Tuesday, October 20, 2015

The Struggle is Real: Styling Side Tables.

One thing that I realized while sharing my Home Tour
was the struggle I have with styling side tables.

I am not sure why I seem to hit a design wall when it comes to the little tables around the house
that, when done right, can be so cute!

There are three areas in particular that I feel could use some help,
So here is what we are working with:

This one is the saddest table of them all,
I used to be more satisfied with it because we had a vintage green glass lamp that was perfect on it
but Arnold jumped on it and broke it.
I like to add flowers on it when we have them, but this table needs to be restyled.

The guest room table is one of the newer styled items in our house.
I am liking the way it has started to come together.
I really like this table with feet that I got from Urban Outfitters when I worked for Anthropologie.

I like the mixture of the books + the piece of barnacle wood that I took from Tacoma, WA
Candles are a must, and I love flowers / these peppers from our garden to brighten up the table.
This key is also necessary for guests to lock the door {a new feature in our old house}

Another table that I wish I could style differently is my night stand
{think it needs a candle- thinking about a marble one...}
This table is more about functionality than style:
 with books, water, chapstick, lotion, and note pads for those late night ideas

I do love the vintage table with a drawer {thrifted}
& the old school patterned doily, this was a great $1 find at a thrift store,
I also love the peacock tray {also a thrift store find}
But I think it is lacking.

So I wanted to share some inspiration for styling side tables.
A great interior designer that ALWAYS inspires me is Mr. Kate,
I have also been inspired by Nicole from Writes Like A Girl Blog post about small space refreshers,
her new shelves are perfection!

I also found some inspiration from Pinterest:

It is important to start with a cute side table, I like this graphic from Teal & Lime,
so many options!

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I like this picture as a "cheat sheet" for side tables,
Whenever I see Mr. Kate style a room, she has a similar method,
but I love that she uses mixed metals, patterns, and nature elements in her designs.

I have been loving exploring "Rooms Blog" by Melissa Boyer Interiors
especially the How to Accessorize an End Table or Nightstand post:

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& she shows what this method looks like in real life:
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I have a weak spot for acrylic furniture {although I don't own any... yet},
the barely there, modern look makes everything else pop!
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I love this DIY marble top table with metal details
& the candle stick holders, plant holder, and rhino animal statue  = clean style but thoughtful!
{also have a weakness for animal statues, although I don't have any of these either...
BRB **shopping**}
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Apart from metal details, I also love the look of crates + palettes:
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I love this side table design for an outdoor/sunroom set up,
I love the tin tray, lantern, succulent, and mason jar, all on a converted crate with wheels
I think it is perfect and will do something similar when we design the sunroom.
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I love this entry way table,
the matching pattern pots are adorable, my sister thrifted a similar one in Delaware,
love them in a trio!
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What are your requirements for a side table?
Any suggestions for mine?

What are the spots in your house that give you the design "struggle"?

Check out my vintage finds: InTheLeopardCloset on Etsy
Shop my closet: PoshMark

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