The seventies.  I grew up in a house that was decked out with hand-made macrame, cane furniture, maidenhair ferns and, yes, wood paneling.  Eventually the fern greens were replaced with the peachy pastels of the eighties.  But I still love seventies delights.  Perhaps, like my dining table, it reminds me of home?

It turns out the seventies was easy enough to recreate in my noughties space. I found a pile of long wood strips (cedar?) collecting dust at the hardware store.  The strips were shaped like an arrow–great for creating a wavy texture.  As the guy from the hardware store cut the strips into seventy five identical pieces, he asked me what I was planning on doing with the wood.  I explained.  It seems he did not share my seventies vision.

double spacing

no spacing

After some serious sanding and generous dousing of scandinavian oil, the arrows were ready.  I experimented with different spacings: no spaces was too heavy and and the double spaces was, well, too spacey.  Single spacing it was.  Next: liquid nails.

before

after

details: cedar wood strips, cut,
sanded and oiled

cost: wood $90 (incl. cutting),
scandinavian oil $40