Extra Seating Hidden In Plain Sight

Many years ago I discovered the Bombay Company, back when they were a catalog business and had retail stores - the early 90’s, I think. I fell in love with their global style then and still love it. I poured over their catalogs, dreaming of the pieces I’d have liked to buy if I had big enough rooms and a budget to match. 

What I settled on was a hinged butler coffee table and matching set of end tables, and a plant stand. The coffee table met its end years ago but the end tables and plant stand are still on the job. 

But the crown jewel is the “Duke of Marlborough” desk I scored. I have to say scored because I came upon it one day while I was meandering around the retail store, practically drooling. It was off in a corner with a special mark-down tag on it because it had a gouge/dent spot right on the front edge that took the price from $400 down to $99 bucks. The price was a perfect fit for me and the desk was a perfect fit for a certain spot in our living room. Sold!

What about the gouge/dent you ask? I suppose a carpenter or expert woodworker might have figured out how to cut a piece of wood to fill the uneven space, attach it and stain it to match. Me, I considered it a small price to pay for the otherwise perfect piece. My mom likes it too, and surprised me by having a piece of glass cut to fit the top to protect it. Great insight on her part because while it provides a display space for some treasures (including the tea set my husband bought for his mother when he was stationed in Europe in the 70’s), it is also often used for serving appetizers, desserts, etc.

Then an idea struck me one day while my daughter and I were making millefiori beads and little animals and other cute things with polymer clay. I took bits of a few colors and blended them to match the wood, stuck the blob in the spot and formed it to blend in with the edge of the desk. I didn’t even bake it as is normally done with that kind of clay and I didn’t even glue it in place. I just let it air dry on the spot and it held great.

And it looked good. The patch was not noticeable unless you reeeeally looked, or unless your second child’s eyes were at just the right height to see it up close, wonder why that spot was a little different than the rest, and give it a wiggle. Just enough to pop it out. Oh well. I decided to just leave it as is and when my eyes fall upon it these days, I’m reminded that if it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t have been able to have it at all. And I truly love it - not as much as I love that inquisitive child, of course. If you look about four inches in from the front left corner you can see the spot.

For several years I kept our kiddie book basket under the “Duke desk” and when my oldest was small enough it was a great place to tuck herself away with a pillow and look at books. When that child outgrew the reading space and the next child (the aforementioned wiggler) wasn’t on the horizon yet, the book basket was relocated and the space stood unoccupied for years. 

Thinking about an upcoming party one day and the extra seating I would need, something I’d seen years ago came to mind. Maybe it was Bombay or maybe somewhere else, not sure, but the idea was to slide two matching stools into the space under a sofa table, or in my case, a desk. They’re decorative enough to look good where they are, and they can be pulled out and used as extra seats or can stand in as side tables. 

I probably could have shopped for just the right things but that’s not me. I decided to DIY it. 

I went to the furniture section of my local thrift store and found a set of three wood chairs with covered seats for $12. Such a deal. Yes, I only needed two, but I used the third to practice with. I unscrewed the lightly padded seat, sawed off the chair back and sanded those two spots, painted it, re-covered the padded seat, and put it all back together. That oldest daughter now had her own apartment and happily accepted my trial piece. Then I did the same with the other two for myself with fabric and paint that compliment our other furnishings.

The fabric I found has a filigree design, like the rug. For the paint, I used some acrylics that I had on hand and kind of smeared a gold color over pink. Truth be told, first I tried different shades of green with different kinds golds before hitting on pink. Nothing else in the room is pink but for some reason it just works.

They made their debut at that party and have been used countless times since, either as seats or tables. And in between functions they look nice right where they are, under the glass-topped Duke desk, with its boo-boo, and a history that warms my heart.