Table Talk
Jun 28, 2010After my long-serving wooden table trembled on its last legs during a heavily set dinner party, I pondered whether to replace it with a new, box-fresh model, or pick one from the local second-hand store. The first option would give me more choice, but I was leaning towards the second – chasing what’s new, new, new is tiring, plus I didn’t want the same table as my neighbour, friend or sister – I wanted MY table.
Searching for MY table, I noticed a connection between the old and new varieties. Sure, new tables come in a billion shapes, shades and sizes, while old tables give you only a few to pick from, but both kinds kept telling me the same thing: ‘What you see is what you get, kid! But you could open a pot of paint and turn this regular four-legged friend into your own unique table!’
This (slightly disturbing) voice in my head made me realise it doesn’t really matter what I choose, as everything is customisable. And that has inspired me – the realisation that I can stumble upon something basic and make it unique. I don’t want to buy things and be done with them. I want to buy things and customise them as I please today, then change them next season, and keep changing them for as long as I want.
My search for a new table hasn’t ended, but I’m looking around in a different way. Instead of thinking: ‘will this fit with the rest of my interior,’ I’m thinking: ‘what can I change to make this fit with the rest of my interior?’ So for something special and unique, I don’t necessarily have to go to a second-hand store. After all, I could spend years looking for that perfect second-hand table – and all the while it was one paint pot away.
‘A recent find is the lamp cord set at IKEA because there is so much you can add. In my case I have cut open a glass wine bottle and changed it into a lamp using these cords. How brilliant is that?!’
‘I love basics, you can make your own. This is my friend’s walk-in closet. The shoe house on the left is an IKEA bookcase. The clothes storage system is great – it fits in any space – and when you are done building, it doesn’t mean you’re actually done building. You can keep adding drawers, shelves or rails!’
‘Architect Tomokazu Hayakawa customises an IKEA table top table with a clever vase’
Blog / Paula
Paula Eklund is a Swedish entrepreneur living in The Hague. She runs her own creative design company and a family of 4 very blond children.
Share itclose