From one Pamela to another, my first suggestion is for you to decide how you feel about the table….size, shape, how it works for your family, and your emotional connection to it. I think those questions are more important than “is it dated?”

Dated, schmated….I have a 1946 hutch/buffet that I grew up with. I’ve lived with it all my life, and now at age 74 I’m painting it to be featured on our new screened porch. It reminds me of my dear mother, and I’m glad I didn’t sell it in my recent downsizing purge.

If you love the table, keep it - and espresso sounds good - but if you feel sort of meh about it, pass it along to someone who would enjoy upcycling/repurposing it.

Personally, I wouldn't bother. It's pine, not a great wood for a table because it is soft and prone to indentations and nicks.

clt3 --Is there something in the picture that reveals this as pine? I thought it was Maple, but perhaps I have it wrong.

You have a 1960/70 pine table, Colonial style. A lot of my friends chose that look when they married.

https://www.oysterandpearl.co.uk/2020/04/pine-table-makeover-Annie-Sloan-chalk-paint.html

@Pamela , the big knots and very dark stain are dead giveaways for 70’s pine. Maple is fine grain with few knots .

Pine has knots/grain and maple just has a grain.

If you like the table or just want to keep it bc of the sentiment, then I'd refinish it someway.

I'm a bit confused on the shape and look. Is it rounded on the ends with some kind of glass on top partially?

If you can take some other photos it would help. If I'm correct on the glass/mirror my initial thought is glossy black on the wood part or even some other glossy dark color.

The glass is just something I am temporarily storing on top of it. I think the posters here are right and this is pine. It is very chipped and I know it was already refinished once. I think people may be right --that I should let it go. After all, I posted here to get feedback on what this is. I'm becoming convinced that what my mother told me about the wood --is not correct. After all, it is very chipped and it appears to me that the wood on top may actually be veneer --for the price of refinishing this, $2000, it appears to be not worth it --I have many other mementos of my mother and this may not be a practical decision.

Check out allinonepaint.com. Paint legs black and top the color of your choice. It is super easy with almost no prep required. You might find it works very well. A poster here on Houzz (kjoy) redid her kitchen with the all in one product. Came out beautifully. In fact, it just won “Best Use Award”!

That's a really high price to refinish. Probably not worth it unless you love it.

It looks like solid pine--crawl under and see if the knots line up. And it has weathered life pretty well. The finish is chipped but it's not especially dented or anything. I'd guess it's a good quality pine.

I might DIY sand it, paint it, and use it as a desk because it looks very sturdy, but if you don't need it as a desk (or a table), pass it along.

I do like the legs...it would be pretty painted in a dainty color for a breakfast room...

It’s solid pine. EA furniture back in the day was solid wood, mostly pine. There’s nothing wrong with pine especially with that thickness. I’m betting it’s pretty darn heavy? Another suggestion is to use the Allinonepaint Flo suggested, in a color that coordinates nicely with your decor, for the base and have just the top refinished in a dark stain. That would be more economical.

Pamela, IDK when your mom died, but I can relate to wanting to keep it as a memento. However if you have other items you like better that also bring you joy and memories, it's okay to let some things go. She chose it for her and would want you to choose your own as well.

However, if you like it and want to keep it but just make it look nicer, I would attempt some paint or stain myself. Worse case, you don't like it and get rid of it anyway with some lessons learned.

This reminds me of your table. Turned out beautiful:

http://heirandspace.blogspot.com/2013/10/a-traditional-ethan-allen-dining-set.html

Wow, that's an amazing transformation!

yes it is. These are both inspirations:

@Seajay Sparkles, EA made furniture of both maple and cherry also - probably more than the pine. Those transformations above are very nice but the tables were cherry,, not pine. As you can guess, I am not a fan of pine furniture

Seajay, the second one with natural finish is pine:

https://www.oysterandpearl.co.uk/2020/04/pine-table-makeover-Annie-Sloan-chalk-paint.html

I’m aware of the differences between pine and cherry and maple. Paula’s table has a dark stain on pine. As a new bride back in the dark ages I was thrilled to be able to buy EA furniture. I had a coffee table that looked identical to Pam’s dining table. Different dimensions notwithstanding. 😉. Maple cabinets, cherry bedroom furniture … the whole gamut.

Pam just needs to decide keep/ not keep.