Heather and I have been waiting to upgrade to what we call our “forever” dining table for about 5 years. When we first moved in together our furniture situation was similar to most twenty-somethings we knew: thrift store & Craigslist finds, hand-me-downs, and a few new pieces that were gifts from family members. Over the years, we lived in three different apartments in two cities and with each move, we had to figure out how to live in a new, temporary space. So, as soon as we signed on the dotted line and moved into our forever home, we began the hunt for our forever table – something that would reflect our values of cooking, community, and conversation.

Our previous hand-me-down table set for Simple Supper in our Worcester dining room.

Since hospitality is so important to us, the table had to be large enough to accommodate at least 8 or 10 people. The dining room isn’t huge, but it is open to the kitchen, flanked by french doors and a sliding glass door, and it gets lot of natural light. We measured and mapped out the room and decided that an 8 foot table would be perfect.

Our current dining room and sliders out to the three season room

In July, we stumbled into a furniture gallery in Wrentham, MA on our way to Heather’s mom’s house. We were looking for an antique store, but instead found the gorgeous craftsmanship of Stephen Staples in the New England Artisan Gallery. Since 1973, Stephen has been in the business of reclaiming vintage materials and transforming them into modern furniture and home accessories.

Staples’ Pinwheel Signature

Our home is a mix of 1919 charm, midcentury modern furniture, and industrial touches. So when we started discussing a custom table with the folks at New England Artisan Gallery, they suggested a rustic farm table paired with midcentury-inspired hairpin legs. The mix of materials and styles sounded like it would be perfect for the overall aesthetic of our home – and it is!

Drum roll please…

The table top is made of pine floor boards from a 1780 home in Middleboro, MA. Incredible!

Here’s a peek at the spattered underside of the table.

While we waited for the table to be made, we hunted for a mix of dining chairs and good ol’ Craigslist came up big. We scored a set of 6 midcentury wooden chairs and a set of 4 midcentury chrome office chairs for a grand total of $125.00!

We’re tightening up the wooden chairs and replacing and reupholstering the seats. The blue and chrome chairs, on the other hand, will require skill and expertise beyond our own, so those will be outsourced to some lucky reupholsterer.

Our goal is to christen the table and chairs next month with a potluck birthday celebration, so we’ll be sure to share the big reveal with you then!