This is my dining table.
I'm not a person who buys stop-gap pieces. I'd much rather go without until I find the exact piece of furniture I'm after.
I went without any sort of dining table for five years while I searched for 'the one'. Five years of eating dinner on our laps, and only entertaining in summer when we could use our outdoor dining table. One Christmas we even brought the outdoor dining table inside.
After all those years of searching, eight years ago I finally found this table in an antique shop in the city. I fell in love with its sturdy straight legs, its solid shape, and its wonderful patina.
It was originally a farmhouse table, on a farm just outside Lobethal, a little town in the lovely Adelaide hills. I often wonder if the farmer made it himself. The antique dealer I bought it from found it in a big shed on the farm. It had been sitting there unloved for many years, before the dealer bought it and had it brought back to life.
The restorer was careful to keep all the marvellous dings and dents and stains that give this table its character. We've probably contributed a bit more 'character' over the last eight years.
This bit below is my favourite part - an indentation on the railing. I often wonder if this was from where the head of the household rested his booted foot every night over dinner. I also love how the bottom of the legs are wrapped in a metal strip.
It's nice to have a little piece of history in my home. I think it warms up my very neutral, very new home quite nicely.
It's nice to have a little piece of history in my home. I think it warms up my very neutral, very new home quite nicely.
Best wishes,
