Low table repurposed from 19th C. child's bed, Xinjiang Province, China |
Recycle, reclaim, and repurpose – all of these are buzz words that have become popular, perhaps because the economic downturn made their application a necessity. It’s much easier to reuse an existing object than to create one from scratch, and usually much more affordable. In reality, all these words are synonyms for rediscovery, the idea that existing objects can regain their appeal and luster when their purpose and function is reexamined, reimagined, and recreated.
The low stance and 6 drawers of this antique child's bed function perfectly for reinventing and repurposing as a table |
This week’s New Arrival features a large low table made of natural oriental poplar wood. Almost two hundred years ago it served as a child’s bed in rural Xinjiang Province, China. At over 82 inches long by 46 inches wide, it was larger than today’s twin beds. When its usefulness as a sleeping platform was reevaluated, it was reconstructed, reconditioned, and finally reinvented as a table – leaving us to recognize human resourcefulness has never been restricted to one time or place.