A Pair Of Stinky Tables

I recently was given a gift of a pair of 18th century Swedish Gustavian demilune tables! They are gorgeous! What a score!

Until I got a whiff of them. These tables are notorious for having been sold by the best antique dealer in town to a lady for $5,000 or so. The dealer had fumigated the tables with a chemical to get rid of wormwood, and all seemed well, until the tables were enclosed in the customer's house, letting off the most awful stinky stink. Of course the tables were returned.

The once stinky Swedish table in the home of the Visual Vamp
I spy an Anne Harwell painting!

They kicked around at a huge discount to a number of local decor mavens. A thick coat of white Kilz paint was applied. But still the stinky tables, as they have become affectionately known, were returned to the seller time after time.

The seller was moving and I always loved these tables, so he just gave them to me knowing I was fully aware of the issues.

The smell really was intense. Like chemical urine. It had seeped into the centuries old wood, and the prevailing humidity in New Orleans did not help matters. They even stunk up my back enclosed patio area outside, and they nearly gassed the poor seller when he drove them over to my house in his SUV, even with the windows open!

18th century Swedish demilune table with 1960's mod table layered under it
photo: Visual Vamp living room

I had nothing to lose so I did some Google research. The underside of the tables had been left unpainted, and unfinished. Basically bare wood. So I doused it with white vinegar and waited 24 hours. The tables didn't smell as bad, but they smelled like a giant pickle. Then a kind person emailed me a suggestion to use denatured alcohol. I doused the tables a couple of times, again with 24 hours in between treatments. This worked the best, but the stinky stink crept back, though much more faint. But even faint, trust me you do not want to smell this in your house!

My next trick was to spray them with a citrus orange oil room deodorizer. Again I waited 24 hours. This worked really well, as the oil soaked into the wood, and took over as the top note.
Then I painted the undersides of each table with three coats of white Kilz paint, and touched up the rest of the tables with more Kilz. I waited 24 hours. I sniffed them. They did not stink!

Glorious Swedish demilune tables at chez Visual Vamp!
I took this photo at 7 AM this morning

So I brought them in the house! Even though I am not an antiques maven, I seem to have alot of antique pieces in my vampy mix. I do love antiques, but I am not one for the strict period look of a room. So far so good. The tables are magnificent, and once in awhile I get a whiff of orange blossoms. I have sprayed them with Lysol, and this has helped tone down the orange scent too, and I think this stinky pair has at long last been tamed to be able to live indoors.



And for the fun of it, here is a mini round up look book of some antique Swedish demilune tables.

From Velvet and Linen HERE - Brooke is the Swedish expert for sure

via La Pouyette HERE
My pair of demilunes have brackets on the back so I can make one round table

From Inspiring Interiors HERE

via House Beautiful

via Karina Gentinetta HERE

Visual Vamp 18th century demilune tables

Do you guys have any stinky furniture stories and solutions to share?

Posted in: Look Book, Round Up, Swedish Style, Table Obsession, Visual Vamp Designs and ReVamps