How can I find a new home for a large oak dining table

[Papyrophile]

We're downsizing for our retirement, or planning it. We inherited the family dining table, seats 16 or, leaves removed it becomes square, and seats eight, plus 12 chairs. It's solid oak, but brown furniture and much too big for most houses. How do I find it a new home?

It's such a shame. I wish we were furnishing our house now instead of 30 years ago. There is so much good quality furniture around for next-to-nothing. And it's easy to advertise and browse the ads now, we're a long way from those cards in the supermarket or notes in the small ads, saying "Green sofa for sale," with the rest left to the imagination.

I have a table like that. It's currently in the garage in that half way stage between keeping it and dumping it. If all else fails your local council might take it away.

We have a table that size, and I love it. I bought it on eBay and had it shipped here using Shiply.

I agree with you, but we're off to help our DS furnish his two up two down Victorian cottage and we reckon we can buy really well-made furniture for pennies on the pound.

And at some stage, the tide will turn away from IKEA. People will fall in love with craftmanship again.

You could offer it to someons who makes furniture. If it’s a beautiful piece of oak perhaps it can be crafted into something wonderful and oak is expensive. Local classes for woodturning or carpenters might have contacts.

That is an interesting idea @Chumpingtonquinces

It's not a single piece of oak as a large section was given to a club in 1947 for their bar, and dismantled in the 1980s when refurbed.

Strangely enough that is happening, younger folk the trend is for antique statement pieces in rooms. Charity shops doing a brisk trade in people looking for up cycling furniture to put in their homes. Yes sometimes it's painted, but it's surviving now.

DIL bought an old farm house. The kitchen is a 70's handmade masterpiece. Every drawer solid wood dovetailed. The cupboard doors in perfect condition. It's quite extraordinary and wonderful.

It is gorgeous. And people do have space. Even when I lived in not very expensive Victorian one or two bed flats in a couple of historic cities, there was that kind of space, and still is in those places.

My local furniture charities both refused a dining table with no chairs. So whether or not people like the chairs, I would offer them together. Though I like the idea of offering it to a furniture maker.

I bought a very large table on eBay as a combined kitchen island and place to sit. When I changed the layout so it didn't work any more, someone bought it from me.

I would leave it with the house if that's an option, but drop a hint about being creative with use or furniture being made to be used. Sometimes people don't want stuff they consider untouchable. Better to have another 10 years of daily use than to be exited for one that doesn't suit the house.

I love it! It would go beautifully with my Victorian "brown" sideboard that I bought for £100 delivered off eBay about 15 years ago. When they delivered it, they said it was a good job I bought it because if not it was "going on the bonfire" 😯

Local auction house

I’m sure it will @Papyrophile . My newly married mother furnished her first home in the early 1950’s, from auctions, when lots of country houses were being sold and no-one wanted brown furniture. In the late 80’s it was valued at over £100,000, when I had it all valued when she went into care four years ago the whole lot, including plenty of silver came in at £12k. One problem is people tend not to have large houses, and certainly round us large Edwardian ones get demolished and are replaced with footballers’ mansions where brown furniture would look out of place. I imagine my poor table has been well and truly upcycled - I haven’t the heart to tell my mother.

That all rings true @Molecule . You only have to watch a few episodes of Flog It and remember Going for a Song and Antiques Roadshow to see how the interiors market has changed.

What’s stopping you just putting it on eBay? Let go of any idea it’s worth much but it will find its worth and you can get rid.
Make sure the listing is very clear about the number of people needed to transport it.
I would definitely offer it to new buyers first though.

I love it. I am deeply unfashionable (looks at the objectively hideous 1930s sideboard I ‘inherited’ when my grandmother went into a care home that stores an enormous amount of rubbish useful stuff).

Sadly, I think most people won’t like it, but I would at least offer to leave it. Otherwise, do you have any passing traffic? My 1930s, built to withstand a bomb attack/4 small children, table was picked up off the seafront 23 years ago. Could you put a couple of chairs out, together with a picture of the table, and just say ‘free to collector’?

Even lighter oak shaker furniture isn’t so fashionable anymore. We bought loads of bits to match existing for absolutely no money at all when we moved to our current house. Solid and far better than ikea stuff.

DB has a round wooden table and a long glass one. My parents have a large wooden dining table in their dining room and so do I in my living/dining room (luckily I have the room). SIL’s DP’s are posh with space but have a kitchen table as dining table. They don’t entertain much apart from family. Think their son and his family has similar. People used to even in smaller houses have these but the fashion is long gone for them. Maybe certain families keep them.

The top is mahogany and very nice. Presumably it’s veneer, maybe on oak looking at the edge and legs. It’s Jacobean Revival. The chairs Victorian copies of Charles II, maybe in oak or fruitwood. The quality looks good so you may be able to sell. This dealer in Edinburgh carries huge quantities of substantial antique furniture and might be interested. https://www.georgianantiques.net/
If itynot for them or you are too far away, they may be able to suggest other dealers who take such things. There is still a market, it’s just small and specialist.

How long do you have before you move? EBay, Facebook Marketplace, Olio, Gumtree, Freecycle etc often take a while to move things on, even if free. It might be worth getting a courier to quote for transport so that you can list with the cost of this which would help potential ‘buyers’ to assess how practical this would be for them.

My DM used to have a lovely 70s pine dining table not finely done with matching benches (we used to swing on them, DB cut above his eye (eyebrow) and had to have stitches) they’re in their attic and DB wants them but unsure if his wife does. They’re a certain style.

It's lovely but I can see how it wouldn't suit a lot of homes.

Try the British Heart Foundation as they take furniture. Or, do you a local auction house who might try and sell it for you?

Edited: sorry, see you've already tried BHF.

EBay - if it doesn’t go reduce the price till it goes. I sold a really manky sofa for 99p to someone wanting an upcycling project.

My DF left a similar table in the house when he downsized. The new buyers were happy - I think they got a very big tablecloth made for it!