La versión en español está después de la versión en inglés.
WE BOUGHT OUR ANTIQUE, CAST iron, English pub table (click here) in Washington DC around 1983. At the time, it was in serious need of restoration. But the antique dealer in Georgetown was a purist and shamed us out of “offending the historic integrity” of an antique.
It took us a while but we realised that, since none of our pieces were museum quality (as far as we knew), it really didn’t matter if they were in “original condition” or not. So, finally, after more than 35 years, we decided to give our pub table new life.
We had given our apartment a new, lighter, more contemporary look. The table’s wood top was too dark and didn’t stand out against the eggplant-coloured wall, and it had always been slightly small for the base. The cast iron was impossible to keep clean anymore; the old paint was heavy and dull.
I texted Marisa, our restoration expert friend and asked if she’d be interested in taking on the job. She was delighted. We told her we wanted the piece to have a lighter look to better suit our other pieces and our current style. So a lighter wood top and perhaps a silver-tone base to coordinate with a silver side table and the silver-grays in the room. We liked the height but the lumps of old wood used as feet could be replaced as well.
Marisa returned with the table last night, two weeks later, and we’re ecstatic. It turns out the original base we were preserving had been painted many times in its first 100-plus years. Before reaching bottom, Marisa even struck gold. But she came back to us with natural wood and an updated elegant pewter finish. We’re elated and I can’t stop admiring our new table.
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COMPRAMOS NUESTRA ANTIGUA MESA DE pub inglesa de hierro fundido (haz clic aquí) en Washington DC alrededor de 1983. En ese momento, tenía una gran necesidad de restauración. Pero el anticuario de Georgetown era un purista y nos avergonzó por “ofender la integridad histórica” de una antigüedad.
Nos tomó un tiempo, pero nos dimos cuenta de que, dado que ninguna de nuestras piezas era de calidad de museo, realmente no importaba si estaban “condiciones originales” o no. Entonces, finalmente, después de más de 35 años, decidimos darle una nueva vida a nuestra mesa de pub.
Le habíamos dado a nuestro piso un aspecto nuevo, más ligero y más contemporáneo. El tablero de madera de la mesa era demasiado oscuro y no destacaba contra la pared color berenjena, y siempre había sido un poco pequeña para la base. Ya no era posible mantener limpio el hierro fundido; la pintura vieja era pesada y sin brillo.
Le envié un mensaje de texto a Marisa, nuestra amiga experta en restauración y le pregunté si estaría interesada en aceptar el trabajo. Ella estaba encantada. Le dijimos que queríamos que la pieza tuviera un aspecto más ligero para adaptarse mejor a nuestras otras piezas y nuestro estilo actual. Entonces, una tapa de madera más clara y quizás una base plateada para coordinar con una mesa auxiliar plateada y los grises plateados de la habitación. Nos gustó la altura, pero los trozos de madera vieja que se usan como pies también podrían reemplazarse.
Marisa regresó anoche, dos semanas después, y estamos extasiados. Resulta que la base original que estábamos conservando había sido pintada muchas veces en sus primeros 100 años o más. Antes de llegar al fondo, Marisa incluso encontró oro. Pero volvió a nosotros con madera natural y un elegante acabado de peltre actualizado. Estamos encantados y no puedo dejar de admirar nuestra nueva mesa.
Marisa y su mesa.
Looks great, I love the new top. Nice to have someone you trust to do projects like that.
David:
She’s an exceptional artist and craftsperson and an extraordinary human being. Very lucky!
Gorgeous work. Now you can really see the details on the iron work. The pewter is a great match for your gray chair and the wood tone blends right in with the flooring.
Mary:
This is completely unusual for us, but our style has changed drastically in this apartment (and in Spain). It’s like starting fresh.
WHOA! now it fits your decor better! and you can really see the face in the iron legs. muy bueno!
anne marie:
We love it. Very different for us, but so’s the entire apartment. We’ve really changed our style.
Beautiful, just beautiful! Marisa must have a lot of patience.
Deedles:
She, and her husband, son, and daughter, are four of the kindest, most decent, and most talented people we’ve ever met.
It looks great either way…depending on your home decor style. She did a great job.
Mistress Maddie:
Yes, we loved the original version for all these years, but we’ve changed out style so much recently that it just wasn’t working anymore. We’re delighted now.
Beautiful work, Marisa! The pewter finish has such a subtle gleam works so well against the eggplant wall. You will get so much joy each time you look at it.
Wilma:
I can’t stop looking at it. Now need to find a perfect something(s) for the end opposite the lamp.
The work of an artist! Nice job.
Jim:
Marisa IS truly an artist and a skilled craftsperson. She’s also one of the kindest and most decent people we’ve ever met (as are her husband, who we knew first, and their 20-something son and daughter). So, now I get to think of her every time I look at the put table!
Nice job. Looks elegant.
Frank:
It’s a huge change in style for us (the entire apartment is) and we’re enjoying it. So grateful to Marisa for her skill, artistry, and patience.
No wonder you’re pleased! Thank you for showing it off to us. Beautiful!
Chrissoup:
Thanks! I can’t stop admiring it. SO happy.
Wow! What a difference! Love it!
Debra:
It’s brand new for us and works so much better in our newly styled living room. We’re delighted.
Love that.love the pewter color and the lighter wood. She does good work!
Bob:
She is exceptional. I’ve been looking around and wondering else I can ask her to do. But the other antique pieces we have wouldn’t lend themselves to this kind of transformation.
Very nicely done! I can see why you’re happy with it.
Walt the Fourth:
What a great picker upper. I can’t stop admiring it. Thanks!
The table looks great. I have one wall in the bedroom exactly the same as yours !
Frances:
We love the color. We actually had one wall in an apartment in California in the same color. It would be really nice in a bedroom.
Well well well! Pretty classy! Doesn’t it give you a lift every time you look at it now!
sillygirl:
It sure does give me a lift. And I can’t stop looking at it. I’m waiting for some things I ordered to arrive to finish off the living room (sort of) and then I’ll share photos of the total look. And now I’m going to take another peak at our new pub table.
It DOES look really nice! Sometimes the need to preserve is outweighed by the need to simply have a functional, elegant piece of furniture!
Steve:
Preserved, it worked fine for us all these years. Although the paint was tired and dull (and heavy), we liked it and used it well the way it was. It also always stood out as an interesting piece. With our new, lighter, more modern style in this apartment, it lost its charm. It’s got that and more now.