Showing posts with label glass coffee table. Show all posts
Showing posts with label glass coffee table. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Splurge or Save: Glass Coffee Tables

It's time for another installment of one of my favorite games... splurge or save. This week, we're talking coffee tables.  What is it about this week??  The theme here seems to be "living room inspiration"... I just can't get enough!  Well I'm going with it, to let's talk about glass topped coffee tables, shall we?

I love a good glass top coffee table - super elegant, and simultaneously modern and traditional.  Clean lines, but a bit feminine at the same time...

Can you guess which is the splurge and which is the save??


I think these are perfect if you have an amazing rug you don't want to hide, or a smaller space that you want to visually open up... since you can see straight through them, they sort of fade away and let other elements in your living space shine...

They are also really easy to clean which is a bonus (Windex and a paper towel), but not ideal for a house of kids (cracked head anyone?) or for a pack rat.  You've got to be able to keep it clean and orderly for it to work in your space so if you're looking to store 3 years of Pottery Barn catalogs on the lower shelf, go for something with concealed storage.

Are you ready for the reveal?



Admittedly, if you are looking to really save, a glass topped coffee table isn't going to be the least expensive option out there, but cut glass never is... if you're willing to put a little elbow grease into a DIY project though, there is an amazing tutorial by Kristen of The Hunted Interior.

She recreated a VERY similar coffee table, using gold leaf, and an Ikea coffee table. Who doesn't love a good Ikea hack too?!


Gorgeous, right??

Happy Wednesday my friends!
xo

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Gold and Glass

As we work on our home, and make changes to existing furniture, I've learned a lot about what I thought I liked, what I actually like, and what I really REALLLLY want.

I've mentioned before that the coffee table and side tables in our living room were a Craigslist purchase. A few years ago, I bought them from some guy selling the set at wholesale prices out of a storage unit somewhere in the East Bay.  It sounds more shady than it was - I brought a friend, and he had his 7 year old daughter with him, so it all felt fine.  No creepy killer lurking in the shadowy storage facility.  

Anyway, I'm not entirely sure how he was able to sell brand new furniture at wholesale costs, but at 24 years old, I was stoked to get a coffee table and two side tables for ~$100.


Here they are in all their glory... a little matching trio.

Don't get me wrong, they've definitely served their purpose, and I don't hate them, but I'm completely over the matching look, and all the dark wood (well, faux wood) is a little overwhelming.  I don't have immediate plans to get rid of them, but I've definitely started thinking about what I want to eventually replace them with.

What I'm really loving right now, is the look of clear glass, clean lines, and a gold metal frame.  Visually, the clear glass doesn't take up a lot of space, and I am into gold in a big way!

This gold end table is perhaps one of my favorites - not only does it have a little shelf underneath to hold a few things, but detail around the shelf is amazing, yet still really clean and simple.

I am also loving this side table - against the landscape wallpaper (which is fabulous in it's own right) the metal-work on the side is detailed without being overbearing.

What I love most about these two side by side glass tables is that they are simply styled, and allow you to see the great graphic rug underneath!  A big complaint I have about our coffee table now, is that it hides a big part of our rug... which I love!

Moving onto gold and glass etageres... this is an Ikea hack! I couldn't believe it myself, but this shelf was less than $100, and all it took was a little gold spray paint to look like a million bucks.

This one is NOT an Ikea hack, but a pretty good inspiration for one, eh?  I love the symmetry, muted colors in the styling, and how the gold really pops against the concrete wall.

Everything about this photo is love - the Thibaut Thibaut Tanzania Wallpaper is TO DIE FOR, and while this gold and glass etagere will set you back about $4K, it's so pretty to look at.  Isn't the greek key scrollwork amazing?  I think there is something about a bit of gold and a bit of animal print that says fabulous all the way!!

What a surprise, more animal print and gold... love this coffee table - especially with the orange Hermes tray, and orchid.  Not exactly functional, but oh so pretty...

Small space living all the way - love that this living space also serves as the dining room (and office).  This really just brings home my point about having a glass top table to maximize space visually.  And those striped curtains?  LOVE!