Any of you who follow me on Instagram will know I’m a huge fan of DIY. I spent years working on building sites as a painter and decorator and I’ve renovated 2 houses, one of them, our home today, which is an ongoing project with my husband. So I was really excited when I was recently contacted by French Design Company TIPTOE about a collaboration and was offered some of their table legs to try out.
TIPTOE are a relatively new company that was set up by 2 friends with a passion for interiors and design. The mission was to offer a creative experience that goes way beyond traditional furniture. The legs come in a range of different sizes and colours and are manufactured from powder coated Steel and are designed to be easily fitted to any suitable table top surface so you can immediately make it your own and create something new.
I loved the sound of it and immediately my mind started ticking as to what I could create. I wanted to make something out of wood, preferably old and rustic looking. Initially I was thinking of a side table as we have no space for big stuff, then my husband took me up to his lock up and we dragged out an old door that he had found in a skip years ago that we used to use on trestles as a garden table. Immediately we knew it was perfect. Our garden is tiny and full of comfy style seating so not very practical when trying to eat outdoors with 2 messy kids. However as the TIPTOE legs are easily fitted and removed, we could assemble it as a table when needed and store in the shed at other times. Perfect!!! I also knew I wanted to make a rustic bench so after a trip to our local wood recycling yard a perfect beaten up old plank was sourced for £5. So I placed the order for 2 sets of Graphite legs in the sizes TIPTOE suggest on their website.
The legs arrived really quickly and straight away when I took them out of the box I knew they were really fantastic quality. I love the branding and simple design and lots of thought has gone into the overall aesthetic, like the logo detail on the legs. All I needed to do was sort out the wood for the tops and then fit the legs.
I didn’t want to go too mad on the sanding of the tabletop as I wanted it to still look old and imperfect, so I gave it a quick once over with the electric sander then 2 coats of Annie Sloan Clear Wax to protect it. The plank needed a bit more TLC as it was pretty dirty and water stained so after I cut it to size and sanded it, I gave it one coat of Clear Wax and then 2 coats of Annie Sloan Dark Wax to make it look even more aged. It came up absolutely beautiful!!
I left these both overnight so the wax could harden, then excitedly fitted the legs the next morning, which if you saw my stories, was very easy. The hardest part was turning the door over on my own the right way up afterwards. TIPTOE provide you with a little instruction booklet and an Alan key, but all you need to do really is position the legs then tighten the wheel. I then of course couldn’t resist a little Autumn table style up and lunch outside with the husband (check my story highlights).
I have to say that I absolutely LOVE the TIPTOE legs and the industrial quality they bring and I’m so happy with the table and bench and the new area I was able to create so easily. I’m also completely made up that I’m able to just unscrew the legs and put the table away when we don’t need it, but it would be perfect as a rustic dining room table if we didn’t already have one. The bench, I am just in love with and have now brought inside and put at the end of my bed!! The top looks 100 years old, which when combined with the sleek modern look of the steel legs is the perfect amalgamation of old and new.
I really hope some of you feel inspired to have a go with the fabulous variety of sizes and colours of the TIPTOE legs, which is basically a really affordable way of creating something wonderful. All you need to do is find your perfect top and your good to go. Happy salvaging!
This blog is in collaboration with TIPTOE who very kindly gifted me the table legs, however all thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.