How to get a table off craigslist and into your home.

I have a new dining room table! I'm so excited about it. I had been watching craigslist for many months, waiting for something great to come along. Every time I considered a table I was worried about a few things:

• the wood might clash with the many other wood colors in the house
• it might not fit through the door
• it could be too big for my next living space
• it could be too big for one person! I didn't want to eat alone at a table for 12.
• I didn't have a way to transport big furniture
• I didn't want to spend more than $160

I already had the kitchen table my parents had used in their first house, so I wasn't desperate. But I definitely didn't feel comfortable having big groups over for meals or game nights. Remember how small that table was in that big room?

So sad and empty. Adding paint and a rug helped, but the table was still just too small for any real entertaining.

Finally I found a great piece on craigslist. It's a teak top with a really beautiful grain and metal legs. The owners had cut it to fit their new space, leaving a large square and a smaller addition. 

Hint: You can learn a lot about people's tastes and priorities by looking closely at the pictures in their ads.

I figured they had to build on additional legs, and I wondered about the quality of that work. But looking at the pictures, I can tell they buy quality furniture and know good design. Just look at that wood chair! I was pretty confident that they would have done a good job on the addition.

To move the table, I rented a truck from Home Depot. The 75 minutes is only $20. Before spending the money on the truck, though, I met with the table's owner and looked the table over. This way I wasn't rushed, and I could ask all the questions I wanted to (and make sure it would fit in my house!). When I set up the initial meeting time I made sure to let him know that I would come to see it, and then if I still wanted it I would get a truck and come back. That way he knew how much time he could expect to spend, and he had some assurance that he wouldn't have to store the piece longer.

Look at our cute truck! This thing was kind of a beast, actually. It's taller than it looks, and I felt like I was towering over the other cars. It's also really, really heavy, which was exciting when we merged on highways. The table was in an expensive high rise along the river, which meant I had to take this truck downtown and parallel park in the city. It was all very exciting.

I drove, and Chris helped navigate. Oh, by the way, this is Chris. He's the reason I'm too busy to post or work on my house. I'm pretty crazy about him.

We got the table home, and I love it! It fit perfectly through the door, and it fills the space much better. I can make it smaller for quiet dinners in, keep both pieces together for company, or put the pieces in different rooms for game nights.

Total cost to me: $150. 

The next plan is to slowly accumulate a variety of wooden chairs with interesting backs, and then to paint them all turquoise. I think it will look really cool.

Doesn't that look like home? I'm already getting so much use out of it.

Oh, and a fun story: the previous owner of the table had a shop in my neighborhood, where this table came in to be sold. She fell in love with it and bought it from her own shop. Now, years later, I've returned it to its original neighborhood!