TABLE

June 15th, 2011

Somehow between new jobs, new endeavors, busy schedules, rain, blazing heat, more rain, hotter blazing heat, low funds and neighbors breaking the lawnmower…we neglected the side yard. Now it is a beautiful field of knee high sun-bleached weeds.

So embarrassing.

With summer here and outdoor activities gearing up, I wanted to whip the side yard into shape for entertaining + swimming. Besides the weeds, a major obstacle of having folks over for outdoor shenanigans is the lack of a decently sized dining table. Guests tend to sort of wander around with their plates and sadly huddle around the beat down Ikea Docksta table. I’ve casually looked around for a big ‘ol rectangular dining table, but hadn’t found anything that was quite right or quite cheap enough. Of course, I then imagined it’d be a fantastic idea to build a DIY outdoor dining table that looked something like THIS ONE used for planning out the design of the side yard.

As with many of my other “imagined” projects, I put it off and suddenly realized it was already ‘effing June. Of all the months, this is the month for outdoor parties. After June it gets waaaayyy too hot to even live here, let alone make company hang out outside.

So. Quick table solution? Craigslist? Yes?

Sorry for the bad images, but these were the CL ad pictures that piqued my interest. I saw this “dining table” listed at an insanely low price and thought it looked uncannily similar to my reference table. Located only four miles from the house, it was kind of a given to go see it.

Well, we went Friday night and tried to see the table (in the dark) while it was sitting on a virtually inaccessible trailer and blocked by a big ugly credenza. Ultimately we couldn’t get a good look, but for $25 it seemed like no big deal to just buy it and throw it in the truck. It was for outside, I mean, why really worry all hard?

The next day (in the daylight) I got my first real look at the thing.

While in rough shape, it was MUCH more awesome than I had initially thought. It had a great simple design and the construction was so very nice…although, there was some kookiness…

For instance, the entire table top was shifted to one side. So, one side had an overhang of six inches while the other was almost flush with the base. Which was so WEIRD. Even the trestle support was centered with the top and not the base. Which was so much WEIRDER. I suppose it might originally have been a desk? Or work area type thing? It definitely wasn’t a dining table.

Unfortunately, the top and legs had a considerable amount of damage. Lots of deep scratches, water damage, weird stains. Pretty much the trifecta of crappy damages you don’t want to see.

But it was teak!

And fantastic!

It seemed a simple fix to take the top off and center it on the base to create a more dining style table. As for the off-center trestle support? I hoped it wouldn’t be a big deal once there were chairs, plus who really notices trestles anyways?

No one who wants to eat dinner. That’s for sure.

I flipped the table over to remove and remount the base and…

BOOM.

Hidden on an interior support was a stamp and a tag. This thing was Danish and made by H.P. Hansen and vintage and uh oh.

CRAPFINGERS.

Suddenly I wasn’t so confident about screwing around with the design and using this as an outside table. This table had survived for decades before I considered finagling around with it. It’s solid teak and has provenance and is an unusual design – but it is also so very awkward as well.

Is it a desk? A table? It’s not a classic or rare or highly desirable piece.

Ultimately, this thing was just so very fucked up.

The damage was such that I knew I couldn’t fix it completely; I could make things better, but the rough spots would never truly disappear. Choice-wise, I could either sell this surprise but damaged discovery (since I couldn’t use it for anything besides an outdoor table) or I could keep it, fix it up as much as possible and then own a really nice outdoor teak table that gets it’s own special weather resistant cover.

Frankly, in the end, I didn’t feel comfortable selling something that was in such bad shape. It didn’t seem worth the shipping and time and possibility of a buyer getting really upset over condition issues.

So. Nice outdoor teak table? Yes?

Once decided, I removed the top and centered the base. The trestle support is still off-center, but it didn’t seem worth removing to only have weird patched holes and will mostly be blocked by chairs AND SHALL BE IGNORED.

After adjusting the base and tightening up all the bolts, the table got my full restorative treatment. There are still scratches, deep gouges, major color inconsistencies and stains from what I imagine were markers – like a kid used to sit and draw here and the ink leaked through.

BEFORE

AFTER

Not so bad. Not bad at all.

For $25, some hours of labor and a slight flesh wound, it looks like a much nicer table than I should have sitting outside.

I have always planned on pairing the exterior table with my set of Bertoia chairs. Now these roughed up wire suckers are looking super janky next to the shiny restored table.

The set of Bertoias need full on restoration (the white coating around the wire has chipped and come off in big hunks). Powder coating is the more expensive and better option, but maybe a good exterior spray paint will get them through awhile longer and protect the metal until we can afford to fully restore.

Now to just get the side yard to be a little more inhabitable. That’s going to be some filthy, hot, backbreaking work. Better get the pool plumbing installed for sweet watery relief…but that will also be filthy, hot, backbreaking work. Clearly this is why the side yard was so casually ignored and fell into ruin.

Must not be a lazy jerkhole. Must get side yard fixed up.

THE SMITHY

June 13th, 2011

I’m not in the habit of posting about things that get emailed in or aren’t connected to the direct going’s on around here, but a few days ago Jesse James sent a brief email with a link to “some images of interest” and I clicked on through.

Oh yeah.

A former blacksmith’s shop turned painstakingly renovated home, The Smithy is Jesse’s second place in rural upstate New York currently being offered for sale at what I’m considering a pretty affordable price.

While my taste may run all modern and mid century and what not, I do have a strong propensity towards some rustic / industrial / antique-y business. Unfortunately, in our fairly new (by 1800’s blacksmith shop standards) and detail-less west coast MCM home, this style tends to look a tad contrived. But in my fantasy east coast home, I imagine these are the vintage rustic touches and neutral palette I’d be way hip to mixing with a few modern pieces throughout.

Love the rough painted floors and wood clad walls.

We just don’t have great worn-in vintage architectural details like these – we have broken fleshy pink bathroom tile instead.

I dream of vintage farmhouse sinks and classic white subway tile.

I wish you knew how often I look at antique spindle beds and dream of buying them. I have no idea why, I just like them, even though they seem a bit fussy and hard to sexy up, I still love the worn wood and graphic shapes.

Weird portraits are awesome. No matter what anyone says.

That rug. That one. Yes.

This? This crap doesn’t happen in the desert.

If somehow we could afford a second home and somehow upstate New York made location sense, I’d love to see more of this carefully curated and beautifully sparse home.

Check out The Smithy to view more of Jesse’s gorgeous renovation and for more details on the home’s history.

ART & STUFF

June 10th, 2011

We had to move around some stuff to accommodate a few new pieces, which hopefully I’ll get around to thinking more about soon. A casualty of the updates in the bedroom was the womb chair. It hadn’t fit so well in the den’s previous incarnations, but now with the shorter chesterfield and missing wall unit, this thing fits like a champ. Well, a champ sans the ottoman; the ottoman is surprisingly tall and sadly too big for this small space.

The womb chair is possibly the perfect TV watching chair. So comfy. So lounge-y. So pretty. It’s like a La-Z-Boy with actual aesthetic style.

Slowly an methodically, I’ve been trying to get the den details right. So, why not toss a portrait of a coral lipped gasping lady into the mix?

I procured her gaspyness off Summer during the big sale and it was love at first open-mouthed neck grab.

I’d been looking around for something to throw up on the walls and when the womb came in she just sort of meandered in here as well. I enjoy imagining that she is incredibly offended by what’s on TV, which knowing our taste, is probably pretty offensive.

I’d still like to add a fiddle leaf fig, some more art, a few accessories, maybe paint the top potion of the wall a light gray, add some new pillows, hang the tv and get the desk in order. Lots more still to do as always.

I tend to spend most of my time in the den, working on the computer and such, so I think it’s probable that all the extra exposure has made me laser focus in on this room and overly adjust things to try and get it just right (desperately want this room done and over with so I can relax and stop worrying about it). Apologies for den-palooza as of late, but it’s so hot outside that it’s killing my motivation for outdoor projects.

Also, it’s Friday so that means a couple new things are up in the BHM SHOP. Firstly, an incredible and super rare Sarreid Ltd. brass chest from the 1970’s and Spain. Secondly, a sassy rust colored Milo Baughman swivel club with chrome base and extra comfortablness. Check out these and soon to end items HERE.

I’m actively attempting to keep the less than exciting shop posts to a minimum. Summers are rough around here, they are stupidly hot and energy robbing and make me want to hide inside and ignore all the house projects. Of course things have also gotten super busy and any free time is spent working, trying to cool off or getting as far out of town as possible. Looks like the summer lull might be in full effect for realzzz.

Have a great weekend homies! Eat something super terrible for you and kiss a baby animal. ON THE MOUTH.