End tables: endless opportunities End tables: endless opportunities (August 20, 2004)

Who says everything needs to match?

By Kit Davey

We put our coffee cups on them, heap them with magazines but we basically ignore the decorative possibilities 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:

* suitcases you can arrange in a graduated stack

* a pile of brightly colored hat boxes

* a pyramid of large coffee table books

* a tree stump

* a pedestal (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

* a tea cart, drum, barrel or Japanese tansu

* a stool you hand paint to match the room's colors

* a Chinese porcelain garden stool

* a bookshelf or three-drawer dresser

* a circular plywood table skirted with a quilt, or a swath of fabric that matches the room's decor

* a large terra cotta pot filled with sand and covered with a circular piece of glass. Arrange shells, pebbles or other found objects in the sand.

* a brightly colored, cylindrical plastic bucket or trash can fitted with a glass top.

Coffee tables

If you need a coffee table, you can double 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.

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.

1) Make sure that the table can be used: Leave space for a coffee cup or other often-used items.

2) Do not display anything so large it will block conversation.

3) Show items that relate to the room's theme and color scheme, and have meaning to you.

4) Vary the height of the objects and use odd-numbered groupings (accessories tend to look more interesting this way).

5) Hide necessary but unattractive items in attractive containers.

6) Avoid over-accessorizing (clutter!). It's OK 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 mahjong 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.

Save money and have fun finding the perfect "alternative" end table in your garage or closets. Then, rediscover the beauty of hidden treasures found in your drawers and cabinets. Allow the lowly end table to become an integral and creative ingredient in your home's decor.

Kit Davey, Allied Member, ASID, is a Redwood City-based interior designer who specializes in redecorating using only what you already own. You can call her at 367-7370, e-mail her at KitDavey@aol.com, or visit her Web site at AFreshLook.net.

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