The Big Table Swap

Hold onto your hats. If you can follow this information, your brain is working okay. Let me know if you don’t get it and than I’ll write more slowly. Elly received a table and chair set from her mother in law. When I saw it, I really liked the table a lot. It was an old door that had been made into a table. It was all beat up and looked really cool to me. Plus it weighed a ton. When I commented how much I liked it, Elly asked if I wanted it. I said sure, and left it at that. As it turns out, her mother in law had another table to give her and Elly was serious.  I, however, felt like my current chairs, kind of delicate and curvy would never go with the table and so let the idea die. She later told me, however, that she was also getting new chairs and I could have the chairs as well. They weren’t my favorite kind of chairs, but with some refinishing they would look good with the table. So the question remained, did I want to take the table?

I then asked João, thinking he wouldn’t agree, since the main issue was:  what would I do with my current table and chairs? They are a good set, but I have never been that crazy about the table, since it’s a glass top and I just don’t care that much for glass top tables. He asked our children’s pastor who is getting married next month if he would be interested. He was. So now, it looks like we have a three way swap happening. Elly goes to one side of town, and picks up the table and chairs from her mother in law. Then the mover takes her table and chairs and delivers them to me, where he picks up my table and chairs and delivers them to André. Got that?

Sounds cut and dried. Well it wasn’t. It seems the rather huge heavy table wouldn’t fit in the elevator and had to be hauled up 17 flights of steps. These were not professional movers either. There was the driver, a kid of about 13 and my son in law. They nearly died. I felt terrible. To make things worse, my current table also didn’t fit in the elevator either. (Our service elevators are just about useless. Our couches and refrigerator also had to be hauled up the steps). So the guys had to haul it down the steps. No one was real happy and I don’t think I got off to a good start with my “step” son-in-law. Fortunately all fit into the elevator at André’s building. 

Somewhere the chair cushions were lost and there are only two of them. I am hoping they find the others and I will have them redone to match my room. If not, I’ll just have all new ones made. In addition, I plan to redo the chairs in a distressed/rustic wood finish (the table is distressed, but naturally so!). Do you have a suggestion?  I am thinking of doing them white like the china cabinet, but I’ve also thought of something colorful for them as well (like the chest on the right). Nothing dark works with that dark red walls I have.

I am also wanting to get a large woven, round basket and fill it with ceramic balls as the centerpiece. The table is tall, so I want something low. Now I am enthused about framing my tulip paintings for the wall behind the table. I want to do it like a window frame, but I think I need to do a 4th painting for that to work out, so guess I had best get creative here. All ideas are welcome!