Skip to main content

Antique Family Trunk

If you're into antiques, go get a handkerchief for the drool you're about to, well, drool.

I present to you .... my coffee table.


This is the antique trunk originally belonged to The Captain's great-uncle and great-aunt when they were living in Greece in the 1910s. They immigrated in depression-era America and settled in Aurora, Illinois, where they lived out their lives. In 1953, they sent for one of their nephews, my father-in-law's older brother, to be sent to them in America to live and work. When his brother decided to go to Australia instead, my father-in-law was sent, and so our family's history in America began.

When my in-laws sold the family home were The Captain grew up, we found this old trunk in an attic closet, only containing some table linens and a few Greek dance costumes. I dutifully asked if my mother-in-law or sisters-in-law wanted it for their homes, fingers crossed they would all declined and it could come live at our house. I lucked out!

Here are some detail shots of this beautiful trunk. All of the brass hardware and nail head trim work is original to the trunk.


The original leather handles have split on both sides of the trunk, but the fixtures are still strong. I've debated getting these restored, but there is something honorable about the original leather pieces still being attached. 

The stickers shown below are the departure tags noting the trunk's point of origin of Piraeus, the largest port to Athens.


On the left side of the trunk, are the destination stickers noting New York City. It's faint, but the white square sticker has the faded blue penmanship noting "Bazos, Sam" -- The Captains great-uncle's name. The red sticker says "National Hellenic American Line."


Now the trunk is centered in my living room as a coffee table, with three books on top (Emily Post's "Wedding Ettiquette" (nod to my day-job), "Speeches That Changed The World", and "A History of Aviation (not to The Captain's day-job)), a silver-tone airplane from Pottery Barn, and a Silver Julep Cup of silk Red Hydrangeas.

Not to knock the great products at Ikea, but I'll take this fabulous piece of family history as my coffee table any day of the week.

Labels:

Comments

  1. RachelAugust 3, 2012 at 10:47 PM

    That is a great way to use a family heirloom! I love it.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce 

Raise your hand if you LOVE washing dishes? Yes? Then this recipe isn't for you. Because dinner is done in one pot. Set it and forget it while you change into something more comfortable after a long day. Ingredients: 1 lb. ground beef 1/2 onion, diced 2 c broth or water 3 c (24 ounces) pasta sauce (marinara or tomato sauce recommended) 1 lb. any pasta (I used whole wheat high protein spaghetti) 2 T Italian Seasoning 1 t Onion Powder 1 t Garlic Powder 1/2 t salt 1/4 t black pepper Instructions: Set your pot to "Saute" and cook the ground beef, breaking up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Add the onion to the ground beef and they will cook together. Once it is cooked through (about 4-5 min), do not drain out the fat. **If you prefer to use frozen meatballs, skip the above steps, start with the meatballs in the bottom of your pot, then go from here:  Mix in all seasoning (Italian seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper) Layer in ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Instant Pot Chicken Marsala

Day two with my Crock-Pot Express (CPE), aka Instant Pot. Tonight, we are making Chicken Marsala, one of The Captain's favorites. Since I'm preparing to get back into the 21 Day Fix starting on January 15 (with the new 80 Day Obsession plan!), I'm going to enjoy the chicken and green beans only, while the rest of the family will have egg noodles with their chicken. I found a simple enough recipe on Pinterest that I'm going to adapt to work for our family's tastes a little bit better. Here is the plan: Ingredients: - 2 lbs chicken thighs, boneless, skinless - 1 T olive oil - 1/2 t garlic powder - 1/2 t salt - 1/4 t black pepper - 1/2 yellow onion, diced - 1 pint sliced baby Bella portobello mushrooms - 1 c Marsala wine - 1/4 c chicken stock or broth - 1 T minced garlic Instructions: - Set device to “Sauté” and add oil. Allow to heat for 1 minute. - Season chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic powder - Add chicken to pot and sear meat for 3 ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Kira's Baking-Inspired Bridal Shower

While I have a fabulous job professional planning events, it's even more fun when I get to personally host an event for a friend. This past fall, my dear friend, Kira, celebrated her wedding to Nat, and, of course, a Bridal Shower was on the horizon to celebrate her! (And it's her Birthday Weekend so Happy Birthday!) The other bridesmaids and I finalized our plans for her baking-inspired Bridal Shower, and here are some of the details: Make Your Own Mimosa Bar - complete with champagne, sparkling cider, sodas, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, orange slices, lime slices, lemon slices, orange juice, cranberry juice, and grapefruit juice. Fool-proof instructions Guests were greeted with personalized champagne flutes. The nametags doubled as glass tags so all of the ladies could keep track of their flutes. Sweet signage. Fun buffet with lots of brunch items! Salads, finger sandwiches, fruits, and the muffins. Oh the muffins (see more below), ...
Post a Comment
Read more