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Help me decide on an endtable

15 years ago

Hi, my wife and I moved into a home last year, and the living room is the last that needs to be finished from an interior design sense. I've had trouble finding an end table to fit a large corner spot that is created by our sofa and loveseat. We like modern design -- clean lines, no clutter, no curlicue ornamentation.

I don't know how to post photos on here. Since it's stupid to ask people to give an opinion on furniture if they can't see it, I've put a description of the room and photos on a hastily put-together blog (this isn't spam, I swear!; there are no popups or click-thru traps), and I also put photos and dimensions of the furniture I'm considering. You can find it here:

http://threeweeksofmusic.blogspot.com/2011/07/weve-been-in-our-new-house-for-17.html

I've really been stymied trying to figure out an appropriate height for a table for that space. I'm not sure if either of the table options will work, but I'm hopeful that they would. Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

Here is a link that might be useful: The blog post with details on the room & furniture

Comments (13)

  • 15 years ago

    If you plan on sitting on the couches in those spots, definitely get a table no higher than the arm of the sofa, in fact I'd get a table a couple of inches lower.

    It will be easy to reach for a drink at that level.

    I think the 3-tiered table would mostly be hid.

    Can you post a picture of the rest of the room?

  • 15 years ago

    Oakleyok, I've added three pics of the rest of the room at the bottom of the post.

    So far, it's pretty bare ... a small piece of wall art, an accent wall and a cabinet are all you haven't seen.

    Here is a link that might be useful: The blog post updated with extra pics

  • 15 years ago

    Yes, I think a coffee table would be too low. Not liking the 3 tier table for your room either. Would you like to get one of those round tables that you put a cloth over? You could put a round peice of plywood on the top to make it bigger. Otherwise, I would get a floor lamp with attached table for that area (put it in the center of the area) and forget about filling that space up. Get a coffee table that you like and put it in front of the couch.

  • 15 years ago

    For a corner table I have gotten an IKEA dining table that is 36" square so its big enough to fill the space and with legs that I could cut down to the height I wanted.

    You could also look at vintage if you are so included. Heywood Wakefield and other manufacturers in the fifties and sixties made some large "corner tables" or "cubes" that were meant to occupy that space between two sofas (kind of the precursor of the sectional)

    Something like this would be big enough to service both tables and hold a table lamp., But the IKEA option has worked out for me a couple of times.

    {{!gwi}}

  • 15 years ago

    You can start on the simple process of posting photos by signing up for free to Photobucket. Upload your photos there and then copy the html tag for the photo you want to post and paste into your message here. It will show up when you hit preview.

  • 15 years ago

    Wondering if you would reconsider your furniture placement?

    I really feel like the wonderful curio is lost where it is - the wall space is too small, it makes the front entry feel even more closed in, and it feels a bit like it got set there and just left.

    What I am thinking I would try is the following:

    I would put the couch on the end wall, the smaller loveseat at a right angle to it in front of the window, but pushed down to the couch to close up that space a bit. Then the chair and ottoman angled in the corner where the cabinet is now.

    Finally, I would move the cabinet to the green wall, and hang some art on either side of it.

    I would definitely consider a round table for the corner where the couch and loveseat meet, something not in wood tones - glass and iron,perhaps. This copper one is cool:

    sherman end table

    Something like this with some texture that still says modern would be great next to the armchair:

    merritt end table

    Down the line I would also consider a larger rug that can sit under the front legs of the furniture.

    You have a very nice home, and great things already. Don't settle for something just because it 'fits' size-wise.

  • 15 years ago

    Well I have no clue about the height, but I love the tables and lamps in the latest posting on your blog. Great seating too.

  • 15 years ago

    Les917, I really like that copper table. We'll consider reorganizing the room, although I'm a little reluctant to placing a large piece in front of the accent wall. I like the idea of a solid (aside from one or two pieces of art) stretch of green ... I think the less on/in front of it, the more it emphasized the opening to the dining room. But I'll reconsider things (you are right, though, about how the cabinet came to be placed there).

    Thanks for the compliments, justgotabme. I love the seating ... and am infatuated with those tables and lamps. I might mock up a cardboard replica of the black-surface table to get a sense of if it's too low. The trash can next to my computer desk is 14.5" tall, so I'll just lay some cardboard atop it to get a feel for how that table would work.

  • 15 years ago

    Another idea would be to have a local metal fabricator make you a stainless steel frame that is the size and height you want. You could cover a piece of MDF with a cool faux skin...croc or ostrich...for the top and add a piece of glass for protection. Or you could do a plain stained top.

  • 15 years ago

    I hope you'll try Les's rearrangement plan - she has a great eye. I thought the same thing about the cabinet looking odd where it is. As for the green wall, I think the feature wall should enhance your space and what's in it. It looks like the green would show through the glass cabinet which would look stunning on that wall instead of against the lighter paint color. The chair would look more like a part of the seating arrangement angled in the corner she suggests.

  • 15 years ago

    Just saw this table on Crate and Barrel and it seemed like it might be of the right height, diameter, and modern/sleek styling to fill up your corner. Crate and Barrel seems to have quite a few taller large coffee tables and larger side tables.

  • 15 years ago

    Thanks, everyone, for your suggestions. You've given us a lot to mull over. Every time we see one table we like, it seems the website has two others that attract our interest as well ... We'll probably make a decision over the next week or two.

    Just a note on the cabinet, it has a mirrored back, not a glass one. So although I agree that having a green background would really show off my wife's Belleek china (white porcelain with green highlights), that wouldn't be the case if the cabinet is moved to the accent wall. I'm still considering such a move, but I wanted to point that out.

  • 15 years ago

    Actually, your picture shows that the back of the cabinet is mirrored, though it takes a bit of looking to see it.

    Surrounding it with the green will, in fact, highlight the Belleek, because your eye will connect the green surrounding the cabinet with the green design on the china. Not just that, but having it on the green wall will make it a featured collection, rather than something that people look past and walk past to enter into the seating space.