When I was a young child, we lived in a small, modest home. It seemed big to me at the time but I realize now it was the smallest place a family of four could have fit. We spent most of our time in the living room which was also small.
The living room contained a coffee-table of mid-century style. With my family's bourgeois taste it's surprising they had a table of such panache. The table was, however, made of cheap imitation wood and ringed with a band of brass metal.
This table was the centerpiece of my childhood. We lounged on a couch wrapped around the table. Everything of note was put on that table. Everything important in my family's life happened around that table. I remember my brother and I lying on the carpeted floor next to it while our parents watched TV and issued orders. There were no remote channel-changers back then so our job was to get up and turn the TV dial when so commanded.
My parents moved from the house in 1974 and went to a bigger house nearby. Later, in 1985 my parents moved to Florida. During that period they owned a cheap house in the area which they rented to tenants. I eventually moved into the rental house in 1985 and have been living there ever since.
I believed the coffee table of my youth was lost to history. I was in high school when my parents left that house and I never saw the table after that. I was shocked this week to discover the table hidden in the attic of my current home. Apparently, before my parents left for Florida, they disassembled and stored it there. I never knew that. Only because of renovations did I bother to look in the attic. When I crawled into the three-foot high space I instantly recognized the table and its major role in my childhood.
The table's legs are missing but that won't stop me from pulling it out of the dustbin of history. I plan to clean it up and install new legs. I found some online and they are inexpensive ($25). Once I restore the table to its former-glory I'll display it in my future playhouse. (I'm buying a second home soon to use as an office, art studio, party center and all-around playhouse.)
The picture above is what the table looks like now.
Wah! My last comment disappeared 😔
ReplyDeleteI love that you found this old piece of furniture from your childhood and that you are restoring it to its former glory/ and isn’t it amazing how something so simple can bring back so many memories?
Hope all is well with you, sweet friend! ❤️
Yes, it is. Thanks, pal.
DeleteWow, that's amazing that you found the table! And, that you live in your parents' home! I didn't know that! I look forward to seeing what you do with the table- it's a lovely shape!
ReplyDeleteTo be clear, the house I live in wasn't my childhood home or my "parents' home;" they never lived here, they just owned it as rental property. Thank you for the nice words, Kezzie.
DeleteAh, thanks for the clarification- I did realise it was their rental property but I didn't realise it was one that they owned originally.
DeleteWhat a great find! You never know what might come back to you. I'm glad this one has good memories attached and still is uniquely fashionable as well.
ReplyDeleteYup. The boomerang aspect of this surprised me.
DeleteIt suits your new SMEG kettle too ;) timeless!
DeleteYour tales are captivating, full of earnest awesomeness, and always a wonderful joy to read, Ally.
ReplyDeleteAs a wildly nostalgic soul myself, my heart sings with joy for you over the discovery of such a poignant element of your youth. I just know you'll return it to its former glory and then some - and that it will help to create many a new and equally meaningful memory in your exciting 2nd home.
Autumn Zenith 🧡 Witchcrafted Life
Thanks, Autumn. I like the way you think and write, too.
DeleteHow thrilling to have found your childhood coffee table in the attic of your current home. I'm glad to hear you will be restoring it to its former glory and that it will get a second life in your playhouse! I've made similar discoveries in my childhood home after my Dad passed away, and have taken quite a few heirlooms home, much to the consternation of my siblings! xxx
ReplyDeleteGiving old objects a future is a wonderful thing.
DeleteWhat a fun story! I was just thinking about times during my childhood and teenage years and the coffee table we had in the living room. It's amazing how much that table is in the middle of so many memories.
ReplyDeleteExactly. It's the center of our lives.
DeleteWe had a circular table like that, but I love the "amoeba" shape of this one. How very AWESOME that you found it in the attic, Ally!!
ReplyDeleteThanks. Amoeba is a good description.
DeleteI can imagine your surprise when you found this coffee table.
ReplyDeleteSurprise AND deep emotions. Most of my youth is gone, so to see a piece of it is striking.
DeleteThis is amazing!! What a find. I'm so glad it was still there. I managed to rescue some things from my parents' home (my childhood home) when my mom shortsightedly sold it in the summer of 2019, but I have to keep them in off-site storage as they make me too sad. :(
ReplyDelete