I bought this dining table on Trade Me over a decade ago when I was flatting. It cost me $250. I stuck it in the back of my old Toyota Corolla and drove it down the motorway from somewhere on the Shore, half of it sticking out the back. In the process of pulling it out of my car when I got home, I managed to put a huge scratch on the perfectly varnished top. It stayed that way for many years until I decided to sand it back and give it a new life. I was surprised when I did. It looked great! Nice grain, beautiful colour. It looked like a lovely piece of wood. That was until I sanded a little too deep and realised it was just veneer.
But I do love the table. There’s nothing precious about it. It’s a bit rough now. Some might describe it as a patina, but really it’s just stained. It’s used as much for folding the washing as it is for eating. A too-bright lamp hovers over it, which makes drinks with friends feel a little like an interrogation. But during the day – especially this time of year when the sun is low – the light hits just right. It’s a beautiful thing. The table has a sense of contentment in those moments, quietly sitting there under the weight of the light.
Currently there is a little Jaime Jenkins vase I bought years ago that often has something I’ve cut from the garden in it. A newish Walk in the Park bowl, full of fruit, mostly edible, sometimes not. The latest addition is a little ceramic bowl by Jim Barribeau that a friend bought us as a thank-you gift. It’s been sitting on the table since we unwrapped it. I can’t find a better place for it, so I think it lives there now.
David Straight
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