chroniques d’une fraise

With the signature of my apartment scheduled for this upcoming Monday, I was finally able to go back to my favorite secondhand store and see if the solid oak dining table I’ve been coveting for more than a month was still for sale. The store doesn’t hold anything for more than five days, so I couldn’t get it until I knew when I would have the keys. On entering the store I made a beeline for where the table had been… and there it was, still unsold! This photo of it was taken in-store with my mobile phone camera, which explains the graininess. This table is like few I’ve ever seen throughout the years, and I can hardly believe no one else bought it. Especially since it had been marked down from its original 300 euros to 200! That said, it has two prominent, wide scratches near one corner, a few smaller ones elsewhere, and the oak has a rich, almost black patina from age, so I’m assuming no one looked beyond that. The scratches are only on the surface, with almost no depth, so I’ll sand away them and the patina, then refinish the wood.

Frequently browsing secondhand shops, with their eclectic and oft-changing selection, is a great way to learn what attracts you and what doesn’t, which helps immensely when you eventually need or want to buy. I’ve seen hundreds of tables in this store over the years, and discovered that I love herringbone patterns, especially when they’re bordered — I don’t like herringbone-patterned dining tables without a solid, straight border as much. Oval and rectangular shapes are my favorites for tables, but I don’t like squared edges because they strike me as “sharp”. Shaped, carved and turned legs are among my favorites, again because I prefer curves to straight edges. However, I don’t like excessively ornate furniture; I’ve grown to love pieces that have what I can only describe as a quiet, calm, gentle feel to them. Furniture you can see every day and appreciate for its beauty, but that doesn’t assault your eyes with too much decoration or too stark lines. I loved this table at first sight, and being able to describe why, as well as knowing from experience how uncommon its style is, helped me justify it to myself!

In that same spirit, I made a surprise find of a gorgeously simple leather reading chair. Clean lines, inviting curves and it is so very comfortable. Plus it’s a design that will be easy to re-upholster, although I do like that shade of green and the leather is in fine condition. I got a good deal on it too, “only” 104 euros instead of the original 180. It’s missing a few buttons, is all!

This entry was posted on Saturday 24 May 2008 at 15:55 and is filed under Design, La France, Photoblogging. You can follow any comments on this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.