7 minute read
TABLES WITH PURPOSE
It can be a daunting task choosing between a coffee table and an end table or sofa table. The choice can be especially difficult if you do not have a clear idea about them, how you want them to function, the size needed, and where they will be placed. Advice from the professionals when it comes to options and arrangement is helpful before selecting tables for home or office spaces.
Salesperson Megan Pettow at Karvonen’s and Lakes Home Outlet, said that during the pandemic stay-at-home period, many people were choosing functionality and extra features as their priorities. These included flip-up tops, lift-up hinged side tables, and tables for narrow spaces that allowed them to work or have their children do schoolwork in living areas of the home.
Many differences between coffee tables and end tables can now also be observed in terms of their purpose, too. For instance, coffee tables can be considered a multi-purpose piece of furniture. The table may not just enhance the look of your living room but also have important utility purposes.
Coffee tables can help keep your smaller items organized in a space and serve as a table for cups and glasses, remote controls, magazines, and books; they can even include storage hidden underneath their top for blankets and pillows. Additionally, some have the capacity to provide extra seating, with small stools tucked underneath as part of the design or these can be sectioned off as ‘pie piece seats’ as needed for increased seating capacity.
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Many differences between coffee tables and end tables can now also be observed in terms of their purpose, too. The table may not just enhance the look of your living room but also have important utility purposes.
“We are seeing a cool new trend in these high-functioning useful tables in what’s called the sofa server, a versatile C-shaped table that can be used at the sofa, a bed, or chair. It’s shaped like a “C” and can slide under the bottom of a couch or chair,” says Mary Widiger, Sales & Marketing Specialist with Fergus Home & Hardware, Fergus Falls, MN. “They are made from a variety of materials, including wood, metal or tile, or a combination of all three.” Fergus Home & Hardware recently started carrying a Minnesota-made sofa server made in Browerville.
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Mary Widiger Fergus Home & Hardware Coffee tables can also be design showstoppers, more like a piece of art, and display grand décor such as a large centerpiece, vase, or statue. Or, they can be a conversation piece in your living space. Coffee tables in general will have a much more eye-catching and glamorous design than an end table and are often placed in the middle of the room to demand attention and serve as a key focal point.
Those grand coffee as well as side tables may earn their uniqueness from a custom-build by a skilled furniture craftsman. Incorporating unconventional materials and patterns to meet your requirements for size, shape, and design can transform a space into something special that you won’t see in your neighbor’s house and can be tailored to specific tastes that reflect your personality and individual style.
Since 2016, Brian Christensen’s BC Woodshop, a oneman custom furniture shop based out of West Central Minnesota (Fergus Falls) has taken pride in making custom-built products that will last for generations. Christensen crafts each piece in his own shop and collaborates with the customer to bring their vision to
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in Fergus Falls, MN reality, the very heart of what it means to have a custom piece as part of your home design. “Typically, they come to me for a custom design because they can’t find a specific size, or they want the piece of furniture to tell a story,” he says. “I try to work with locally-sourced wood, which is fun to do since the trends are continuing to be the live-edged furniture with metal bases, such as the hair-pin legs and trapezoid bases.”
In sharp contrast, an end table is basically a smaller version of a sofa table. Its basic function is to fill up empty spaces in the living room next to a chair or behind a sofa. The tabletop of an end or sofa table is mainly used to keep a lamp, knick-knack, or a few books. They mainly serve an aesthetic purpose while providing some function. too. According to Widiger at Fergus Home & Hardware, the end tables trending today are function and fashion; they include USB ports, outlets, writing pads, and even waterproof cup holders tucked underneath as a pull-out when needed. “These fun conveniences provide the homeowner with a useful and beautiful side table,” she explains.
Coffee tables and end tables are distinctively different in their shapes and sizes, too. Often taken into consideration is the shape; this is essential to save space, create a better visual appeal, and maximize flow in the room. Pettow says she has seen a cleaner round-edged coffee table trending as of late; this style has no drawers or shelves underneath, but features clean legs of either wood or wrought iron and round tops. Round coffee tables are especially great to use with your sofa or an L-shape sectional. If you have ample square or rectangle shapes in your design, adding round elements will create interest and balance in your living room.
Lake living has continued to push the natural wood look on coffee and side tables, including ‘live’ edges, mixed metals, and wood of all colors and grains. In addition, Widiger says, “We continue to see many of the whites, teals, blue, and gray in painted furniture, as well as the mixing and matching of metals, wood, glass, and ceramic. Several geometric patterns seem to be making their way into design, and mid-century modern is popular, too.”
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“We take into consideration how the tables complement the space so they are not overbearing and the addition of tables leaves the space functional.” Heather Rodin Allure
Size matters as well. The traditional coffee tables usually vary between 1618” in height, offering a height that is complimentary to your sofa seating, whereas an end table is usually between 20-30”, helping to elevate a lamp and a provide a resting spot for beverage and other handy items. Despite the varied height sizes, the coffee table will assume more footprint in your living area than a side table.
Before you invest a good amount of money on tables for your living space, consider taking a moment and think about what you need them for and how they will function in your life. Heather Rodin, Store Manager at Allure Designer-Inspired Furniture & Lighting in Detroit Lakes, says, “How the customer lives in the space is what determines the functionality they might need. We take into consideration how the tables compliment the space so they are not overbearing and the addition of tables leaves the space functional.”
Local furniture stores and design studios work to showcase the entire living room set or look of the room that includes the sofa, chairs, end table, coffee table, and any additional pieces so they can envision how everything will work together. Then, the homeowner can discuss the possible option to change patterns and colors, materials, and even sizes through customs orders or ordering online.
According to the experts, beautifully veined marble tabletops and unique architectural designs to compliment the style of your home, along with monobloc fabricated tables that are molded into a desired shape in a single production step and often in bold bright colors, will be trending in 2023. Use your coffee tables and end tables as an exciting opportunity to embrace unique and modern design into your home in a functional way. L&H
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