Wine Barrel Redo

I REALLY enjoy decorating. And over the years my husband and I have really worked together (and made some compromises) to combine our decorating senses. He has almost always had a heavier foot on the more modern side of things but I'm just not a fan. I like my space to look comfy and inviting, and as nice as the clean modern lines look, it just makes me feel like I am in some fancy hotel down town rather than my own living room.

I think we have both shifted our decorating styles and we have come up with what I call...actually I have no word for it...but I'm working on it! {Suggestions are always welcomed} So, my husband has been saying for a while that he has wanted a wine barrel somewhere in his house. We have thought of many ideas to convert a wine barrel into a decorative piece such as a high top table for the back yard, or cut it in half and make a coffee table out of it, but those things would definitely be a challenge and we were looking for more of a day project.

We found this great place in Plantersville Texas called Haggard's Country Store. The sweetest couple own the store, the land, and actually live right next door. We called them up and sure enough they had just got a HUGE shipment in of wine barrels. So we decided to head up there and pick one out!

Let me just tell you this before I go any further - if the barrel was truly used for wine making leave the bunghole (I had to look that up) corked. I could not believe the smell that was coming out of the barrel. It infused our entire SUV with a very strong wine alcohol smell. Good thing we didn't get stopped on the way home because that cop might have really questioned what we were up to.

Once home we just did some serious sanding to the entire barrel. This helped even out the grain in the wood, get rid of rough edges, and get the rust off of the metal pieces. Once sanded we just put a light walnut stain over the top and let it dry. It really turned out great. We now use it as a sitting area in our living room. All it took was a big lamp and a couple chairs to make the space usable!

Here are the before and after pics:

And here is the final product:

Now I think I need a glass of wine....

KC