Search for the perfect table
The Marriage of Verona Marble and a Chicken Cage
Today I would like to introduce a little "Match in Heaven."
For the past several years, I have been looking for a long, narrow stone table to place on a terrace in my tiny garden but haven’t found one. One idea was to make a table on m own by having a stone cut at a nearby quarry and finding a leg to put underneath but finding a stand with the correct dimensions to support the heavy weight of the stone was difficult. I was at a loss.
In spring, when I visited my friend in Campania, who specializes in the antique repair, I noticed a long brownish-pink marble piece propped up outside her studio while taking a stroll in her yard. Although the stone was stained and dirty, the grain of the marble was quite beautiful, and above all, the size of the marble seemed perfect for the table I was looking for. I immediately asked my friend if this marble could be used for the outside table top.
“You have a good eye. This is an old precious Verona marble called 'Marmo Rosso di Verona”. It looks dirty but once polished well; the beautiful salmon-pink color will pop up like magic!”.
With excitement, I immediately asked, "Can you find me the table base to go with it?
After lunch, my friend said, "Come here for a minute," smiling, so I followed her to the front of her workshop, where I found a rustic chicken cage sitting on the lawn. Apparently, she was using this chicken cage to put the chickens while cleaning the chicken shed temporarily, but to my surprise, the chicken cage seemed to be a perfect dimension to place the Verona marble on top! With excitement, we set the heavy marble top on top of the chicken cage, and "voila!” the size, as well as the thickness of the marble, was perfect “Match in Heaven,” as though this chicken cage had been waiting for the beautiful Verona marble to arrive.
Sorry for the chickens, but they were to be placed in another cage during cleaning, and this rustic chicken cage was promptly transported to the workshop for restoration work.
A few weeks later, the table base arrived from Campania. The chicken wire fencing mesh was removed, and the metal legs were carefully sanded, painted the color of iron, and then sanded again for a rustic antique finish. After adjusting the leg height to suit the chairs, the table was finished!
How beautiful the Verona pink marble looks after careful polish! The milky salmon-pink color blends well with the terra cotta tiles on the terrace, making it look like the table was custom-made to match the tiles.
In particular, the color of white plates pops up beautifully against the mellow color of the pink marble. From spring to late fall, outdoor dining is a must in countryside living, so this table will definitely become a permanent fixture on the terrace.
My big applause to my friend who made the marriage of Verona pink marble and a chicken cage a great success!