Hello AT,
We recently moved into a new apartment and have slowly been filling it in, but we're stuck when it comes to picking out a coffee table. We like modern furniture with clean lines (although we're not afraid to mix it up a little), and tend to gravitate towards wood, but we're afraid this room already has too much brown/wood in it...
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Any ideas for what might work for us? We're actually wondering if a couple smaller occasional tables would be better than a single coffee table, given the type of space we have, but we're just not sure.
Thanks for any ideas you have! Sarah
Dear Sarah,
We don't think you have too much wood. What you have is not enough color and contrast. We would go for contrasting color or material and find something that has lightness and/or curves to offset the square furniture.
Definitely go for the coffee table, however, to center and tie the room together.
A bright lacquered table in green or red would be lovely, or a glass top with a shiny metal base.
We would look at Room & Board, Jonathan Adler and Crate & Barrel. We bought a lovely parsons base at C & B which came with a bright travertine top. This is a solid piece but the contrast of stone and bright top would tie in with your pillows and side tables nicely.
You should then look to add color in your pillows, lamp or curtains to really make the room pop.
Anyone else?
I would recomend you to match new coffee table with your TV stand and the end table. White, clean, Parson's kind shape.
Am I too basic? :-)
what about something like this?
http://tinyurl.com/ph5wx
i love those parsons cube nesting tables, and the overall simple look of parsons style pieces, but i think you gotta go curvy here. i also think that the metal here is the perfect counterpoint to all that wood.
my other reccomendation, if you can afford to go there, would be the eames' round wooden coffee table. so lovely...
You already have 4 occasional tables in the room, with another one holding the TV. I don't think you really want to put another table in there.
What about a big ottoman? The room could use some fabric and upholstery to warm it up. Put a tray in the center and it's a coffee table, remove the tray and it works as flexible seating. You could find one with a storage center and it could add more storage. Cover it in a red, or a color that's picked up in the rug and add some drapery and you've created a more pulled together room.
Just a thought & good luck!
You could add some color to the room by adding drapes to the windows.
Also, if you're looking for a more modern look, I'd suggest getting rid of the rug and either leaving the floor bare or choosing something that is less 'busy.'
Wow! Your place looks so much like mine, and I have the same problem. I have a really nice persian rug that is the center piece of my living room, and I just don't want to cover it with a coffee table. Forget the table, or get an occasional table. A friend of mine has these folding tables/ serving trays that she uses as an occasional table. That may work for you.
I agree with the red round table but I thought I might be crazy until I read that Maxwell had the same idea. What are you doing back at work? But I think that red and round might not be for everyone. The brown with that rug makes my eyes need red and round but that could just be a personal tick. Or a pale algae green wood carved table with little stools underneath.
I just had another look; your space doesn't really look like mine after having a second look. You should get a coffee table, and spice-up the place. Get rid of all those chairs that don't match. The place looks really thrown together.
Although I'm going with Maxwell's first two suggestions (laquered color or glass/metal) in our hunt for a coffee table, I'm voting Ottoman With Tray for your living room. Why? A nice rectangular ottoman with rounded corners would provide lines that unite the Mission chair and the neo-classical chairs. Put a shiny tray on top -- maybe brass with an East Indian feel to pull in the rug style.
Really, if it were my living room, I'd stack some coffee-table books and put a tray on them, then spend my $500 on a real cabinet to hold the TV -- one that's about as tall as the tops of the art over the sofa. It'll do more to pull your room together than a coffee table will.
I like the clean, fresh, natural vibe you have going on here. I have some suggestions..
- a seagrass ottoman, preferably round to counteract all the squares, would add a nice touch of nature and go well with your plants. I'm envisioning one like at www.softsurroundings.com..
- a slate-top tiled table (try the Chauncey style at www.seventhavenue.com) is a nice modern yet relaxing touch- the brown, gray & green tiles are so durable and never need coasters- I have this table and I love it!
-a wheeled, glass covered double round top table such as ones you can find at west elm, or even Ikea.. they will allow the nice rug to show through while being shiny and industrial enough to balance the rest of the room.
One last comment, the two chairs on the left, can they be stored until you need them? They are really nice, but detract from what could be an open, more L-shaped plan to your living room.
Yes, Maxwell - what are you doing back? After 50 hours of labor SK shouldn't have to lift a finger for the rest of her life! ;-)
There is a bit of a cold feeling to this room and I agree that it doesn't look as pulled together as it should. I think the light-colored accents are a major part of the problem, they just don't go with the rug or the other pieces. Plus there are too many small pieces of furniture scattered around.
I would start out by covering the pillows and replacing the throws, using colors that draw out the red or blue tones in the rug (preferably the red). I would then repaint the TV stand and white accent tables, dark brown for the TV stand and lacquer red for the accent tables.
I would then try moving the cube with the winebottles and possibly one of the black and brown chairs out of the room; a taller floor lamp could go where the cube was (and you could then get rid of the lamp on the other side of the sofa, it seems too small for the space).
If you want to show more of the rug, a glass coffee table is the best choice, otherwise I agree with the other posters that an ottoman would do even more to warm up the room. And finally, drapes or a valance for the windows are also a great idea.
What about an oval Saarinen coffee table with a laminate or wood veneer top?
Maybe something like this?
http://www.eboniste.com/store/products/jacquicoffee.html
I *love* having a low coffee table-ish thing in the living room to put my feet up on :-).
To elaborate on the ottoman idea, I am visualizing a big *round* one, covered in velveteen in one of the bright colours of your rug.
To elborate on the brass tray idea, you can actually get tables that consist of a brass tray on a stand - that would be nice too and the metal would add a nice texture variation.
I think you could get away with a nice plain wood coffee table if you spiced up the rest of the room with colorful drapes and pillows. I have no issue with too much brown, it's the too much white that gets to me.
What about the scando coffee table at modernseed.com? Low, nice curve and you could get in in a lighter color?
Before choosing a coffee table I would first work on what you'll have. There's a lot of brown and then some white, but the first thing one notices is the rug, which really takes away from the rest of the room. Get rid of it or go with something simple. Drapes would help. Good expensive drapes are good way to change the focus of a room- which right now seems to be the TV. Then I would choose a coffee table. BTW, have you'll thought about perhaps rearranging the room, or even moving the TV someplace else just so that the living room becomes a place where you'll can sit and talk rather than sit and watch TV.
ROUND, MODERN & WAY AFFORDABLE
The Tomas O Brian round coffee table at Target is a steal and looks goon in person. Plus it does have the glass maintenance issue, which is a pain in the ass for a coffee table.
http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=br_1_4/602-4965002-0907027?%5Fencoding=UTF8&frombrowse=1&asin=B000A3A0NO
Then, echoing others, you can affor some yummy drapes and couple of graphic pillows.
Cheers!
Sweet. Thanks for the props Patrick (bklyn).
Scott
I too have to opt for the upholstered ottoman as a coffee table; I always opt for comfort. I envision some sort of exotic fabric from a high-end (to the trade only) source -- you won't need much of it to make a huge impact. I am not sure whether you should be matching the fabric to your rug; can't tell from the picture whether it is an investment piece or not.
My second choice of coffee tables would be a Saarinen one in the ultra white marble (definately not something you want to put your feet up on though).
To pull your space together a bit more, I have to agree with other posters that removing the side chairs is key. They make the space look and feel cold, like a hotel room (part of this is because they are not made for comfort anywhere but at the table).
Here is an option to replace the white nesting cube tables next to the chair, or the wine rack next to the sofa:
http://www.marthasturdy.com/furniture/resin_cube.html
I think the copper resin would work especially well to liven things up in your space.
Introducing such different materials -- upholstery and resin -- would liven things up and create more texture as well as colour.
Custom built or more substantial shelving where the tv is would also pull the room together (as would a flat screen). The room needs less beige and white, and more colour -- painting the walls would really pull things together.