Modern Restaurant Tables

Antique furniture calls to mind images of heavy, ornately decorated tables and chairs that one would probably never mistake for having made in recent years. You know the type: those solid wood and gilt creations dating from centuries ago and which were located in regal settings such as the Versailles Palace near Paris or the Winter Palace in Moscow. But that kind of furniture is positively present-day if you compare it to a certain wooden dining table that was being offered at a department store in London a year ago.

The wood from which the table top is made is 30,000 years old. Yes, you read that right. It’s thirty centuries old. It was taken from Kauri trees in New Zealand, which had remained submerged in salt marsh swamps over the millennia. The combination of immersion in mud and lack of oxygen created a perfect condition for preserving the wood and preventing its degradation. This ancient dining table was priced at £7,000 at the Selfridges department store. There’s no doubt about the wood’s antiquity; its age has been verified via carbon dating techniques, and a certificate of authenticity comes with the furniture. In spite of its ancientness though, it looks very modern; not a caveman-type of thing at all. Only the material is old; the design is all 21^st-century.

It probably would not be a good idea to use this kind of furniture as outdoor bar tables. If I owned a bar or restaurant, the thought of risking damage to such an expensive piece of furniture by exposing it to the rigors of a commercial setting would be troubling. Thank goodness there are many options available for café or bistro owners who prefer to adorn their establishments with wooden furniture. They may not be centuries old, but they look just as good and are more affordable too.