This winter season - never ending (well below zero again today, and I spent 40 minutes this morning clearing a path from the front door to the road after the latest snowfall) has DEPRESSED me to no end. Everyone around here (in southeastern Wisconsin) is at the end of their ropes. We are used to winters, but this one - well, let me just say that this winter has sucked big time. Meteorological spring may have arrived, but physical spring is probably 3 months away. Sigh.
To cheer myself up, I decided that I'd finally had enough of the
No small task. I have different eras of oriental, I have Queen Anne, I have an American interpretation of an English traditional mantel and firebox surround. I have finishes that range from a rustic pine chou (chow) leg coffee table a massive 36" inches square to a burl-wood inlaid desk to a rosewood finished curio cabinet, and more. I love each piece so much, I cannot imagine parting with any of them so, the mish-mash remains.
I shopped online at Wayfair.com. Oh my, oh my! I saw so many gorgeous pieces of furniture, most of them far away from my budget. Here are some of the tables that caught my eye:
This beautiful table is by Stein World (above) and is currently listed at $390 with free shipping. It is 31" tall and 32" wide! It is not solid wood, but made of wood (unspecified) and MDF with a gold-painted finish on the accents. I love the "Empire" look! But -- too large for my space, and too expensive for my budget for one table. The black would also introduce yet another finish into my front room and, well, I just don't need any more (gee, ya think so, Jan???)
This Wayborn end table is lovely, but also a little too large for my space. I liked the finish, but I thought the styling on the feet was a bit wonky, like they were too small for the size of the table, something about the proportions didn't strike my eye as quite right. 29" tall, 28" wide. The table apron is finished along the bottom edge. Nice! No specs were given so I have no idea what material this table is made out of, only that it has a "hand Mahogany finish." It is priced at $189.49 and comes with free shipping, but shipping is between 1-2 weeks out from order date:
I thought the table below was pretty, but was unsure about the overall quality, as there was only one review and it was "luke-warm." This is the International Caravan Windsor Hand Carved End Table. It is $158.39 with free shipping. I like the color and the curvy styling with the additional little "curves" at the end of the legs. Dimensions are 25" tall and 22" diameter. I liked the added shelf at the bottom. The bottom part of the table apron is also nicely finished with a slight round lip. It has a "dual Walnut stain finish" (I've no idea what that means) and is carved "wood" - type of wood unspecified:
Carolina Cottage has several lines of reasonably priced tables. Here is one that caught my eye, the Gilda end table in a chestnut finish, and the price is nice at $112. It is 25-1/4" tall and 19-1/2" wide. It is wood (unspecified) and MDF:
I liked the height, but I wanted something about 25" wide. I thought the pedestal feet would complement the curvy legs on my Queen Anne console table, and the finish would blend with the other wood finishes in my front room. I liked that this table had a finished edge at the bottom of the apron. I also thought the pedestal itself might be a little too "country." The Gilda table comes in three finishes: the one shown here (chestnut), a distressed cream, and a distressed black. The chestnut finish comes with free two-day shipping. Notice the nice finishing detail of the "ball" at the base of the pedestal.
Here is the Mega Home Large Burl End Table, although I cannot attest that this is actually made of burl wood. As far as I know, actual burl wood is expensive these days, and is usually veneered because of its cost and relative scarcity -- real burl wood, that is. It is a nicely-designed table, though, and I liked the "walnut" finish. It is 26" tall and 24" wide - good dimensions for where and what I want to use it for. Priced at $103.29 with free shipping. The design is "contemporary," but I thought the curvy feet would nicely complement my Queen Anne console table. The only drawback was that it did not have a finishing "edge" at the bottom of the table apron, I thought that would have added a lot to the look:
After looking at many more end tables (until my eyes felt like they were about to fall out), here is the table that I purchased:
This is the Hazelwood Home Early American End Table in a "mahogany finish" and, hold on to your hats, it is priced at $55 with free shipping. For this price you do not get a table made from 100% real wood. It is wood (unspecified) and MDF. It is advertised as 25" tall and 24" wide. I measured the table once I had it assembled. The height is 25-1/2" tall and it is 23-1/2" wide.
It arrived at my doorstep in two days as promised, for free, was delivered on February 28th. I unboxed it and let it rest in the warm air of the house for a few hours before assembling it. All I needed was a Phillips head screw driver and my hands.
The table went together easily just following the single line drawn image on the "instructions" that came without words (probably a good thing, considering this is made in China). I made sure I gave the columns (legs) some extra twists to tighten them up after I'd put the feet on and screwed them in. I then retightened the screws that hold the feet on before flipping the table right side up. The table is very sturdy, and not wobbly like some of the reviews at Wayfair noted, so perhaps those buyers did not take the extra step of re-tightening everything once it was "all together."
I am very happy with my $55 table:
LOVE this table! I think she's very pretty. She fills the space just right and is a good height for both my taller recliner and the shorter English rolled-arm love seat. You'll notice that the feet on the table are darker than the rest of the finish. It's not noticeable at night but in daylight, oh my! I believe that is because the feet are solid hardwood while the rest of the table is MDF. So the "mahogany" finish came out two-toned. That's okay, I rather like it, actually, LOL! The feet almost look like they've been "dipped" - all the rage right now, n'est ce pas? I think the table's style and finish "go" very well with the other wood in the room! Just what I was aiming for.
I put my own 24" glass topper on, which added another quarter-inch of height and protects the top finish (which one or two reviews said was "easily scratched"). I expropriated the glass round from the
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