Here is our great room table. This room is used daily. Space is for DH feet and/or his laptop/kindle. I actually read the books. DGS loves the Horses & Homes the best. :) Various antlers and horns I've found on etsy and in local antique stores. The porcupine quill covered box is an antique lap desk. The long wooden piece is a cigar mold. I bought it for its texture and interesting graphics (can't see the seal very well on the right side).

Lower level den. It's actually a kitchen table I purchased 25+ years ago and had DH cut down the legs. Lots of "love" marks courtesy of our three children, now adults. Wooden plate with seed pods, snake skin covered box and a photo album I gave DH of our build when we were finished.

Old pic of our cocktail table that we no longer have:

Current:

Well, I am neither talented nor a stager (I like simple with simple sauce as my neighbor says) but I love this old table and then appreciate the chunk texture of the woven basket (woven in Italy from rubber cords, which I think is cool) - less is more in my house for sure

Another one who prefers simple and uncluttered. I am showing you this one because, well, the others are, at the moment, cluttered. ;)

Bad picture, but oh well.

Books on cities, Indian corn (through Thanksgiving), candles, vase, chess set my DH's brother brought back from Iraq.

Beautiful. I notice that the elements aren't all that high. I think that's where I'm going wrong. I always thought that you should have height but i think a more updated look is to scale it down even with the floral arrangements.

Keep em coming, please

Living room table, from Room and Board. Plus dogs. And dog fur on table top. Oops.

Family room coffee table, which is an old kitchen table that was cut down. Flea market find. Obviously I'm a fan of the Tray As Organizational Device.

My coffee table has nothing on it....it's best when you have kittens in the house. Yikes!

novacat, you mentioned something high, so I thought of my living room table. I've had these candleholders for 20+ yrs, not always on this table, but about half the time. I sit in here to read, talk on the phone, play the piano, and visit with my husband! There is no TV, so not a lot of traffic. Our dog is short, so her tail doesn't hit them, either. Like sueb20, I cut down a table about 30 yrs ago (when I was single and just starting my own little home), and I still can't part with it, even though it's pretty rough. I always have books on it, and sometimes a tray, as well.

love it. very pretty and updated. not just the coffee table but the whole room, from what i see.

Now don't be jealous, everyone, but here's mine. And yes, that is a piece of remnant insulation, a stapler, box of staples, stripped stain, scratches, bumps, and two of the legs wobble.

There is a pretty autumn themed candle votive, though!

Here's mine. First, no laughing! All of our furniture is in Virginia and I've half furnished our Florida house "on the cheap". The couch and orange chair (surprisingly comfortable!) were free from my Mom's friend who was moving. The two chairs side-by-side were $50 for the pair at the Hospice resale shop (also really comfy). The end table was $5 and the coffee table was $10, from the same place.

Usually I have the top of the coffee table w/o anything and have dressed it from the bottom. On the bottom are small photo albums that people enjoy taking out and browsing through. I got the idea from my MIL, who has a bunch in a basket and we always enjoy thumbing through them.

On the wall are pictures I took in the Amazon. I need more frames for the rest. The only things I bought, bought were the lamps.

This is the top right now. The Fall decoration was from my in-laws 60th wedding anniversary party. The book is one I wrote for my M&D, their biography.

Shell & rock I found on a trip in the Caribbean, shell on the other side we bought on our honeymoon, 31 years ago. The book ends are cast iron ships that my great uncle made.

I do plan on painting the table, moving the two chairs back to the bedroom when I get the ones that will go there permanently from Virginia; and recovering at least the chair, maybe the couch, although I'm kinda digging the stripes right now. The chairs will be recovered and possibly stained as I'm not a huge fan of the blond wood. The area above the couch is waiting for me to get off my lazy rear end and paint a picture for it.

Back to the coffee table. I do like it and the fact that you don't have to worry about drinks on the glass. But the wood separator in the middle is raised a little. So when I try to put something larger in the center, it wobbles. Our coffee table in Virginia is more traditional and I'm am 99% positive that it is now dressed with my 3 y/o GS's Bat-cave, Batmobile, and all of his superheros. LOL

LOL Tibbrix! Now that's what I call a real coffee table! Love it!

pattyâ¦love, love, LOVE that sofa! I can tell that that is a GREAT piece of furniture. Hang onto it forever. But yes, I'd get it recovered..maybe in less 1960s-colored stripes, and lose the skirt. But that is one wonderful piece of furniture.

Btw, my "real" coffee table is in front of a new Hickory Chair sofa. Now that's what I call "eclectic"! Lol. But if I could have found a sofa like yours on CL, I'd have snagged it and had it reupholstered.

We live with our daughter in the winter in central phoenix which makes for interesting decor. She is urban hipster all the way but we live with all hand me downs from many generations. The sofa is 1965, the rug 2013 and the coffee table very old Kashmir walnut. It is a very fun little house to live in and decorate.

This is my living room coffee table. The table itself is a vintage one from India. These old ones don't have glass tops like you see now in more modern ones. The santo was hand-carved here by a New Mexican artist. It's of the archangel, San Miguel. It's hard to see in this pic, but he's holding a scale in his left hand. The silver dish holding the votive candle holder was a wedding gift to my parents. The book is one of my favorites on Santa Fe art. And, the pup is our sweet Tibetan Spaniel, Chloe.
Lynn

Our big behemoth of a table...it was DH'd pride and joy before I met him. It's really grown on me over time. We corral all sorts of what-not in the big pottery dish I got at a yard sale.

Ok, not styled and looking a little "grey gardens" here are the two vintage benches I use for a coffee table. Very versatile and I love them for that alone.

I am also shopping for coffee table options in our new future retirement home so this is a very timely thread! Love seeing all the ideas.

I have cats ... any "staging" ends up on the floor as they ricochet across it.

Thanks, Tibbrix! We really lucked out. My Mom's friend had this sofa in her living room and barely used it. It is in like-brand new condition. I never thought of showing the legs when we do have it reupholstered. That's a great idea! We are going to wait until we get the rest of our furniture down to do that so we can coordinate.

I am loving not only seeing everyone's coffee tables, but hearing the stories about what is on them. Seems to me there are a lot of cherished memories sitting on top of these tables!

The living room coffee table was my grandmothers... then my mother's... and now mine after the passing of my parents. I don't know for sure, but think that my grandmother purchased the CT on a trip to China or Japan. She brought back many oriental items, and had a few things shipped, including a beautiful round brass table that my brother inherited.

I assumed she had this coffee table shipped as well. It is hard to decorate without covering the painting. I have a pair of old brass candlesticks and candles in one corner. A stack of books with a piece of pottery that I made when I was a young girl. This piece also sat in my parents house for many years.

For the Family Room, in place of a coffee table, we have an ottoman. A basket holds magazines and TV remotes.

Until recently, we used the ottoman for our feet.

I currently have three cats. They don't get on the coffee tables, but back of sofa and chairs. >:(

I love all the unique tables!

Here's mine. We typically have several large books set out but not while we're training our lab pup. I typically change it out seasonally and if we are entertaining.

bbtrix- That's a really pretty and unique coffee table. ;)

I'm not usually a fan of contemporary, but bbtrix, your table set is really incredible. Love it! What is it?

newhomebuilder - your coffee table is stunning!! Keeping it bare would enhance the beauty even more IMHO

Pardon my asking - does it have a "protective" covering or are you placing items directly on the painted wood? I ask because the painting looks delicate and could scratch.

bbtrix, I'd also love to know who makes your unique (and great) table? (As I wrote on my other thread, we're struggling with finding the right table for our very contemporary space -- we did find one over the weekend, but its glass and chrome, and I think it's too 'cold').

sjhockey, and glass is a fingerprint magnet. bbtrix's table is amazing, clever storage, great lines. That is a near perfect coffee table, IMO, esp. for contemporary styling.

Here's my ottoman. These days it just holds the remotes and a picture frame that I recovered in fabric from in the room. I have a small basket on the shelf under the ottoman that holds magazines. and puzzles and toys.
{{!gwi}}

I've enjoyed seeing everyone's photos of real life. Sometimes it seems hard to find that realistic inspiration online.

I feel bad as I do not know the brand of my set. I purchased them at Globe Furniture Galleries in Cincinatti in 2002. I found my receipt, but it does not list the brand, only a SKU. There aren't any labels or stamps on the units. I wish I could help as I've really enjoyed them over the years.