Old table

A while back in some auction, a beautiful rosewood coffee table caught Pekka's eye. On a closer inspection, it turned out to be the famous floating top table by a Danish designer Grete Jalk for one of the most well known furniture houses called France & Son. For general public, Jalk may not be as well known as some of her more widely recognised peers, but she belonged to the creative generation which placed Denmark to the top of international design in 1940s and 1950s.

As indicated by the table's name, the key design driver is a "floating" top supported by six metal rods. These structural elements are the only connectors between the top and frame, and thus create an illusion as if the large table top would be floating. The table legs, on the other hand, have a graceful round shape typical to the era. Measuring 66 x 54 x 150 cm, the Jalk table is larger than the AT10 by Hans J. Wegner we currently have in the living room, and thus it requires quite a lot of room for a given space to best compliment the table's fine features.

Great Mid-Century wood work

During the early years, in addition to Jalk France & Son managed to attract some of the most well known designers of the era including e.g. Arne Vodder, Peter Hvidt and Finn Juhl. MCM Interiors, one of our favourite mid-century websites has nicely collected some information regarding France & Son on their website, so if you are interested, please click the link above to read more.

Producer's tag

When we first saw the table, it was clear it needed some work. Even though structurally in good condition, the surface was in desperate need of love and care. In other words, this meant some quality time with the piece, once again something that Pekka did not mind at all!

Thirsty wood surface

Usually this kind of work is done down stairs in the Man cave, but as the table is quite large it was more convenient to work with it at the atrium. Enjoying the warmth and light of the Spring sun, the first thing Pekka did was to dissassemble the top from the legs.

Frame ready to be washed

Before applying a new finish on wood, it is crucial to get a rid of any old finishes including oils, waxes and silicones. There are several different ways to do this, all of them literally including getting your hands dirty.

Working with the top

Once the bare wood is exposed you have to let it dry well. Obviously, a sunny weather helps!

Bare rosewood

There are a lot of different surface finishes one could apply for vintage furniture including lacquer, oil  and wax - all of which have their advantages. Pekka usually tends to try to find out what was originally used by the producer and use the same finish.

Rosewood and teak oil

We were actually first thinking the floating table would be perfect for the downstairs lounge once it is (some day) ready, but now we are not sure anymore, as the plan regarding downstairs has evolved. Because of this, we now have another table in mind, which probably does not surprise anyone! To give this beautiful table an opportunity to find a good home, we will put it on the market, so if you are interested just drop us a mail!

Oh, almost forgot! Also Urho has now found the atrium terrace. As he is very keen on sunbathing, during the afternoons when there is less direct sunlight inside, Urho tends to slowly wonder out to the terrace to find a warm, sunny spots that best flatters his lengthy figure.

How about some sun tan?