I love coffee tables. I think that they provide the finishing touch to a perfectly decorated living room. They can match the rest of the furniture exactly or provide an absolute contrast bringing vibrancy to the center of the room.
I only have one serious problem with coffee tables. You always need to put a coaster on them or they get some sort of stain. I just do not understand this and truly believe this to be a major design flaw. If they were called pretty centerpiece tables or tables to put in front of your sofas, I would have absolutely no complaint.
However, they are called coffee tables. Does that not mean that you are to use them to serve coffee and put coffee cups on them? Am I missing something? Why would you name a piece of furniture implying a specific use and then prevent consumers to use it for that?
Let me set the record straight about another thing: I have nothing against coasters. They can be amusing. Some restaurants put trivia questions on theirs, so the coasters are educational. Some coasters are pleasant to look at. I just do not think that coffee tables and coasters should be paired.
Another odd thing to me is that when someone purchases a new coffee table, they also stock up on coasters. However, when you set your cup down on the table, the host or hostess will say, Oh, let me get you a coaster. Then they run off to some unknown coaster hiding place. They reappear and say, Here you go! You politely pick up your cup and place it on the mysterious coaster.
Why keep the coasters far away from the table? Do they fight when nobody is watching? Would it not make a lot more sense to have the ridiculous coasters right there on the table? Then it would be like a little hint to your guests that they must use one or die!
I have come up with a completely brilliant idea to solve this issue. I believe that all manufacturers of coffee tables around the world should unite! I believe that they must come up with the perfect coffee table. It would be a coffee table with coasters built right into it. I know, this is an earth shattering idea.
I think that it could work. Without marring the gorgeous artwork or craftsmanship that goes into these tables, coasters could be attached. Perhaps the designers could think of ways to enhance the look of the tables with the coasters. Alternatively, they could design the entire look of the table around the type of coaster they had chosen.
Either way, I think that this idea could save millions of people embarrassing moments, numerous trips to coaster hiding places and the worst of all, the water stain that some uncouth guest caused.
When shopping for coffee tables, keep in mind that my idea is just around the corner. Until then, the best you can do is to buy coasters that match your table and keep them right out in plain sight.
Author Resource:
Annie is an expert furniture and interior design writer.
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