While my husband was gone on deployment I decided it was time to find a new table and chairs to better suit our style, space and needs. Our current one is a blocky rectangle with a blonde birch top and white legs that seats or comfortably and maybe six squeezing in. The chairs are also the same body is white with a blonde birch seat. They are very plain, with clean lines, which to me is very boring and overall the set makes the space feel crowded. My husband was given them for free when he was still a bachelor so I figured I could sell the set we had and probably not be out any costs in replacing them.
The dining room space is very small and so I determined that we needed a versatile table. I thought it would be ideal to find a round table that had double-drop leaves as well as center leaf extensions so that the table could grow or shrink depending on the needs of the occasion. It would be ideal if at the smallest size the table could be used as a small buffet, allowing many people to easily maneuver around it and at the largest size would seat as many as eight people comfortably.
My first thought was buying and IKEA table because I love IKEA and they are famous for furniture pieces that are both inexpensive and versatile for using in small spaces. Me first choice was their "Norden" table because it could fold down to the size of a side arm table in the living room to set drinks on but would extend out to be able to see as many as six, which was the size of our current table. The problem was it was ugly, rectangular, and almost $200. So despite the versatility it practically had nothing else going for it. My overall budget was about $200 so I knew that wouldn't work.
My vision for the chairs was to find chairs with an older vintage look that had a lot of character and potential for upholstering the seat with a fun or vintage fabric. I knew I was not going to find the chairs at ikea.
The solution for where to find both the table and chairs for at or under budget was to look at my favorite place to find anything; A thrift store.
I found the chairs first, at "Richard Scary's" thrift store. I go in from time to time and on this occasion I wasn't looking for anything in particular. When I thrift shop usually I have a list in my mind of things that I know that I'm looking for that helps me to be focused on looking for only those things and not browsing aimlessly and spending too much money on things I don't need. I knew I was looking for chairs and when I walked in, I saw the set of chairs immediately, piled in the center of the store. They were cool, vintage and very charming but the price was a little more than I wanted to spend on them. I walked away thinking maybe I will wait and if they're still there months now I'll have time to think about it.
Sure enough, I was driving by one day and saw a sign for a furniture sale. I stopped in to look to see if the chairs were still there. They were. They were still more than I had wanted to spend, (I have a sense of how much things are worth) and I didn't think they were worth what he was asking. But he told me they were over 100 years old and I knew I wouldn't find that vintage charming style anywhere else. So, I broke down and bought them. I paid $100 for the set.
I found the table when I was down in Oregon visiting my parents. One of my mom and my favorite things to do together is "putz" around at thrift stores. I knew that I was looking for a round table so I walked back into the furniture section and there it was, a round, double drop-leaf table almost exactly like I had been looking for. The problem was it didn't have center leaf extensions, so at the largest size it would probably only be able to fit four people squeezed around it. I called my dad sent him a picture and ask him if he thought it would be possible to add leaves. Since my dad is a woodworker he is the perfect person to do this kind of project. He came up and looked at it and that he could easily add leaves, so I bought it on the spot for 20 bucks and took it home. Current cost for the project: $120.
So, I had found my table and chairs. However there was still a lot of work to be done. The chairs needed to be sanded, painted and the seats upholstered. I would need to choose the color scheme, buy paint, upholstery foam and fabric to cover the chairs. Upholstery foam is extremely expensive so I would also need to keep my eyes open for some at the Goodwill pound store.
The table needed to be cut down the center, slider brackets installed and leaves cut and fitted to match. Then I would need to sand and stain the top and paint the base.
So lots of work to be done. Yay for projects!
Coming soon in the next post: beginning work on the chairs!
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