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Be creative when looking for furniture accessories
The tree’s down, the company’s gone home, and all that remains of the holidays are a half tin of cookies. Looks like the party’s over.
On the other hand, it’s time to revitalize yourself and your living space. Time for a fresh start. To be certain, the new year offers a good excuse to take inventory of what you have and what you need to make your home function better. And maybe one thing you noticed while you were entertaining last month is that you could use a new coffee table. Or rather, a new-to-you coffee table.

Nearly 30 years ago, we found ourselves in need of something to put in front of our then-new sofa in the living room, something that would hold a small floral arrangement most of the time, but would be substantial enough to hold cheeses and dips, glasses and cups. Poking through an antique shop, we were assured that coffee tables were a relatively new item, and that we’d best just find something that would suit our purposes.

Although that information is not entirely accurate (the Victorians put little tea tables in front of their settees, for instance), we began the search. In the end, we decided on a rather low, 1920s lyre-based mahogany game table.

This worked well in our living room for a while, until our tastes as well as our needs began to change. Finding ourselves entertaining more than we once had, we needed more seating. We switched out our camelback sofa and two wing chairs for a traditional leather sofa and loveseat. While that was a good move, suddenly, the little table looked lost. With two modern pieces of furniture in the room, we kept our mahogany end tables and went on the search for a suitable replacement to serve as our coffee table. And what we realized was that there are a lot more options out there now than there were before, or, perhaps more correctly, while there are the same amount of items, current decorating styles are such that it’s OK to think outside the box on this one.

We hit pay dirt in an unlikely local consignment shop, unlikely because we’d never actually bought anything from this store before. What we ended up with was a smallish oak chest with two hand-dovetailed drawers. It’s perfect. It doesn’t wobble as did its predecessor, and it offers much-needed storage. Conveniently stashed inside its drawers are cocktail napkins and other small party supplies.

We had considered a number of options while on the hunt. A blanket chest, had we found an appropriate one, would have worked just as nicely and for the same reasons. Were I a fan of shabby chic, I would have had my pick of long and low benches, chipped paint and all. An ottoman, or, better still, two ottomans (or are they ottomen?) would have worked nicely. Similarly, two small butler’s tables placed side-by-side would be swank. For a more rustic look, we could have considered a cobbler’s bench or something like that.

Wrought iron patio furniture might yield a suitable table and would be ideal if topped with a piece of safety glass. If going the glass-topped route, a trip to a shop specializing in architectural pieces might be in order. There, you’re sure to find odd pieces of something-or-others that would work great.

I think you get the idea.

The good thing about seeking out an old piece of furniture to use as a coffee table, other than the obvious one that it’s going to look great, is that it’s the perfect way to inject a little vintage style into even the most contemporary of spaces.

Furthermore, an old piece of furniture of this nature will always have a place in your home, even when you weary of it as a coffee table.
Our little chest would be great at the foot of a bed or in an entrance hallway, for instance. But not for now. It’s found its perfect home.
1/27/2010