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At The Picket Fence with Vanessa Hunt

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June 21, 2016

An Antique Table and Chair for My Girl

I set out on Saturday morning to run some errands and decided to pop into one of my favorite little second-hand shops. I’ve been on the lookout for a new table and chair to put in our family room. You see, my girl absolutely loves to have a place to sit and do her artwork or put together a Lego set. But she doesn’t always want to do that in her bedroom. She wants to have the option of being right in the center of it all.

Child's table and chairs in a family room

When we first moved in, the little white table and chairs which had belonged to my son came with us and were soon taken over by my daughter. That table set got quite the workout over the years. It was a place to play with trains, a lemonade stand, a tea party table and most recently where a budding artist worked on her craft.

But there came a day when my girl could no longer actually get her knees under the table and the only remaining chair was patched to the hilt. She persevered though and continued to use it until Saturday when I brought home one of my most favorite finds ever!

Little antique table and chair as an art desk

This antique side table sits up very high (I even tested it out at the store!) and has a nice big surface to work on, without being so big that it dominates the room.

After a bit of digging I also found this darling little chair for $10 and knew it was a match made in heaven.

Little antique chair with a cane seat

There are so many things about this season of life right now that are bittersweet. My oldest just turned 13 and my sweet girl will be 9 next month.

I’m finding myself holding onto anything that still seems ‘little’ in them. Especially with my youngest.

An antique table used for a little artist

When we watch movies together as a family, my girl will most likely be found sitting at the table drawing and cutting things out of paper, taping together creations or putting together little pop-up scenes. She can be both completely absorbed in the movie and completely absorbed in her creativity.

Inside of antique table drawer

These days in our family room you won’t find as many toys strewn around. There are no train tracks or doll strollers. No play tents or dress up clothes.

So, because I know there will come a day when even this new, bigger table will be too little, I relish the opportunity to carve out a space in the family room just for my girl.

Antique table turned little art center

 

A little place that signals to all who come to our home that there is someone who is still kind of little living here. 😉

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10 Comments Filed Under: Decorating, Family, Good Ideas Tagged With: decorating

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Comments

  1. Carol G says

    June 21, 2016 at 7:37 AM

    That was such a beautiful story (actually had tears running down my face). Enjoy your “little girl” (mine is now
    45, but will always be “my little girl”)

    Reply
  2. Ellen says

    June 21, 2016 at 8:11 AM

    I’ve never regretted it, but I paid way more for my little antique table like this one. What deal you got.

    Reply
  3. Cassandra E says

    June 21, 2016 at 8:38 AM

    I wish there was a love button like on facebook.

    Reply
  4. JUlie says

    June 21, 2016 at 8:43 AM

    Wow, your words brought tears to my eyes….cherish every single minute. My babies are now 47 and 45 and I still wonder where the time has gone and what happened to my little ones. But, they are wonderful young men and I now have a 2 year old granddaughter. So, while bittersweet, having my little Elsa Rose makes it all new again.

    PS…love the table and chair. Good job!!!!! 😉

    Reply
  5. Ellenann says

    June 21, 2016 at 8:52 AM

    Such a sweet, touching story! We all try to keep our “littles” for as long as possible. Mine are all grown up now, but they’ll always be my “littles”.

    Reply
  6. Wendy Johnson says

    June 21, 2016 at 11:54 AM

    That feeling is like childbirth ,you can’t convey it to someone else, they have either experienced it and get or or they don’t. Lovely desk and chair. Can’t imagine all the hands that have created that patina.

    Reply
  7. Lisa says

    June 21, 2016 at 1:47 PM

    My sons are 21 and 18 and there is absolutely no little stuff around anymore and I miss it.
    I still do Easter baskets and hunt around for some fun toy that they may get a kick out of in addition to the candy.
    My husband rolls his eyes and asks every year when I’m going to stop with the Easter baskets and every year I say never!

    Reply
  8. Shirley@Housepitality Designs says

    June 21, 2016 at 6:50 PM

    Such a sweet table and chair…and yes, hold on to every minute of their “little in them” …. my “sweetie” went from playing with her My Little Pony and Lala Loopsies to not looking at or playing with toys…now the computer, art work, and her favorite bands have taken over….

    Reply
  9. Carol Reddin says

    June 21, 2016 at 9:14 PM

    Love the table and chair! I do believe that your Grandma Kaiser would have approved. Good job finding this for our last little girl.

    Reply
  10. Denise Perry says

    August 23, 2016 at 10:12 AM

    How lovely! It’s great that these small pieces of furniture are helping you keep your baby at the center of your attention. Enjoy these little moments as much as you can. I loved the blog and I’m always looking forward to the reading more.

    Reply

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Happy Friday!! I’m working on a blog post to sha Happy Friday!! I’m working on a blog post to share all of the details of our family room shelving makeover but I’m super impatient and just had to give you all a sneak peek!! We are SO happy with how they turned out and it finally looks like I’ve always envisioned. Our quick fix years ago (scroll to see the before photo) never felt quite right but now? Soooo much better!! 🙌🏻 Big shoutout to our amazingly talented friend Matt @redemptive_woodworx for bringing our vision to life and doing such impeccable work.

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