Thursday, January 27, 2022

Side Table Shuffle

 You may remember that Hubby Tony and I recently got new seating for the living room. We arranged the two love seats at right angles to each other, which left a square shape between the two. The rectangular Queen Anne-style side table that looked nice next to the old couch wasn't going to cut it any more, so I started looking for a new one. The requirements:

  • Square or round top
  • Between 22-26 inches wide
  • Between 22-24 inches tall.

My first stop was the website of the store where we bought the love seats. They really worked with us when one of them was manufactured incorrectly, and I appreciated that. However, everything on their website was over $400, way more than I wanted to spend. I also checked a couple other furniture stores, but the styles didn't work in our mainly traditional room. 

For the past two weeks I've been stalking Facebook Marketplace and popping into thrift stores and antique malls. I found several tables the met two of the three requirements, but nothing that was perfect. Today I visited a St. Vincent de Paul store on the way to the gym. When I saw a square mission-style table in the first aisle I pulled out a tape measure from my purse and measured it. The table met all the size requirement, so I drug it into the aisle, took a photo, and sent it to Tony to get his opinion.

He agreed with my assessment, so I carried the table up to the cash register, then out to my car.

The table was in good shape, but the wood looked a little dry. Back at home I gave all the surfaces a good coat of Scott's Liquid Gold. When I was done the piece gleamed. In the living room the table looked like it was made for the room

My original plan was to keep the side table next to the other side of the couch, but now its Queen Anne style is all wrong. Time to start looking for its replacement. 

Five years ago today: Green Juice Day

22 comments:

  1. Glad you found something suitable. I love thrift stores, even FB Marketplace.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Be sure and check your local Habitat for Humanity shop. Our's is call ReStore. Sometimes they have all kinds of furniture, besides building supplies. Linda in Kansas

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We have a ReStore nearby. It was one of the places I checked.

      Delete
  3. Scott's Liquid Gold is magic stuff. You just have to reapply every once in a while.
    So you carry a tape measure in your purse? What else do you use it for?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I keep a tiny (about 1 1/2" square) tape measure in the car. It's not good for heavy duty use, but perfect for taking into stores when I think I might have to measure something.

      Delete
  4. When I bought my current (larger) home, the guy who bought our first home bought all of the furniture. I had a whole house to furnish and I loved it. I especially like finding pieces in places other than big furniture stores. Enjoy looking for that other table!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Furnishing a whole house all at once would be really stressful for me!

      Delete
  5. Replies
    1. Yes, and depending on where I'm headed there are multiple locations that are convenient.

      Delete
  6. Bravo! We've been trading furniture with friends and our daughter for years. Well, I should say my wife has been doing all of that with her friends and her daughter. But hey!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wish I had someone to trade with, but I don't. Instead I'm forced to do the next best thing.

      Delete
  7. Is the "Weekends Only" still open? My house has several of their pieces.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That was one of the first places I went. On that weekend there was nothing for me.

      Delete
  8. I really like this table. Good for you for finding someone's cast-off to serve your needs.

    ReplyDelete
  9. We bought an expensive credenza at a furniture, then licked into finding matching end tables at Target at a reasonable price. St. Vincent depaul has some good buys, too.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Dear Kathy G, and your little table looks like it's made from real wood.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am by far an expert, but in my mind the table is heavy enough to be solid wood.

      Delete
  11. your polish seems to refresh this table dear Kathy :)

    this is inspiring story how you managed to create new table with limited expense bravo :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was amazing how the dry wood of the table sucked in the furniture oil and started shining.

      Delete