apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

A few years ago there was a restaurant in the West Village, Mona Lisa, that used sewing tables as dining tables.

They didn't have the red chairs, though. They had upholstered and non-upholstered chairs of various heights, so you'd be sitting there talking to a friend who was three feet lower than you were.

i am in here constantly and have NEVER noticed what the tables are made from. ha. thanks AT.

Weird - our kitchen table growing up was an old sewing machine trestle with an oiled reclaimed wood top. It could seat six! (My mom was an antiquer in the 1970s, so I guess in that context, its not that odd. Just interesting to see that old idea renewed here.)

this is one of my favorite places, i also work down the street. it's a cool place in many ways and i was stoked when i first noticed it too

This is nothing new. It was quite popular in the 70's and 80's, and has remained a popular table base choice over the decades. I still have mine and I still love it. Lots of restaurants have/had them, though they often get replaced as patrons complain of the lack of leg space. Was a cool idea then and still a cool idea, just nothing new.

My favorite restaurant in San Marcos, TExas-- The Root Cellar Cafe-- has a table for two made out of a sewing table.

Wow, I have a side table made from an old singer table, that I was planning to make into a dining table for my apartment a few months ago, but opted for a small round table to save space. I'll keep it on my to-do list if I move!

The Olde Ship pub in Fullerton, CA has many tables made out of sewing table bases... but they left the foot pedals on.

I have my grandmother's old Singer sewing machine table, but it's sitting in storage because not only does it not work, but I do not sew. I've been wanting to tranform it into a table, just like these (I grew up in Boston and have fond memories of the Middle East Cafe, although I can't specifically recall those tables), but I haven't the slightest idea how to do it. Does anyone out there think they know how and would you be willing to direct me to a website with instructions or just post how you think it might work? I would greatly appreciate it. (My email is my profile name at yahoo dot com.) Thanks one and all!