There are some things that a house cannot be complete without, such as a refrigerator, a bed, or a television. A home is not a home without things that can provide comfort and convenience, and allow household members to relax and unwind. Included in this varied list, among other things, must be a reliable and versatile living room table. Many people do not realize how essential this solid wood furniture is. It can certainly do more than serve coffee or hold lampshades.
A coffee table, traditionally, was necessary in the middle of the living room. Home entertainment was serious business in the old days, because of the afternoon tea ceremony. When a guest makes a house call, he should sit on the cushions, and be served tea or coffee, with some cookies or pancakes. These will be placed on a tray, with a delicate china service, and then served and placed on the coffee table. Then the afternoon will be a time for conversation, stories and news.
The practice of proper entertainment is almost a lost art. Today, most people are too busy to make house calls, let alone entertain their visitors in a bothersome way. However, the coffee table has remained a staple within the home, and it is interesting to list how many ways homeowners have come up with to use their own tables.
The same can be done with a side table, which usually goes in the corner between two cushions. Usually a lamp or clock is placed on top. Most households tend to get rid of it these days to save space or money, but this piece of furniture will actually have more value once it is seen as a versatile piece.
Here are some of the best examples of other uses for this simple solid wood furniture:
1. A coffee table is a good foot rest: Most of the time, working people want to put their feet up after a tiring day of sitting or running around their work related tasks. A side table is usually on the same level as the sofa or seat and therefore becomes an instant ottoman. Raising the feet or legs in this manner is a great way to allow blood to circulate normally through the feet and legs again. And if this is done while watching TV or having a refreshing drink, it becomes a moment of total relaxation at the end of a long day. Working people can also do this while reading, sewing or talking on the phone, to avoid cramps.
2. As a Magazine or Photo Shelf: Most end table variations usually come equipped with drawers or a “second tier” in the form of a shelf between the legs and below the table top. This space is ideal for stacking magazines, newspapers or photo albums. These things then become instantly accessible when any member of the family needs a quick reference to a recipe or a movie review, or simply wants to browse through images and relive memories. Then they can also be easily stowed away – just put them under the table.
3. An Instant Display Shelf: If space is a constraint in the house, a mid-height wooden table can be pushed to the side of the wall and become an instant surface for knick-knacks, flowers, or displays like picture frames or prizes and trophies Get inspired and change the screen from time to time. Displaying photos or special memorabilia is always guaranteed to bring life and character to a home.
4. A Makeshift Workstation: Again, more often than not, space considerations have turned the old coffee table into a table for just about anything. If one of the family members wants to work undisturbed, the living room table makes a reasonably secluded workspace for homework, planning, or typing on a laptop. This is especially practical in apartments or studios. The living room can do double duty as an office or study.
5. Play games in the living room: Board games or cards are always great ways to request some bonding time at home. Get out the game box, gather the family around the table and spend a good hour playing UNO or Monopoly. Parents, no matter how busy they are, should try to set aside some time over the weekend to be with their children. Children who spend time talking or playing with their parents are known to grow up more emotionally secure. On top of that, board games are also known to boost children’s mental abilities, so they get not only valuable family bonding time, but also some serious brain exercise.
6. Best place for snacks, especially if a teen has friends over for a movie or study group. The end or coffee table is a great place to serve snacks while you do homework. Pull out a big bag of chips and open a jar of your favorite dip, and make some cold drinks too. The kids can gather around the table, cross-legged, in a relaxed manner, exchanging serious gossip as they try to study for their calculus tests. So, the father can be free from worrying about young visitors running around the house, while he gives them reasonable privacy at the same time.
7. No ladder? No problem – yes, a sturdy table can be used for an instant lift when a light bulb needs to be replaced, shades changed, or dust cobwebs need to be swept from the corners of the ceiling. But never try this, of course, on glass or wicker tables. Only solid wood furniture types are perfectly suited to this particular use. This may be another reason why a wooden table is a better investment than a glass one, aside from the other common fact that glass is fragile and very dangerous, especially in a house full of children. There are numerous instances where a homeowner would need that extra height, especially for emergencies.
8. A clear space for crafts: If the table is not going to be used for displaying items, it can be left clear for sessions like doing artwork, finishing crafts like scrapbooking, puzzles, or assembling toys like wooden games, cars . or robots. The small surface of a coffee table is large enough for both materials and some room to move, but it is comparatively easier to clean and clear than the floor or dining room table. As a precaution, put some protective sheet or paper on it to avoid permanent scratches on the wood. The height is also ideal for sitting without a chair in a comfortable position for hours.
9. An Anything Goes Surface: In most homes, a coffee table often ends up simply as a place to put things down when people get home from work, school, or whatever. Purses, backpacks, shopping bags and even shoes, sometimes. These things can temporarily find their docking place in the living room area, until someone remembers to return them or put them away on the proper storage shelves. This valuable feature of a low, flat table is often overlooked, but it’s actually one of its most important uses.
10. To make guests feel welcome, because even if it may seem crazy, entertaining important guests, especially seniors, could still happen at home, even for busy adults. It can be a little awkward to serve drinks or wine to an important person at the kitchen counter or in the stairwell. Just in case, already having a service desk is a good way to ensure and show that an owner can still play the role of a good host or hostess very well.
These examples are just a small part of the endless and countless ways that homeowners can benefit from their small solid wood furniture. The limit of uses and options is the imagination. Unexpected circumstances will always bring surprising ways to benefit from these things too.
But for tables to perform their multiple functions well, they must be made of durable materials. Solid wood furniture should be made of strong, reliable wood and built to withstand heavy weights or constant movement. Ideally, it should also be treated to make it scratch and smudge proof.
The size and design of the table is fully up to the tastes and immediate needs of its owner. There are many available variants of living room tables that homeowners can choose from. Or, wood manufacturers would always be more than happy to create a custom table to their clients’ specifications. Contacts and information are available in directories, newspapers or the Internet.
Furniture in the living room, or home, just doesn’t look quite complete with an accent piece that doubles as useful furniture. And if used in many ways and cared for properly, then it could become one of a homeowner’s best investments.
