A guide to buying coffee and side tables - by Dave Nemeth

These items are often last on the list when furnishing a home, yet comprise two of the most functional and useful elements within a living area. So often people use upholstered ottomans as coffee and side tables until the glass of red wine or the mug of coffee falls over, generally destroying an item of furniture intended for sitting or resting your feet on.


When people start looking for coffee and side tables, the first surprise is generally the slight cost difference between the two. The expectation is that the side table will be half the cost of the coffee table, which generally isn't the case, as there is mostly two thirds of the material used in the smaller item. The amount of labour is similar to both and both are relatively expensive to transport, due to their overall volume.


Here are some things to bear in mind when selecting this functional piece of furniture. Square / rectangular and round offer the most flexibility, whilst oval tables tend to be space specific and tend to date quite quickly. Coffee tables that offer storage are always a practical bet and even side tables with a shelf or drawer allow for the storing of those cumbersome remotes. Instead on one large rectangular coffee table look at the option of two smaller square ones that can be pushed together, yet also offer more flexibility when there are more guests. Stackable side tables offer a similar solution; these are regularly updated with new on trend designs.


When it comes to the materials and finishes of these items, it is highly recommended that you stay clear from the cheap Chinese imports. These will start peeling the moment they are subjected to a spill, or discolour when exposed to sunlight. The better option is to spend more and to go for solid timber. Chrome and glass, which has been popular for years is in decline as the trends in metal are moving towards brass and copper. Glass tops still work with these two finishes, but stone or marble are a better accompaniment and offer a greater tactile experience. Another material making its mark is lightweight concrete which is used either on its own or beautifully combined with wood.

With such a variety available, the only certainty is that the decision won't be an easy one.




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Designer spotlight - Jean-Paul Gaultier

Image
Jean-Paul Gaultier Jean-Paul Gaultier is a French fashion designer born on April 24, 1952 in Arcueil, Val-de-Marne, France. At age 18, he joined the house of Pierre Cardin before moving on to Jacques Esterel and Patou. The debut of Gaultier’s own collection was in 1976, but he did not officially launch his own design house until 1982. His style is known to challenge standard views of fashion. He collaborated with Madonna in 1990 to create her infamous conical bras. In 2003, he became head designer at Hermes where he worked until 2011. Diet Coke appointed Gaultier as its new creative director in 2012.   Early Years The only child of a bookkeeper and a cashier, Jean Paul Gaultier developed a taste for fashion at a young age. He spent much of his childhood with his maternal grandmother, and found inspiration in her closet - her corsets in particular fascinated him. He even once made a bra for a stuffed bear - a childhood artifact that was featured later in an exhibition of his w...
Read more

Design with a sense of Humour - by Dave Nemeth

Image
As we look forward to future trends, we start to see a very interesting development starting to take place, a development so quirky and fun it is bound to bring a smile to anyone’s face. It is as if we have come to realise that we are sick and tired of all the doom and gloom of the recession and it is time to have fun and stop taking ourselves so seriously. As consumers, we want to smile and embrace all things positive and without a doubt, we want to smile in our homes when we do have those rare moments of free time. Worldwide, this new approach to design sees an exploration of fantasy, fairy tale and the imaginary, sometimes even bordering on kitsch; these designs uplift the spirits and make great points of interest in even the most conservative of homes. On the lighting front, this is especially obvious as we see a move on from just pure scale like we saw a few years ago with oversized angelpoise lamps, which were remodelled into standing lamps, giving one the feeling of...
Read more

Chair Trends by Dave Nemeth

Image
One of the oldest pieces of furniture is the chair, this functional piece has its origins dating  back to the Stone Age, where Archaeological evidence of sculptural relics at Neolithic building sites suggest chair and bench-like areas. Ancient Egypt has some of the earliest surviving physical examples of the Western world’s use of chairs. Egyptian tombs that have been unearthed contain chairs and stools from as far back as the Egyptian Old Kingdom, about 2680 B.C., well preserved by Egypt’s dry air. Regardless of how far back the design of the chair dates it is the continual evolution and constant reinvention of this exceptionally functional piece of furniture, which continues to intrigue. From British Louis chairs to American Chippendale chairs, almost every notable and world famous designer and architect has at some stage designed a chair, this includes the likes of Macintosh, Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier all the way through to Philippe Stark and Karim Rashid. Ma...
Read more