On Sunday after lunch with Jeff’s family, we stopped by Big Lots and found a super-awesome coffee table.
I was really, really, really stinkin’ excited about it – even though it was new it *looked* old, it’s a little bit unusualish, (new word. My blog, I can do that.), and it was DEEPLY discounted.
So we bought it and borrowed Jeff’s parents’ SUV and brought the sucker home.
And once it was in our living room, we realized just how *big* it was.
To give you an idea of the scale of our living room, here’s one from a year ago when we first moved in:
Now, the couch is against that wall where the (ugly-ass) taupe chair is. In the pictures below the chair is out of sight at the lower left, and the bookcases and stuff are behind me.
(Now, in the pictures below you can still see my ‘lowboy’ chest of drawers which was our old makeshift coffee table, off to the side. It’s already been moved, so it’s not like you just have a narrow pathway through the living room. Now the whole area from coffee table to the wall is clear)
In some of these pictures it doesn’t really look all that big, but I promise you it is.
This is how it FEELS:
(feels like it takes up the whole living room)
So now the decision – the part where you come in – should we keep it or not?
Pros:
1)The size is actually great for board games, Jeff’s laptop and law books, or (in the future) for Hooplings to play at. It’s easily big enough to hold a spread of appetizers, should we ever start entertaining.
2)I like the styling a bunch – it looks old and antique, and if I were going for a *real* antique table it certainly wouldn’t be as sound and sturdy.
3)The drawers are handy, and the shelf underneath is great for holding blankets or floor cushions.
4)To return it we’d have to borrow Jeff’s parents’ SUV again.
Cons:
1)The SIZE. When we move in a few years, our living room might well be a lot smaller than the one we have now. Then what would we do? Our living room now is pretty big, and even it feels like the coffee table is taking over.
2)The grooves in the top aren’t exactly conducive to writing (yeah I know that’s minor)
3)The style isn’t really similar to any of our other furniture – we’re going for an arts-and-crafts vibe with a hint of rural English influence. This isn’t really that.
4)I’d really hoped for one with glass set into the top and drawers underneath (similar to an Ikea one I’d seen years ago).
So what do y’all think? Should we keep it? Or should we return it and keep searching?
My idea is to go out on Saturday and check my usual antique stores. If I see anything at any of them that I like, we could (hopefully) borrow the SUV, return this table and go pick up the new one. IF I see anything else I like. Thoughts?
Please help me! Y’all know I’m completely incapable of making a decision on my own…
“Heartland Lace Shawl” by Evelyn A. Clark (photo credit SheepGeek). I’m a bit shy on yardage but this looks like one where I can lose a repeat or two to no ill effect.
“Gail” by Jane Araujo (photo credit MaweLucky)
“Springtime Bandit” by Kate Gagnon (photo credit ZeitgeistYarns)
“Onerva“, by Särmä (Photo credit Saermae). My only hesitation here is that I’ll have to (with help from others who’ve made it) translate the pattern from Finnish, and that doesn’t sound like a recipe for quick success.
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