table this

i have to say, crate and barrel is really hitting some home runs these days. i was more engaged looking through the most recent catalog than i've been in a while with their stuff. what stood out most was some really fabulous tables.

i love the orion table (above), available in both a 48" size and a 60" size and in walnut and chocolate stains. i love the idea of a big, round dining table. there is something really unique and special about the idea of having a big family or group of friends at a round table at home...more intimate somehow -- everyone is equidistant from the center and every seat is a good seat. and there's less potential for getting stuck at a corner or an end in a verbal headlock. the real challenge though, for a round table, is that it requires a larger room with a wide enough center to accommodate enough space around the table.

also in the round table category, i love the tambe coffee table...it's nice and solid looking, and the cutouts on the sides are a great way to store coffee table books and other objects neatly. there's something very soothing about this table to me - gorgeous wood grain, really solid looking construction - a really great design. it also comes in espresso stain, and in a side table style, but to me, the side table is much more mass-produced and less special looking.


if i were to put the tambe coffee table in a room, i'd pair it with side tables that were sufficiently different from it to make sure it didn't look like a whole room purchased in one swoop. i really don't like that look, and often am concerned about that with home shopping at chain stores, as i wrote about a few weeks ago.

i really like these tables too:

the ridge nesting tables (available in natural and dark stains; available to be purchased individually as well):

the driftwood end table (each is unique):
the braiden table, available in coffee and side table sizes:

i appreciate that these tables can be used in homes with a variety of styles and look right in very high-end, luxe looking homes as well as in more casual, modest settings. the caveat being, in my opinion, not to use them in any way that appears matchy-matchy with each other. i love that most of the pieces come in more than one stain, and i would love to see a space where some of these items were used together in different stains. though i haven't always been comfortable with that kind of mixing, my eyes were opened on a weekend trip last fall that i won't soon forget.

all photos from www.crateandbarrel.com