Getting Teaky With It!

A Vintage Teak Dining Set That Exceeds Expectations

I have been smiling all day today!  Smiling when I woke up 5:30 on a Saturday and couldn't fall back to sleep.  Smiling when I looked out the window and saw a fresh crop of snow burying the driveway I had shoveled the night before. Smiling when when I got cut off in traffic and had to put my defensive driving to the test.

Hmmm, you'd be right to wonder. Those don't sound like logical smiling situations..And normally, you would be right,  but today I had a secret.  I was taking Mr Chuckles on a quest to see a mid century modern dining set, that judging by the pictures, was in fantastic condition.

And oh my word, the voltage of that smile challenged the efforts of our local power grid, because, drum-roll please, that set was in better than fantastic condition!

I had seen and responded to the add within an hour of posting (I have learned you need to be Flash Gordon fast in your response on low-priced mcm stuff). I had been keeping my eye out for a great mcm dining set for the past month or so as we have been redoing our living room and dining area.  It started with a new couch, then wallpapering and gray paint, then crown molding, and suddenly, our old hand-me-down dining set was looking like the ugly-duckling in the wedding pictures.

And so the search began.  Once in the car I spilled the beans with Mr. Chuckles, and although the wattage of his smile didn't quite rival mine, he did seem pretty happy. We pulled up to a seniors residence and met with a lovely lady who was helping her aging father move into a seniors home and selling off the items he wouldn't need.  We got to meet the old chap who was a right character of German origin.

He asked his daughter what we wanted and she said we were here to look at some furniture. 'Furniture!' he barked, 'Im not buying anything. I don't need to spend anymore money!'.  Once she made him understand that we were in fact buying and not selling, he turned his 90 year old crinkly eyes toward us and asked us if we wanted to buy him. 'Are you for sale?' Mr Chuckles quipped.  'If the price is right, I am,' a little wry smile playing across his face.  I love old people who are funny, and this guy was as plucky as they come. In fact, during the awkward dance Mr Chuckles and I had trying to maneuver the table out the door, the veteran shimmied his way in beside me and elbowed me out of the way.  Imagine that, lifting a heavy table at 90.  I guess chivalry isn't entirely dead.

Mr C and I got the table and 6 chairs down to the Mazda confident that we would fit it all in in two trips, but unfortunately for the first time in a long time she let me down.  The table has non removable legs and she was two inches too tall for that perfect Cinderella fit.  Fortunately my daddy-dearest has a pickup truck and was kind enough to come lend us a hand.

I wasn't a fan of the brownish alligator seat coverings, so I recovered them straight away with some great fabric that I picked up at my favourite restore for $1 a meter a while back. It is very thick and durable and it should hold up well. I also think the colour scheme and circle design on it tie in well with the vintage look of the set.

I used my air compressor and the new staple gun that Santa brought me for Christmas to staple the covering on.  My cat was terrified at the sound of the gun and made the funniest little fluttery sounds of indignation every time I pulled the trigger.  I wish I had filmed it. It was precious.

Here you can see the before and after. The new fabric really freshens the set up while still keeping with the vintage vibe.

The wood grain on the table is gorgeous and is what makes the set so special, and it is in perfect condition having always been dutifully covered with a table cloth. I myself wouldn't dream of covering up that beautiful grain, but I certainly intend to buy some placemats for eating on.  I gave Mr Chuckle's a stern talk that under no circumstances are we to use the table without placemats. Being anal retentive himself, he just looked at me like I was trying to convince him the sky was blue.

My next task is to decide what I want to put on that gray wall.  Im on the hunt for some art, but haven't ruled out some vintage mounted posters.  Mr. Chuckles' contribution was that we hang a nice wooden beam. ???{headscratch}.

Its now just after 8 pm, and Ive still got that smile and a warm glow that comes from the satisfaction of having accomplished something.  My cup of hot chocolate and me keep turning around to give little winks at the new dining set.  And If I didn't know better, Id say it was winking back.

Nothing beats shared happiness.