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Coffee table: Yay or Nay?

11 years ago

I recently bought a rug from CL for my living room. The house is reminiscent of an arts and craft style,but I am not a fan of Stickley Furniture. I've included a link with a picture of the rug in my living room.

Anyway, I've been searching for a coffee table to compliment the room. Try to ignore the couch in the link.; it is a place holder until Iget a nicer one. (I inherited it from my ex).

The table pictured needs to be refinished. It is heavy and large. It is also only $50. I like how it is substantial. I also like the fact that it doesn't hide the rug.

Thoughts?

Thanks,

Jo

Here is a link that might be useful: oriental rug

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Comments (10)

My3dogs ME zone 5A
11 years ago
I really like it but it looks so tall! Do you have the dimensions?
jojoco
Original Author
11 years ago
It's 23" tall. Suddenly that sounds very tall. :(

This post was edited by jojoco on Thu, Apr 18, 13 at 13:01
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I think it's lovely and would be a wonderful addition to your room. It appears the proportions are nice for the layout you have. Without a coffee table it's a bit bare in the middle and off balance. I think some people get a bit hung up on what's "real" and what's not. No I wouldn't pay ten grand for it...but for a reasonable price a modified piece is just fine. Only a snob is going to walk into your room and raise their nose at your table because it's cut down. I advise you not to invite antique snobs to have coffee in your gorgeous room :) Reusing furniture is a very old tradition, very very very old. Cutting down kitchen tables is also incredibly common ever since "coffee" tables came into fashion. Cutting down library tables is also another common cut down you see quite often. They still have value. Personally I think if it's in nice condition, 70 is cheap. I love the patina on it. I once had a fabulous antique tool chest (wood, milk paint etc) that I used as a coffee table. One of the things I loved best was that given it's already roughened patina, you didn't have to baby it at all :) That table would also be a fabulous children's table. I'd pick it up in a heart beat (and secretly...I'm a bit of an antique snob too heh heh but I also know cut down tables are not a cardinal sin to own) :oP
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I would, myself, but you have to weigh all the factors mentioned above. I had a flat weave rug in the kitchen (covering most of the wood floor) for the years that my DD had a large dog here, to protect the floor. So, it was in major traffic lanes, including from the back door to the rest of the house as well as in front of the sink, fridge, and prep area. I am sure that despite frequent vacuuming, it collected much more dirt, pet fur, and splatters than your proposed rug would! I am not sure what materiel it was made of (it was a pass-along to me) but it felt like wool. I took it outdoors spring, midsummer, and fall, draped it across a couple of patio chairs, lathered it up with carpet cleaning solution, rinsed it with the power nozzle on the hose (took perhaps 15 minutes altogether), and let it dry which generally only took one afternoon in bright sunshine. It held up to this very well. I didn't find this terribly time consuming or onerous, but I can see that others might. Some of the indoor-outdoor rugs are made of material that will dry even more quickly.
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My3dogs ME zone 5A
11 years ago
Not TOO bad, according to this from the Style at Home link that I will put below. But how wide and deep is it, and do you have enough space? I'm guessing it's approx 4 feet long, and it's height will make it 'seem' bigger, even though it's glass. How large is your room; how long is your sofa...Maybe do a mock-up of the size with newspaper, and then gauge the height.

"Size matters -
The standard height for coffee tables is from 16 to 18 inches, but may go as high as 21 inches. A higher table is a smart choice if you entertain frequently so that guests don't have to bend too much to set down their drinks. But, ultimately, the height of the adjacent upholstered pieces should determine the height of the table. One guideline is that a coffee table should be about the same height or one or two inches lower than the seat height of the sofa. The length of a coffee table should be about two-thirds the length of the sofa (not including arms). The width should be determined by how much room you have between the soft upholstered pieces and the table in your seating arrangement Ã¯Â¿Â½" leave at least 16 inches around each side of the table."

Here is a link that might be useful: Coffee tables
My3dogs ME zone 5A
11 years ago
Just found this image which shows a coffee table possibly the size of the CL one in a large room. Check it out! I'd go to the link in the image, too, to see what she has to say.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cote De Texas - Coffee tables 101
lolauren
11 years ago
I think it's interesting and would be nice in your space, but it's too tall. Visually, to me, it would be strange for a coffee table to be much taller than the seat portion of the sofa. I wonder what the purpose of that table was supposed to be...

Here is a blog post with tall coffee tables:

Here is a link that might be useful: http://iometro.blogspot.com/2012/09/tall-tales.html

This post was edited by lolauren on Thu, Apr 18, 13 at 13:41
jojoco
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks for the helpful links and advice. Going to keep looking

Jo
jojoco
Original Author
11 years ago
Found a coffee table on cl that looked promising. I figured for $60, I could take a chance. The couch is not going to stay forever. It is a place holder for now.

Jo
My3dogs ME zone 5A
11 years ago
Very nice! I rotated your picture so we could see it better. It looks like a great bargain for $60.
Vertise
11 years ago
I like that one much better! Looks good. Your new rug is beautiful. What a find!
always1stepbehind
11 years ago
Looks great. You may find later it's one of your favorite peices. Great price too!!!

Love your space. You have alot of elements in your room that I like too.

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