Furniture Feature Friday

ATTENTION:

Very little furniture was purchased in the decorating of this home.

Background: My husband and I have been fortunate to inherit alot MOST of our furniture. I mean VERY fortunate!! (I think our families finally realized that their grandkids were going to grow up with empty rooms if they didn't donate a few items to "The Cause.") After we were married about 7 years, I totaled the complete amount of moo-lah spent on ALL our furniture and realized that a whopping $1,400 was invested in our furnishings. You heard me. I threw a little fit - and we spent a little more. (My husband can be slow to catch on -the $1,400 sounded like a lot to him - so the fit ensued.)

Well, today is Furniture Feature Friday at Miss Mustard Seed. You will get a little tour of my newly decorated dining room that you may be sick of seeing, by this point. This furniture has not actually been "re-made" nor re-painted - just "re-purposed." A couple of pieces are supposed to be used elsewhere (at an office and in a general store). The other two items were former rental house rescues.

Please also know that I am IN NO WAY BRAGGING! Okay? My furniture is not even close to perfect - and that is okay with me. Just happy to have it. I hope my Furniture Feature posts will actually encourage some of you newlyweds who might be low on furnishings, as well as strengthen my fellow thrifty, garage sale diving, bargain-shopper blogfriends to press on -and continue to seek out the good deals.

In case you missed it, I just repainted my dining room -before and after here.

The Tiger Eye (or Quarter Sawn) oak table and chairs and very large sideboard are very old and were my husband's great-aunt's items that she had been using in a rental house. The large sideboard is very, very dark from years of finishes - My mom says it is walnut.

It has a large mirror across the back.

Cost of chairs, table, and large buffet: Free to us! Yipee!

Here is how the old table opens for several leaves to be inserted.

The dusty tag stapled inside reads "Bernstein Bros. Furniture and Undertaking, Athens, Ga." Furniture AND Undertaking?? I did some research and the two businesses combined were quite common in the 1800's and early 1900's! There was one other sticker inside that reads "The Mersman Bros. Brandt Co. -Dining and Library Tables, only." "Only" actually means until the Great Depression hit and they had to start branching out and building other furniture pieces (per an article I found on the internet.) (The table was built between 1906 and 1927 - because the company had different names before and after that time period. Interesting - to me, anyway.)

Here is a photo of the base.

See what I mean by "not perfect?"

Obviously needs some refinishing and restoration. But will "do" for now. (Did I mention this piece was used as rental house furniture?)

I do not know how old the buffet is. But I think it is considered victorian (late 1800's). I love the little lion claw feet.

Remember: Former rental house furniture.

The glass case near the window is actually an old display case from a general store.

It is oak (very light wood). The glass is nice and heavy. My mom gave us this piece when she moved to her new house and no longer had a place for it. She calls it an old candy case. She bought it in South Georgia.

Cost: Free to us! Another Yipee!!

The credenza is from my husband's old office.

We will eventually move it to his new office (it matches his desk and bookcase) - but, we just haven't found the time or energy to do that. So, I've filled it full of things that needed to be stored!

Now, Julia at Hooked on Houses is also hosting a "House Tour" party! So...........

We will now LEAVE the dining room and head back out onto the front porch and enter the house through the autumn decorations!

We are in Georgia, so "yes" that is a cotton wreath.

And one last room........

(inherited bed and hand-me-down chairs).

Boring tour, if you aren't "into antiques."

We are certainly blessed, aren't we??!!!