The Table

I love the idea of people around the dinner table. There is nothing nicer than sitting down to a meal with someone, whether it's a dinner for two, or with your family and friends. A good meal you've taken the time to prepare (whether 10 minutes or hours) should be eaten at the table, not on the coach in front of the television. Colin didn't have the luxury of a real dining room table in his flat in Edinburgh, while I on the other hand, was spoiled during my three years at Eleanor's house, where the dining room table was really the center of most everything that went on. It was a place of solitude at times, especially in the mornings as we worked our way downstairs on our various staggered timelines. That's where I would sit and eat my oatmeal and read the paper before work. A few times per week it was the setting for our group dinners. The table was where we'd all lazily congregate on Sunday mornings, each eyeing the other's scrammbled eggs or toast. It was where Eleanor's Thanksgiving dinners were hosted, where we'd have birthday dinners, and pre-holiday gift exchanges. And even now and then maybe a romantic meal for two. All that made a dining room table the real thing.

But it helps if the table is sturdy, that it's natural, and that it's timeless. So one of the first things Colin and I have focused on, even before we moved in, has been the table. We agreed we wanted it to be made of solid wood. No compressed woodchips and wood veneer. No glass and stainless steels legs. Nothing trendy or too stylized. What we found was that we were both attracted to tables that were a little rustic, a little rough around the edges, something handcrafted with character. Our trolling around stores rarely led to finding anything we really liked, with only one exception (an oak French country table) but we realized the dimensions would not work in our space (too wide). But I kept seeing glimpses of a table here and there in photos on blogs, in magazines, and on the screen, but of course with no way of knowing who designed them and where to look. Until the other day when I saw one on brownstoner. It was a table that was pictured as part of a kitchen renovation. I posted a comment asking where it came from, and as luck would have it, the owner divulged his source. And the source happens to be a woman in Vermont, who handcrafts the tables, and delivers them to our door in NYC. Pictured to right are examples of her work. We've gone with the one with the light stain. 5ft long by 30inches wide. It will seat six.

It's exciting to find a table with all the features we value and to know we're supporting someone's craft in the process. The table has soul already and we hope that the many meals and conversations we have at the dinner table will only add to its character.