In 1985, jammed into a van above my newlywed parents’ heads, this table ventured from Hawke’s Bay to the Far North. It was a wedding gift for my parents made by their friend John Hannah, a talented musician and woodwork teacher. A decade later, it made its way back down the windy roads from the Far North to Tāmaki Makaurau, where it’s remained in my family home ever since.
It sits in the heart of the home, looking out to lush native bush. It has been a serene spot to sit for a quiet cup of tea, watching kererū and tūī flit between the trees. It has seen three generations gather around it. It’s provided us with a place to come together as a family. It’s held the most delicious and nourishing meals made by my mum. And it has had fabric, paint, wood, glass, and endless other art supplies splayed across it as a fashion designer, a painter, a glass artist, and a woodworker in the family all developed their creativity and skills on it.
It is made from solid rewarewa wood, with a beautiful warm honey tone and magical interlocking grain. This is a species someone will guess swiftly if they know wood. The style of the table, with its simple trestle legs and well-proportioned elements, is a timeless piece never dating the space it’s in.
My dad and I refinished the table when I was around 12 years old. I wonder whether the heady smell of the citrusy Danish oil and the transformation from a scratched-up tabletop to new again planted the seed for my future woodworking career. This table has ingrained in me the importance of using solid wood and timeless designs so that furniture can be restored for many generations to come, a notion I hold onto while designing and making my own pieces of furniture.
Amelia Fagence
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