Oui oui!

It snuck up on us over the last year--we do not like our coffee table.

We bought it on Overstock a little over a year ago and, as this post notes, it is a massive, heavy piece of furniture. At first, we liked how solid it was, and how much space it had for storage. But the truth is that we only need a little drawer for remotes and the weight means lots of shin bruises (and baby head bruises when D's little cousins come to visit), rug divots, and awkward vacuuming positions. It's also about 2 inches too high, which shouldn't seem like a problem except that we find it really uncomfortable to put our feet on (and eat on, since we eat dinner while sitting on the floor and watching TV more often than I like to admit). Finally even though it is real (and really solid) wood, it is covered with veneers that are not holding up well.

So now that we've lived with it for a while, we decided that its flaws were not something we could get used to. I've been perusing craigslist and even google images to figure out what it is that I want. It has to be 16 (versus 18) inches high, made of hard wood, and have legs and a drawer. It must not have a lower shelf (because then it wouldn't have high legs), glass (ew!), or weigh 100 lbs. It turns out there aren't many options with these specifications.

Until I found it. My one true coffee table love! Those following my blog closely probably won't be surprised by the style--it should loo familiar. Check these babies out:

Belle Maison Francaise

First is a limed oak finish French provincial table costing a mere $1100. OK, not gonna happen. The next try got us a little close:

Etsy Seller HarrisMarksHome

This one is only $250 plus $90 shipping (via Greyhound, so that's a huge annoyance). It has the added benefit of being nice and long, so folks sitting on the gray love seat that is perpendicular to our sofa would also get a foot rest.

But I still can't quite bring myself to spend that much. At least not yet. Not without a good, thorough hunt. Apparently I am set on French provincial, so that much is decided. Looking back, I guess it's a favorite style of mine--I just love those sexy, curvy legs (I imagine this post is going to come up for someone trying to find porn who will be very confused by the results).

 

D prefers the clean lines of mid-century modern, but fortunately we both like combined styles and are happy to have a little bit of everything in our house.

So if you see a French provincial table in your neighborhood thrift store or yard sale, give a shout! I might come take it off your hands...