A Story of the nut tree furniture bought just before my parents’ wedding October 9, 1948.

My husband, Henry, has a blog on their wedding. A Google translate button is available.

From Holsteinsgade 30, Østerbro, Copenhagen their first flat from 1948-1951. My mother’s brother and finacé on a visit

My mother’s brother at my parents’ double bed and sofa at about 1950

My mother’s brother and his fiancé at my parents’ first flat in Copenhagen about 1950. The bureau to the right

From my parents second home, Tøjmestervej 8, N.V. in Copenhagen. 1951-1954

Homemade Christmas presents on the table at my parents’ second home after my birth

Some of the furniture at my first home, a flat in Copenhagen in 1951. My parents and the furniture had moved from a smaller flat.

The original receipt for the furniture 1948

The table is behind the scene of our first birthday in our parent’s flat.

Growing up, my twin brother and I learnt to be very careful about not touching the lacquered furniture or spill any liquid on them. The first years of our life, we were not allowed into the living room. The chairs around the dinner table had covers made in a cotton cloth, and the beautiful navy blue colour of the woven wool seats was a rare sight when they had guests. The table had two extensions that were hidden underneath the tabletop.

From the villa in Herlev, a suburb ten km from the centre of Copenhagen 1954-2008

The extended table and the furniture in our parents’ home in the early 1950s in Herlev, a suburb to Copenhagen. The guests are from my fathers’ workplace. Our parents lived there for the rest of their lives.

Our first day of school celebrated with neighbours, August 1958

A celebration after our first day at school in our house in the suburb of Copenhagen.

We are inspecting our school bags on our first day of school in 1958.

Should anyone upset a glass of sparkling water on the table cloth, my mother would run to the kitchen to get a tea towel to suck it up under the tablecloth. There would remain a bulk on the table for the rest of the meal. I am sure something like that happened on our birthday.

Our eleven years’ birthday in 1962 at the table with the mentioned porcelain used for guests

Christmas in Herlev 1964

A situation from our Christmas with my father’s family in 1964. The bureau is to the left, back of the picture. To the left, my father’s sister died from kidney failure a few months later.

My father’s 50th birthday in 1970 a few days later, I left for an extended stay in England.

Eighteen years later

My children visiting my parents on a birthday celebration in 1988

From my parents’ home and my childhood home in 1988. A plastic table cloth is preventive to accidents

My oldest son at a birthday celebration for his younger brother in 1983 at my parents’ home.

For my parents’ golden wedding anniversary in 1998, they had the seats replaced. My fathers’ cousin of my age, is a weaver and made new seats in a deeper blue colour. After that, the chairs were still covered, not to be worn out too early. Ten years later, my parents had both passed away, and the dinner table and 6 chairs found a new home at my close family.

When something was spilt on the table, a wet dishcloth would wipe it.

My family members used the furniture as long as they lasted, and as no one had room for them, they were disposed of at the garbage dump in 2018 after seventy years’ of service.

In 2011, the table and chairs were back to a flat near to their start in Oesterbro Copenhagen.

A goodbye picture

A goodbye picture

The cupboard with three doors is at my twin brother’s home.  There was a particular smell of wood and chocolate. I sometimes sneak in to see if the smell is still there. My parents had all their porcelain used for guests and stuck in was dark chocolate. My father liked dark chocolate.

In three small drawers underneath my mother had her sewing equipment and the cutlery also for guests. A pair of scissors was in the sewing drawer. It made a certain dry kind of a sound. I have them with me.

I have the bureau the sight of which I enjoy.

At the time when my newly married parents bought the furniture, the average salary per hour was 3,22 Danish crowns which are less than half a dollar. They paid 4.140 Dkr, which is about $ 600.