Hi Sam, I know where you're coming from, I too wanted to buy such a beautiful ornate table for my new home still under construction but it just wasn't going to look like it matched the modern home I wanted to put it in. I also wanted to feel like it could be used as most kitchen tables in a home are used, especially for me living on a farm, for eating or repairing something on some newspaper etc...impossible to do on such a beautiful table, you would ruin it to see it scratched !!! Not to put a damper on your tastes but your home will look so much better and have more style if you continue to try to match what you already have and that's at least a stunning kitchen that you've shown us all on this forum. If you think of the style and colour of your kitchen everytime you want to buy something or decorate, it will hep ground you to keep it similar. I understand there are people who say it's nice to have countless pieces of furniture that are all different in some way, as it can look like you acquired them along your journey in life but I think that this mixture of designs and colours doesn't gel in a modrrn house very well at all, perhaps a quaint old cottage but not a modern home with a lovely kitchen like you already have!!!

If it has no varnish, light sand then oil. If varnished very good sand using a electric sander, medium first sand then finer the second sand, wipe down to get all dust off then oil. If you use a combo of linseed and turpentine make sure you use gum turpentine. Use more turpentine to start off as will penetrate the wood better. Good luck

It might be worth while to consider the rest of the space also. Your breakfast bar/kitchen is located quiet closely to your dining table so depending on your kitchen space (apologies, I can't see too much of your kitchen from the photo) you might want to think about the overall style you want to achieve for you entire open plan space, and select pendants that would work for both your kitchen and dining. This is a project I worked on recently that shows how two different types of pendants can work harmoniously in the one space that is most similar to your kitchen and dining set up. Keep us posted on what you decide!

We finished our antique island bench, which was originally the haberdashery counter from David Jones in Newcastle, with a burnishing oil. The surface proudly bears the markers of it's history as the timber was too soft and thin to strip back any further than we have, but the burnishing process has protected it from every day wear and tear including water spills and the rough and tumble that our four boys dish out to every piece of furniture in the house, it also gives it a beautiful shine. We have finished our dining room table the same way. Kitchen dresser and the sides of the island bench that don't get the same use are finished with beeswax.