Nellie"s Needles

Friday, May 15, 2009

Fantasy Meets Reality Over a Table

This was a fantasy that occasionally came true. An interesting and beautiful table set for an enjoyable evening of sharing good times and food with friends.
This was reality. A work space for my husband. The table was relatively clear the day I took this photo (none were ever taken of it piled high). Every available surface had stacks of stuff.
He used to pack it into boxes that got carried out to the garage when we had guests. The last few years, he'd just stack stuff off to the side when we entertained so that it was "findable" within the next few days ... or so.

We finally faced the reality that this living area is his work space that occasionally serves as a dining room. As of last week there's a handsome new table that functions as his desk.
It's 6' long and just a tad narrower than the old one. He really did put all of his project and business "piles" in the 10 drawers of this table. The big question now is how many drawers will be looked through before he finds whatever he's looking for. The other day he purchased a comfortable office chair.

We saw the table last Sunday at our favorite gallery, New Morning, in Asheville, North Carolina. It was delivered Wednesday. To celebrate, we had a dinner party last Friday night. It was wonderful to entertain without having stacks of stuff on the side tables.

Now that section of our 32' long great room is defined as Lee's work space that occasionally serves as a dining room area rather than a "dining room" that doubles as his work area. This may not sound like much of a difference, but it's a BIG one for us in that it acknowledges and accepts the real purpose of this area. It only took almost 19 years of living here to figure that out.

10 comments:

Dolores said...

What a great find that table. It serves two functions and I love the top.

p said...

good for him!

Doreen G said...

What a beautiful table Nellie and I love all the drawers--what a great find.

Coralie Cederna Johnson said...

The truth about dining room tables! And you worked it out!

Michele Bilyeu said...

It only goes to show and remind each of us that our homes, like ourselves, are all 'works in progress.'

You re-purpose lots of things in your life, so why not a room;) This is a fantastic table, a piece of art...and no matter how much he piles up on it, or how it is used...the table, like, you and your life are 'art works in progress' forever entwined!

How lovely you re-discovered purpose along with form and function!

Magpie's Mumblings said...

What a gorgeous table! With something that beautiful to work on, it might be an incentive to keep the piles down to a minimum? Either way, it will be a lovely artistic surprise each and every time you uncover it.

Donna said...

Your husband must be a relative of mine as I constantly have to clear his things of the dining table if we have to use it. We rarely eat in there anymore unless company is coming. I love what you have come up with and know you will enjoy being able to use the space for dining.

Heather said...

What a wonderful table - so beautiful yet functional too. Your patience has at last been rewarded.

Barbara Strobel Lardon said...

What a fantastic table and I have not seen a more interesting house of beautiful art in a long time. I kept going back to see what was all in the background!

Kay said...

I had to smile. It often does take that long to figure life out, doesn't it? What a beautiful, fortunate find.