A Fresh Look, One Day Decorating Service, Kit Davey, Interior Designer

Kit Davey, Interior Designer

18 Years in business - Over 2,600 homes transformed!

Tips From Kit - September 2001

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Endless Opportunities with End Tables

By Kit Davey

We put our coffee cups on them, heap them with magazines but we basically ignore the decorative possiblities of the lowly end table. If you need an end table, you can inexpensively design one that will enhance your decor if you're willing to scrounge and use your creativity.

It's often good decorating sense to purchase matching end tables and a coffee table to give a traditional and balanced look, especially if the other furnishings in the room are complex and eclectic. End tables and coffee tables made of the same material and in the same style are more restful to the eye. Unfortunately, this can be an expensive (and sometimes boring) design solution.

Ideas for "Alternative" End Tables

If you're on a budget and want to add interest to the room, try using an "alternative" end table. Look through your closets, the garage or your garden for:

graduating stacks of old-fashioned suit cases
stacks of brightly colored hat boxes
stacks of large coffee table books
tree stumps
pedestals (normally used to display a piece of art)
a box made of plywood and either painted, covered with wallpaper or covered in a fabric present in the room
tea carts, drums, barrels or Japanese tansus
hand painted or off-the-shelf stools (available at Target and L.L. Bean)
Chinese porcelain garden stools
bookshelves or three-drawer dressers
circular plywood tables (available at Stroud's and Target) skirted with a quilt, or a swath of fabric which matches the room's decor
large terra cotta pots filled with sand and covered with a circular piece of glass. Arrange shells, pebbles or other found objects in the sand.
stacks of glass blocks
brightly covered plastic buckets or trash cans fitted with a glass top.

Coffee Tables

If you need a coffee table, you can double up (or triple up) some of the items listed above and cover them with a rectangular or circular piece of glass. Pier One carries pre-cut glass table tops in a variety of sizes. Other possibilities for coffee tables include

an antique or wicker chest
a low backless bench
two saw horses with lowered legs with several planks of wood resting across them
an old dining room table with the legs shortened
a door fitted with legs.

Sources for Traditional End Tables

If you're not comfortable with the eclectic look or are prepared to spring for new tables, try Cost Plus, Pier One or Target for immediate pick-up and reasonable prices

Alternatively, request a catalog from Home Decorator's Collection
(1-800-245-2217) or L.L. Bean (1-800-221-4221).

Display Suggestions

Once you've scrounged up, bought or built your end table, it's time to display some interesting items. Here are several guidelines for placing items on your end table or coffee table.

Make sure that the table can be used—leave space for a coffee cup or other often-used items.
Do not display anything so large it will block conversation.
Show items which relate to the room's theme and color scheme, and which have meaning to you.
Vary the height of the objects and use odd-numbered groupings (accessories tend to look more interesting this way).
Hide necessary but unattractive items in attractive containers.
Avoid over-accessorizing (read: clutter). It's O.K. to have an empty coffee or end table!

Typical items found on end tables are lamps, vases, books, small boxes, live plants, paperweights, baskets, framed family photos, bowls, candlesticks, pictures or plates on stands.

Other possibilities include:

tabletop water fountains
unusual sculpture pieces
antique majong or domino games with the pieces cascading out of the box
antique shoes, banks, toys, opera glasses or fans
bowls filled with beach pebbles, shells, buttons, crystal bottle
stops, bells, marbles, or other collections.

Kit Davey is a Redwood City-based interior designer specializing in redecorating using what you already have. You can reach her by calling (650)367-7370 or by writing her at KitDavey@aol.com. Visit her website at www.AFreshLook.net.