One Little Gray Duck

I bought this sweet vintage duck decoy at an antique mall recently, fully intending to sell it in my etsy shop. But when I got home, this one little gray duck ended up inspiring a mini-makeover in the corner of my livingroom, complete with painting, furniture rearranging, and everything.

He has just the nicest weathered patina with so much wonderful texture. And the thing you'd never ever guess about my little gray duck? He looks just like a fine old wooden decoy... but he's made of plastic. What a clever little duck I have.

Above is what the corner of my livingroom looked like before. The dark table and iron chandelier didn't really stand out much, and it was a dark corner of the room to begin with so it needed a little brightness and color. Enter my little gray duck...

I started by swapping the dark stained desk for the white chippy table that was serving as my husbands computer desk on the other side of the room. I added a blue painted box, which was a plain wood box that I painted and antiqued in the same way I did my china cabinet.

I also painted a pair of my wooden lamps. I discovered these turned lamp bases a while ago at Target.com on clearance for under $20 and I ordered 4 of them! A couple coats of gray and off-white paint, dabbed and wiped off in just the right places, and Pottery Barn can eat it's pricey little heart out.

 The result is a lighter and brighter corner with simple antique details and a perfect touch of color. And it all started with one little gray (plastic) duck!