Danish Modern part 1

I didn't know much about Danish Modern style of furniture, I've subsequently done some research on it and there are some very cool pieces out there.

Our adventure started with the dining room set, we picked up an entire set of dining room furniture from an estate sale at a consignment shop. We also found a sofa, chair, end tables and a coffee table from the same sale and got them too!!!

Here is the table - it expands out to 106" so we'll finally be able to seat everyone together!!!!
(we had 10 at Saturday breakfast this week - no problems fitting everyone!)

We also got a credenza/china cabinet combo that we placed along one wall, and a server that we temporarily put in front of the doors to our porch. I did some research on this line of furniture and if the server had a black top (ours does) it was originally sold as a 'bar cart' - whoohoooo!

I've also thrown in a pic of our dining room 'built in'. Our house was built in 1917 and is kinda (but not truly) Arts and Crafts - that stained glass window has been featured in an 'architecture walk' in the city.

I haven't taken any pics of the living room stuff yet, I'll post those soon!

What do you think?
m.

Patriarch (!?)

Patti surprised me over the weekend by referring to me as a 'patriarch'.

Conjures up some weird, Norman Rockwellian stuff for me.

We were setting up our new dining room furniture. Which is new/old. We picked it up second hand from a furniture consignment place and we got a complete dining room and living room set, all in Danish Modern style.

And when we were talking about where I should sit, Patti mentioned as the patriarch I should sit at the head of the table. Mostly, I just want to be near to the kitchen as I'm always serving/getting something during a meal. I don't think I've eaten a hot meal I've cooked in years! (The cooks out there understand - I just worry about serving everyone else first)

Patti and I both come from 'broken' homes. Both our folks divorced/remarried, my grandparents divorced/remarried. You need a legal pad to track all the kids/stepkids etc.

The thing I struggle with is the 'old' connotation to patriarch. I really have no problem with that mantle and I suppose it is true, Patti and I have become the patriarch and matriarch of a very close, loving family. I don't know how we did it, we certainly didn't have good examples of what a good marriage/family looks like. It seems miraculous to me, like some happy accident. But we did work hard at being good parents, we always took it seriously. It's strange the way life works sometimes.

And I don't mind that I'm 48 now, being older doesn't really bother me. But when I picture patriarch in my head, it resembles and old amish guy at the head of a great table, ya know?

Oh, I did get a pic of band practice! Here's yours truly....


I was going to put fester's pic on top of mine, but that would be redundant!!!
m.

cool stuff

Well, I got through the 'gig' (stupid word really, never got used to it in all my years of playing). I ended up playing on 4 songs and as always, some sounded better than others.

I was hoping to have pics to post but they didn't come in yet, I'll share them when I get them.

It was a corporate awards event, followed by an open bar and the 'entertainment'. There were 500 people in attendance and after the awards were handed out people flocked to the bar. But mostly, people had their one drink and booked. Not that I blame them, it was a Wednesday night (a school night as Patti and I say).

So after about a half a set, it was pretty thin out there. But that's cool. Had a couple vodka tonics, played a little loud guitar. Not a bad night out...

On the home front, we've been looking for a larger dining room table. I have a big old house and the way things are going with the family, we are THE house for big occasions like Easter, Christmas, etc. We also have a weekly family breakfast thing going.

The breakfast thing has a cool genesis. Patti and I had a weekly date on Saturday mornings for breakfast. Now that the kids are gone, (well, one still in Pharmacy school, but she'll be back), we would go to a local diner joint. Good food, small, only 10 tables or so. Well, the kids started to join us at the restaurant, my daughter, the grand kids, my son and his fiance, my dad when he was up visiting from Florida. We overrun the place, took up a bunch of tables, and breakfast was running up to $50 - 60 per Saturday. No way could we continue that with a kid in pharmacy school! So we moved it 'in-house.'

We have had 12 people on some weeks. And it's cool, people show, they don't show, whatever. I try to gourmet it up a bit, I've made a couple of good casseroles, quiches, anything goes.
Anyhow, our table seats 10 ok, a bit tight.

So we decided to go out and get a bigger table, the dining room is big enough to accommodate it. So we looked at the chain furniture stores and we did find a couple sets we liked, and even came close to buying one. Then we stopped at a consignment place. We didn't find anything, but the owner mentioned he had a dining room set of Danish Modern furniture coming in the next day. So we stopped by. It is soooo cool. I didn't know much about Danish Modern, but it is very, very cool. The set included a china cabinet, server, buffet, table w/6 chairs (gotta get more), and another piece that is like a credenza. It was in excellent condition and all of the pieces included were hundreds less than we were going to spend on the table and chairs!!!! So we got it!!!

As we were leaving, they pointed out a living room set (from the same estate sale), with an 8ft (!) couch, chair, two end tables and a coffee table. All from the same manufacturer, all the same style. We got that too!!! The total cost of the living room and dining room sets was about the same as just the new tables and chairs. And totally cooler than anything we could buy at the chain stores, and better made into the bargain.

They are delivering all of this tonight!!!!

Cool stuff, I'll try to post some pics!
m.