Above: a bunch of tables I found by the building dumpster last month. People throw out some of the most amazing things. See that last one? It’s a vintage typewriter stand from Metalstand, an old Philadelphia furniture company which used to manufacture aluminum furniture in the 1950s. This piece might just be that old, judging from the layers of dust I wiped off it. I don’t use typewriters anymore, of course, but the stand makes a great end table.

That, and the coffee table, now sit around the gCouch, forming my living “room.” The white/yellow work table has replaced the old, creaky, cockroach-ridden oak table which served as my kitchen extension, while the plant stand is now a printer-and-media stand in my work area. I put the green work desk up for sale on Craigslist, but no one really wanted it, so it’s just extending my dining table right now.

So check out the dumpster every once in a while. One man’s trash is another man’s free apartment furniture — after a thorough spraying, dusting, and wiping down, of course.