Picture the scene. A nest of tables given to you following the death of an elderly relative. You like them but not sure what to do with them. They go into the garage which doubles up as Dr Who’s Tardis. Time just passes….
Then out of nowhere they re-enter your consciousness. You get your partner to “find them” and several swearing sessions later, he returns, and they are there in front of you; except they don’t look quite as fresh as you remember. Emmm…what to do?
One of the tables, the one in the worst condition, arrives at the workshop, together with its owner and the story. “Can you have a go and restore it, on a best-efforts basis” she asks?
The table is made of beech, with a teak veneer top. The design is striking, elegant, 1950s. The varnish finish on the veneer top is shot. It looks “a bit crook”. Now, experience tells you sanding a veneer top is not a good idea. The veneer is usually very thin, and it will vanish before your eyes. Scraping is the way to go. Takes a while, and you have to be patient, but the results usually reward your efforts. In this particular case the results were spectacular! From a mist of opaque and cracked varnish emerged a beautiful piece of teak veneer.
Flushed with success we scrapped the varnish from the beech frame and behold, a beautiful table. The other surprise was the integrity of all the glued joints. They were all solid! Having cleaned the frame, applied the top three coats of clear Danish oil and a coat of beeswax polish, we sat back and went “Wow”. Now, you will not be surprised to learn that the other two remaining tables arrived at the workshop soon after, and the final photo shows them back with their owner.
All good. However, there is an interesting twist to this story. When they arrived at the workshop the table’s origins were not known. They looked 1950/1960 in style but where they came from and who made them was a mystery. Once they were restored their owner started a quest to find out their history. We are now very confident that they are Danish and the work of Bengt Ruda, a prominent Danish designer in the 1950’s. They are fairly rare and to prove a point there is a set for sale in Amsterdam at the time I write this, yours for Euro595.00.
