Dining area : the space, as used by the previous owners of this house
Dining area, on the day we got the keys to the house 4 years ago.
Our dining table, all moved in and lived in, 4 years ago.
2 years ago. Our tenants showed us the potential of this space. Sans the gray paint and with a chic light fixture, the place opened up.
The prodigal table returns after her cross country moves.

Furnishing an empty house

We have happily slept on the floor for the last decade. Bought temporary cheap couches on craigslist that we returned to craigslist buyers when we left. Owned just enough to pack up in under 8 hours for the moves. One exception all along : we always had a too-big-for-its-own-good beloved dining table. When my husband realized he had some reliable income and emergency savings account funded, from his first job, his first splurge was a flat screen tv during a thanksgiving sale. When I got funding in grad school and hit my goal on a 6 month emergency fund, I bought this big dining table. We have always designed our home around it ever since. I had bought it for 280$, on a super sale for 1/4th of my take home student pay cheque, making it an irresponsible purchase back then. This is year 12 and we want to grow old with it making it a good investment. It serves as a desk, catch all, kitchen butcher block, kitchen island table, breakfast nook, dog tent, cat bed, earthquake shelter, book stand, diaper station, feasting station, WFH desk holder, gaming table, crafts table, idea plotting booth, … We once had guests sleep under it in our former tiny home when there was no space for the 10 of us. Small homes where every inch gets used, is the sustainable way. Without a table, we would be less efficient in our way of life. A couch facing a tv supports mindless leisure. A table supports active leisure. Our closest friends usually walk into our front door straight to the table and gather around it. It is the heart of our home. I once had a chance to make 5x the money I spent on it from a generous offer made by a visitor, and my friends protested. It survived the multiple offers it got during an open house. It probably will stay with us as long as we can carry it to where ever we live. Before we made a list of what else we need for the house, we took stock of what we have. Dining table : Check ! My list of requirements on what I look for in the table ( all met ) :

  • It has to have a commanding presence. None of those delicate looking ones.
  • Should not be made of glass or stone or concrete or anything cold. If you bump against it, you shouldn’t get a concussion.
  • Should be made of wood. No veneer please. Transparent wood stain so that we may see the tree grain underneath. When I rest my hands on it, it should feel warm to touch, natural to the eyes and remind me of the trees/great outdoors. I constantly want to be reminded that this home and everything in it, is a gift from the ecosystem.
  • Should not have too many straight lines. Rules out anything too modern.
  • Live edge or reclaimed wood or vintage farm house table. It should not meekly blend into the house but stand its ground with a commanding presence. Looking for an older woman with lived experience and stories who will unapologetically take up the space, not a slender pretty teenage girl with youth as her beauty blushing in a corner.
  • Should not look prim and proper. Let it collect bruises and water stains. The table should look better with age.
  • Shouldn’t be too precious like I see in homes with formal dining rooms. The grand tables in formal dining rooms are seldom used every day. The McMansions seem to hoard them for when the guests arrive or that one thanksgiving feast per year, in favor of breakfast nooks and informal smaller tables. I do not want another table. I do not want to “save” my “good furniture” for guests. We gotta use every inch of the house and every piece of furniture everyday. If a tree was felled, the wood should really be put to too much use, not hoarded. The land was cleared of trees/grasslands/wetlands for this house. Roads laid by fracturing ancient ecosystems. Cars bought from mined metals to get me here. All of the house should be used well in gratitude. I got to resist the philosophy associated with the McMansion way of life.
  • Repairable, by retired local carpenters. If it’s too technical, I may not find folks who can fix it without costing a fortune.
  • Shouldn’t look too precious. People shouldn’t fret wear and tear from everyday use.
  • I have a target of wearing my 2 winter coats for a decade or more. I wont buy another so that I may use my two well. I take care of them accordingly. For the dining table, I set my target at 2 decades at the least. I will take care of it accordingly.
  • The Table comes First, is a fantastic book by the food writer Adam Gopnik. Do read, if you get a chance.
  • Gathering at the table, is bigger than the table or the food on it.