In love with barn wood....

I have been having an affair for over six months now. Before you go and call my Fiance, let me explain------it's with a table. I've been wanting to replace the four-seater pub table that followed me through college as our dining table since I purchased my home last year. I was uncertain as to what I really wanted until I first noticed her as a centerfold in a magazine about six months ago.. There she was, gloriously displayed in all her natural beauty in Ballard Design. Her table piece set with elegantly glowing candles, mason jars, and shells- set with high overstuffed chairs against a slate gray wall and crystal draping chandelier. I instantly fell in love. There was something so intoxicating about old reclaimed barn wood, delicate linens, and beautiful Hydrangeas. Like most celebrity love affairs, I knew mine too, would never come true.. as this table was nearly three thousand dollars. .... You can stop a girl from buying a table... but you can't stop her from dreaming of it!

I thought as the use of reclaimed barn wood began to take center stage in home decor, that surely somehow, somewhere, I could find something in my budget. I felt like Goldilocks looking at tables--Some were too big, some too small, some too light, some not right. I dug out that issue of Ballard Design several months later for inspiration and had an astonishing find: The table I had been dreaming of the past few months in my mind looked NOTHING like the one I had first been inspired by.  I had concocted a fictitious table in my mind.. One that was perfectly suited to meet the needs of my fiance and I (and our future needs),  One that could take a beating and still be as stunning as the day I took her home... I soon realized this table did not exist in any store, and if I wanted my dream table, I was going to have to build it.

At first I thought perhaps I could build it myself, as I'm rather handy, and certainly persevering enough. However, purchasing reclaimed barn wood is akin to getting a pair of authentic new Christian Louboutin's for 20 bucks. It just wasn't going to happen. Apparently hijacking a derelict barn for wood in Utah is frowned upon, and although I love barn wood, I doubt a criminal record of trespassing and unlawful destruction of property would make a nice addition to my resume.  Not to mention I have never built anything from scratch using a saw and wood.. and I happen to have penchant for all ten of my fingers, thank you very much.

I came across an ad in the local newspaper from an artist who creates picnic tables using reclaimed barn wood. I sent her all the photos I could get my hands on, of wood colors, of table shapes, of legs shapes, you name it. She told me she could craft it for me in my budget and I'm fairly certain I quite literally jumped for joy. Jace and I went and picked out the wood from the pieces she had at her house, we saw other pieces she had created, and we knew... this is our shot. I had complete faith that she would create the table of my dreams... and low and behold, she exceeded them.

My table made it to my house today, and seeing it for the first time... I am in LOVE! This table will last us through any twists and turns that life may provide down the road, whether that be children, dogs, family dinners, holidays.. you name it. The knots and marks in the wood are amazing, and you can still see traces of the paint on the edges on the wood from the old barn. Not to mention the F-U-N I will have decorating my table for every holiday and occasion. So, in the end, I ended up with an amazing, hand-crafted, unique piece.. I will relish telling everyone the story of this table, and cherish that this old barn became my newest addiction.

Enjoy. xoxo---- Cassandra