Design Happens

When my hubby and I moved into our new house in the KUN-treh (Southern for “country”), I was so excited to be in a bigger place that I didn’t care how small and oddly laid-out our living room was. But as I rearranged the room’s furniture in my head for the thousandth time this weekend, I realized it had gone from unnoticed to annoying.

Here’s a pic I took from the stairs on moving day, after we got the rug down:

The back wall offers the only place for the couch, leaving room next to the wood stove for a chair and small table. An apartment-sized, L-shaped couch would be perfect, but I’m a commitment-phobe when it comes to buying large pieces of furniture. I need time to plan and to save money for the perfect, possibly custom, piece. So all I have right now is our saggy, worn couch, a hand-me-down wing chair and a small Victorian rocker my mother-in-law picked up at an estate sale, which looks like it belongs in Wednesday Addams’ bedroom.

Our TV still rests on the coffee table, a piece I really miss, as evidenced by the magazines on the floor and the coffee mugs on the end tables. It’ll be awhile before we mount the TV on the wall, plus buying a new coffee table might cure my lust for new furniture long enough to let me choose a couch I love. Whatever I buy, it’s got to be affordable, durable, double as seating and, if possible, provide storage. Oh, and it has to have a fresh take on classic style. With that in mind, I tracked down five possibilities.

Wicker so often says “cheap Panama City condo” to me, so this hourglass ottoman from Crate & Barrel caught my eye. At 19″ it’s small enough that I could use a pair side-by-side, an arrangement that could double as extra seating. ($129 each)

I’ve always had a fondness for the parsons style of IKEA’s LACK. I found this one at Curbly, dressed up with a Grippiks ‘Assembly’ pattern transfer. How cute is that? (Table $19.99-$39.99; transfer varies)

Jenny at Little Green Notebook turned a $25 Craigslist find into an upholstered ottoman. Makes me want to put my feet up! Bonus: She gives the step-by-step.

My mom used her dad’s military steamer trunk as a coffee table when I was a kid, so this Weston Trunk from Pottery Barn brings back fond memories. Of course, she painted hers that bad ’70s orange. Still, it’s a classic! (Boo! Looks like they sold out of them. They still have the Emmett Trunk, though at $599, it’s a bit out of my price range.)

West Elm’s Simple Wood Stand + Tray is portable, functional and how much do you love that pop of yellow? Talk about a room brightener! (Stand $89, Tray $59)

I’d love to get your opinion or suggestions. And if you have pics of your coffee table, upload them at Rate My Space and then share the URL in the comments.