The Beach House Coffee Table

Seahorse Coffee Table

 

Isn't this fun? A seahorse coffee table - this would be perfect for a beach house. Although they call it an outdoor coffee table, it has to be protected from direct sun and rain - so by outdoor they mean a porch or lanai or loggia. It is so whimsical and fantastical, I would be tempted if I did not already have a similar one in my study.

Rattan High/Low

Amanda Lindroth $799

Rattan has become very HOT, but so too have the prices with the designer collections of it. Although the lines of these coffee tables are not identical, they are quite similar, and this Urban Outfitters piece is great for the money. And I am not completely sure I like the inset glass on the Amanda Lindroth one. Both tables are 44 inches wide. $799 versus $179.

As far as quality, I have ordered from both Amanda Lindroth and from Urban Outfitters and trust me, the quality it not better IMHO with Lindroth's collection. I purchased two of her Island Trays, one in blue, one in orange, and they are just o.k. and were very expensive. I think her things are very high on style and very average in quality. Not bad, but not equal to the price tag at all.

Urban Outfitters has always had excellent home decor, and they are loaded with great rattan items right now. A follower emailed me that she has purchased several rattan pieces from UO recently and thought the quality was great, and the reviews on this coffee table are excellent. I am going to have a sofa and coffee table and television in my master bedroom and this coffee table would be a great look. I may never leave the bedroom.

Urban Outfitters $179.00

And if you like those cute little wicker chandelier shades at Amanda Lindroth for $79 each -

Amanda Lindroth $79.00

This one from Ballard Designs is $26.00. It comes in four different styles and gets great reviews.

Ballard Designs $26.00

Please tune in tomorrow for my review of my Samplize paint samples and my color selections.

Styling the Coffee Table - Florida Edition

My Coffee Table

I have enjoyed styling my coffee table in the new house. The pink marble slab was brought back from Italy by my late husband's parents decades ago and I have always loved it. The pair of gilded pagoda lanterns are from Charlotte Moss' Manhattan store that unfortunately did not stay open for long - it was wonderful. I found the brass monkey at HomeGoods shortly before moving to Florida. The pink coral is a new (yesterday) HomeGoods find. My HomeGoods store here in Sarasota is fabulous - filled with blue and white Chinese porcelain, Greek key, Kate Spade, and great art believe it or not.

I have now finished the entire first floor of the house and starting upstairs. This house is unusual for South Florida in that it has a second floor. It has two staircases that lead upstairs to two guest bedrooms, a full bath, a huge bonus room, and a large balcony.

The Chinoiserie Coffee Table

Brooke Chamblee Interiors

A vintage bamboo coffee table and a blue and white Chinese box add Chinoiserie style to this traditional living room.

The Chinoiserie Beach House

Alessandra Branca - Architectural Digest

This Bahamian beach house living room includes a stunning red Chinese Chippendale bannister and a Chinese coffee table.

The Chinoiserie Living Room

Ashley Whittaker

A lovely living room with Chinoiserie elements including a rattan chair, a blue and white Chinese lamp, and a Chinese style coffee table.

Singerie

The Pink Clutch

I am a devotee of monkeys/singerie and just scored a much larger pair just like this blue and white monkey at Goodwill for $11.00. They are sitting under my coffee table right now and they look like they are holding it up. Below is another example - love him with the orange foo dogs.

The Chinoiserie Collective

Greek Key

The Every Girl

The coffee table is an Ikea Vittsjo hack. I have done a fabulous desk and etagere like this using Liquid Gold Leaf.

Training Your Eye and ORC News

A while back I found this darling little pink glass Asian lady figurine at one of my consignment stores for $7.00. Pink and Chinoiserie - a no-brainer for me. She has been sitting on my coffee table ever since. Yesterday I was looking at the Gump's website and saw these Asian sister figurines below. Not identical, but very close and $158.00 for the standing red one and $170.00 for the standing golden one. I like mine the best.

Thrift stores, consignment stores, yard sales, and the like are great ways to train your design eye. Generally things are not marked or labeled so you are relying completely on your own aesthetic and not a designer label. If you have a good eye and trust your instincts, you can find lots of treasures, big and small, for very little money.

A big thanks to Ashlina at The Decorista for featuring my One Room Challenge laundry room in "10 things that rocked my world this week...orc edition." I know how hard we all worked on our rooms and appreciate very much the shout outs.

The Pink Pagoda has come out with a green version of those fabulous botanical prints she made for Linda for the One Room Challenge. Wait until you see the inspiration board I have in mind for these!

Gump's Red Murano Asian Sisters

Gump's Golden Murano Asian Sisters

Set of Four Green and White Graphic Botanical Prints

Seeing Double

Have you thought of using a pair of side/end tables, stools, or even Chinese garden stools as a coffee table? You will end up with a look that is unique, versatile, and budget friendly. In the photo below, two white Ikea Lack side tables are used at a cost of $16.00. Lack tables come in lots of colors and can be made very Chinoiserie with O'verlays as shown below. Beautiful vintage end table pairs abound and can often be purchased very cheap at auction, on Craigslist, and the like. A great idea for the Chinoiserie living room or family room.

Ikea Lack side tables

Lack table with O'verlays

Lack table with O'verlays

Styling the Chinoiserie Coffee Table

In my travels on Saturday, I ran into my favorite thrift store in McLean and found this darling pink crystal Chinoiserie lady who is perfect on my coffee table. I think a great tip in styling your own cocktail/coffee table is to pick a color scheme - mine is pink and black. Do you say cocktail table or coffee table? I wonder if this is a regional difference? I have a Pinterest board devoted to well styled coffee tables here.

Styling

Probably the most common request I receive from interior design clients is styling bookcases and coffee tables. Accordingly, I am always on the lookout for chic, unique, and whimsical pieces. I happened upon this darling black and gold Kate Spade lion in HomeGoods over the weekend and he is very happy on my own coffee table. Also in the KS collection are a giraffe, a zebra, and an elephant. I like them all! You can find them on the Kate Spade website and discounted on various online stores like here.

I have Pinterest boards on -
*Styling your bookcase
*Styling your coffee table
*Elephants
*Zebras
for even more ideas.

Fretwork Cocktail Table High/Low

Michael S. Smith Peking Cocktail Table for Baker $2,720

LIV Vintage Fretwork Cocktail Table $225 - there are also matching end tables

Red Chinoiserie Coffee Table at LIV Vintage

Fantastic Chinese red vintage octagonal fretwork coffee table at LIV Vintage for $275. I adore red Chinoiserie coffee tables.