $150. I love it BUT after tomorrow our floors will be about the same color Our couch is also dark brown leather. I have an expedit that is also dark (that I am sure I will paint). I think I am going to paint our walls edgecomb grey or lighter (it is like apartment grade white right now because I was waiting for the floors to get put in to decide). The floor darkness look about the same as boiler's house, so it is actually a little darker than the TV stand.

Our living room is small so I am worried about all that dark floors and furniture making it seem even smaller.
Somedays I regret choosing the dark floors but really love the look and I hope that one day pieces in my house will go well together. What should I do? Paint white/off white? Or stain lighter? Keep it? I need suggestions. It is really really heavy so DH wants me to decide and do the job before we haul it back to the living room once the floors are in  :? I would like to get this back in the house in 10 days so we can have our TV back 

TIA!

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[kaylie]

What about putting down a light colored area rug to break things up a bit? It looks really nice as is.

[purrbox]

Aug 1, 2014 4:21:54 GMT -5 kaylie said:

What about putting down a light colored area rug to break things up a bit? It looks really nice as is.

I like this idea.

[BAMFMrsB]

Aug 1, 2014 7:57:04 GMT -5 purrbox said:

Aug 1, 2014 4:21:54 GMT -5 kaylie said:

What about putting down a light colored area rug to break things up a bit? It looks really nice as is.

I like this idea.

Same here. No reason to reinvent the wheel. Just break up the matchy-matchy woodtones with something neutral. Win!

[thecatinthehat]

I guess I'll see it first with a light colored rug. We have one but have not used it since we moved.

The guys are working downstairs and here I am thinking that I forgot to take a freaking before picture!!! I have no pictures of the whole space in carpet hardwood is going in living kitchen and dining areas.

[mlvmd]

Maybe this would be the world's worst idea but what about frosting the glass? It would create a solid light space and hide the darkness of the shelves behind the glass. I am horrible at applying frosting though so I am always wary of such projects.

[thecatinthehat]

Aug 1, 2014 17:42:04 GMT -5 mlvmd said:

Maybe this would be the world's worst idea but what about frosting the glass? It would create a solid light space and hide the darkness of the shelves behind the glass. I am horrible at applying frosting though so I am always wary of such projects.

oooo! I like this even though I don't even now how to do that. I will look in to this. Do you think I can use those sticky things that people use on their windows? 

[mlvmd]

Aug 1, 2014 17:46:38 GMT -5 thecatinthehat said:

Aug 1, 2014 17:42:04 GMT -5 mlvmd said:

Maybe this would be the world's worst idea but what about frosting the glass? It would create a solid light space and hide the darkness of the shelves behind the glass. I am horrible at applying frosting though so I am always wary of such projects.

oooo! I like this even though I don't even now how to do that. I will look in to this. Do you think I can use those sticky things that people use on their windows? 

That was my thought. I tried it on a window in a bathroom and it was ummm, interesting. I don't know if it was me or the sticky paper but let's just say my bathroom does not have frosted windows. I see bloggers do it all the time and they keep selling the paper so I assume a lot of it is me.

[thecatinthehat]

Aug 1, 2014 17:52:57 GMT -5 @bluesky said:

Aug 1, 2014 2:47:21 GMT -5 thecatinthehat said:

This is our current TV stand. Really good quality wood I got from a consignment store for $150. I love it BUT after tomorrow our floors will be about the same color Our couch is also dark brown leather. I have an expedit that is also dark (that I am sure I will paint). I think I am going to paint our walls edgecomb grey or lighter (it is like apartment grade white right now because I was waiting for the floors to get put in to decide). The floor darkness look about the same as boiler's house, so it is actually a little darker than the TV stand.

Our living room is small so I am worried about all that dark floors and furniture making it seem even smaller.
Somedays I regret choosing the dark floors but really love the look and I hope that one day pieces in my house will go well together. What should I do? Paint white/off white? Or stain lighter? Keep it? I need suggestions. It is really really heavy so DH wants me to decide and do the job before we haul it back to the living room once the floors are in  :? I would like to get this back in the house in 10 days so we can have our TV back 

TIA!

I had the exact same issue, but my piece was a hand me down (top quality wood).  I ended up painting it slightly off white.  I'll have to post a before/after (if I find it I will tag you).  I am THRILLED with my results.  We have other wood pieces too so it was a given I would have to paint something.

Yes please do! I would love to see it. My only worry really is because I have never done it before I might not do a good job and regret doing it to a very good piece. 

[thecatinthehat]

Aug 1, 2014 18:00:30 GMT -5 @juno said:

Aug 1, 2014 17:46:38 GMT -5 thecatinthehat said:

oooo! I like this even though I don't even now how to do that. I will look in to this. Do you think I can use those sticky things that people use on their windows? 

I have done the film and didn't find it to be that hard.  Cutting it to the EXACT shape was the hardest part so that the edges didn't look messy.  However, if the glass is easily removed, which it probably is in a piece like that, I'd take it out and have some opaque glass cut (or watch a YouTube video and buy sheets and cut your own; it's really easy with a $20 glass cutter and some oil).  It will look a lot more professional.  All this assuming your remotes work through the frosted glass (I have no idea, I just think I've heard they can have trouble through solid surfaces).

Good point about the remotes! I can move stuff to the top, right now they are hidden behind the glass because my kids just started walking and getting into stuff but I think everything that needed a remote can fit in the top compartment and hopefully my kid will learn not play with it all the darn time

[craftyone]

I would find a rug for the top that coordinates. An alternative to frosting the glass is to put some scrapbook paper. I've been meaning to line my media consoles that hold crappy dvds and video games to hide the clutter.

[dr.girlfriend]

I did the spray-paint mercury glass finish on a bathroom cabinet, and really like how it turned out. I'll see if I can find a pic. I wouldn't paint the wood -- it's beautiful wood, but also the t.v. is going to be so large and dark anyway that sitting on something lighter might only make the t.v. look darker and bigger.

[thecatinthehat]

Aug 1, 2014 20:44:11 GMT -5 dr.girlfriend said:

I did the spray-paint mercury glass finish on a bathroom cabinet, and really like how it turned out. I'll see if I can find a pic. I wouldn't paint the wood -- it's beautiful wood, but also the t.v. is going to be so large and dark anyway that sitting on something lighter might only make the t.v. look darker and bigger.

I knwo about the TV size. We bought it before we planned on moving. Our previous living room where the TV was (TV was on a wall) is now the size of our living room, kitchen and dining combined! We really just wanted a cheap TV stand and were prepared for Target furniture but I lucked out on this!

[thecatinthehat]

@bluesky I really like that with the hardwood floors I think you made the right choice here!