When I walk through a Restoration Hardware showroom, I am in awe of their furniture. Their pieces are stunning. RH fabric and leather furniture pieces are ones on which you want to curl up with a thick blanket. Their wood furniture is beautifully oversized and chunky. And one of my favorite things to do is to re-create that Restoration Hardware-Style with dining tables – but for a fraction of the price of course.

If you’ve never been to an RH showroom, here’s what I mean by their chunky dining tables. I’m really referring to the base. If I can find a table with a thick pedestal base, I never hesitate to grab it! Sometimes I’m even lucky enough to find thick legs that come off the pedestal. That’s a bonus!

Here’s another chunky pedestal table from Arhaus Furniture. Very similar in style
Also notice the natural wood finish. The combination of the natural wood with the chunky wood are (to me) the perfect combination. It’s 3-D art that you can run your hand over. And it feels like a river rock that been smoothed to the softest finish from years of the water running over it.

So that’s the goal. To find a solid wood table with a chunky pedestal base, then refinish it to a buttery-smooth natural wood finish that looks like it’s been natural worn from years of use.
Click HERE for one example. And HERE for another.
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Natural Finish Pedestal Table
This round pedestal table is up next. Yesterday I worked on sanding it down. Here’s the before…


Here’s a photo in process.
Fair warning… creating one of these tables is labor-intensive. So while you may only spend about $10 on sand paper and $30 for the clear topcoat, you do have to be ready to put some elbow grease into this project.
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The next few photos show the finished table. If you’d like the specific details how to create this naturally-aged finish, please download the complete ebook which takes you step-by-step through this sanding technique: (click the image)
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The sanding is almost done, but not quite. And then I will add my favorite clear, protective topcoat – the one that after much experimentation, I’ve found doesn’t change the color of the natural wood. Most topcoats – even the water-based ones – yellow the wood. This one does not or if it does, barely at all.
Find out all about how to create this natural wood finish on dining tables and sideboards in my ebook… Click the image to get it:
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links to products I use myself.
The tables are stunning!! Thank you for sharing. What kind of sander do you isey?
Thank you. I use a rotary sander like this one on Amazon (affiliate link): https://amzn.to/3If656R