The Secret Life of Nesting Tables

The nesting tables were shipped to me from my hometown, along with some other items I claimed, after my father sold the house my sister and I grew up in. I wanted these particular items because each one I had chosen reminded me in some way of my mother and represented to me the comfortable home she created and recreated throughout the years.

I also chose the nested tables because, after working at Cymax Stores combined with living in an apartment, the value of multipurpose or multifunctional furniture pieces has become clearly evident to me. The three tables, of varying heights, sit one underneath the other and can be used as a single unit or separated and used as accent tables or end tables. The handy thing about these tables is that, when entertaining, they can be moved around the room to accommodate those not sitting next to a surface upon which they can put a drink or a plate.

The wood nesting tables resided for a good portion of their lives in the living room of my childhood home. Even though they had been moved about the room from one place to another over the years, I don’t ever remember a time when I didn’t pass by them on my way to somewhere else. I have walked passed them so many times, even if they weren’t in my possession, I could describe them to you by heart. They have bowed fronts with routed edges, fluted legs, arrow feet and a fluted, three-sided stretcher. How then could I not notice that the feet of the two smaller tables never touched the ground?

Perfect size for a telephone table, ever since they arrived at my apartment, they stand against the wall next to the big armchair. The top nesting table holds the phone, a funny pen holder and a small basket of assorted note pads collected over the years from stocking stuffers and promotional handouts. But one evening I came home from work late, and because a favorite TV show of mine was about to start, I broke my own rule and ate dinner in front of the television. I grabbed one of the nested tables, placed it in front of the couch, put a placemat on it and sat down to dinner. After I had eaten, I cleared everything away. That’s when the trouble started.

When I tried to put the table back, it had me totally stumped. Like the Powell Brown Cherry Two Piece Nested Accent Tables, I thought it would simply slide in underneath the two other tables. But it didn’t. Something seemed to stop it from slipping back into place. Sometime later, I finally figured it out. Working on the theory that something was blocking the way, I removed the middle nesting table and turned it upside only to find grooves on the inside edges. The nesting tables should be slotted not slid into place. Hence the reason for the legs of the two smaller tables floating above, rather than resting on, the floor.

I experienced a weird sensation. I sat on the floor, just staring; these tables had been so much a fabric of my life, they were now revealing something new to me, after all these years? The more I stared, the more I appreciated the simple elegance of the design of these nest tables. All three tables can be lifted up and moved as one without any slewing around or unnecessary juggling. Ingenious! I returned to the couch and what was left of my show.

But all the time, I wondered what other secrets my mother’s nesting tables were keeping from me.

An Ottoman is not Just a Footstool Any More

An ottoman is a piece of furniture used as a footrest. It is usually upholstered, sits low to the ground and is generally round, square or rectangular. They come in a wide variety of styles, materials, shapes, textures and price ranges. Once regarded solely as a lowly footstool, decorating with ottomans is becoming a popular interior design trend.

Using an ottoman as a coffee or cocktail table has many advantages. Because of their flat table-like top, it is a great place to put a tray, a pile of magazines, the TV remote or a bowl of popcorn. It is also an especially easy and effective way to child-proof a living room or family room, since an ottoman generally does not have sharp corners. If you are decorating a room in a home with young children, a round, plushy upholstered ottoman would be an excellent choice. Another advantage to using an ottoman as a coffee table is mobility. You don’t have to commit to placing the ottoman in front of the couch the way you would a more traditional type of coffee table. An ottoman can be moved around the room or even from one room to another as needed.

Adding additional seating to a room without have to match it exactly to your existing decor is an ideal way to create a focal point. Selecting an ottoman with different textures generates visual interest. In a room largely dominated by earth tones, for example, incorporate a splash of color with a pair of ottomans in complementary colors. Or choose two smaller sized ottomans of the same shape and store them under a console table, where they will be out of the way until needed. Since many ottomans are relatively the same height as a dining chair, if you are in the habit of entertaining or having large family gatherings, purchase several square ottomans that can be conveniently transferred from your family room to your dining room.

In the master bedroom, a guest room or an entryway, a comfortably padded rectangular ottoman is the perfect place to put on shoes, drape clothing or setting down a purse or briefcase. An ottoman in a hallway or foyer, especially one that is tufted or textured, instantly creates a welcoming ambiance.

When decorating a small room, use an ottoman with hidden storage. Many manufacturers offer ottomans that have flip tops, drawers or lift tops that open to reveal spacious storage areas ideal for hiding away just about anything from blankets to magazines to clothes to toys. Storage ottomans are also a good choice when decorating a child’s or teen’s room, helping to control clutter while adding more seating options. Selecting one with casters will make it even more functional.

For today’s modern home, the ottoman has emerged as a trendy multifunctional accent piece. In addition to its more traditional role of footstool, in recent years it has become popular as a coffee table, a way to add additional seating to a room without having to match it exactly to the other furnishings and as a boudoir or hallway bench.

Redecorating the House for Halloween

Last year, the night before Halloween, you bought several bags of candy, which you poured into a huge orange bowl with black witches and white ghosties on the sides approximately ten minutes before the door bell rang for the first time on Halloween night. This bowl was judiciously placed on the edge of the coffee table. This meant trotting back and forth between the living room and the front door every time trick or treaters showed up.

But this year, you are determined to be prepared and better organized.

You move a small accent table from the living room into the hallway, near the front door. It’s the perfect size for the orange bowl, but the table looks a little lonely standing all by itself. So, you drag the accent table back into the living room; move the lamps, the remote and yesterday’s comics section from the end tables and haul them out into the hallway.

Now it’s perfect; there’s a table on either side of the door, one for candy, one for spare change should any UNICEF boxes make an appearance. Pleased with the preparations you’ve made, you walk into the living room to take a break with your favorite soap, only to discover the lamps on the floor and the other displaced items piled on the coffee table and scattered across the seating area of the sofa.

However, you have the perfect solution to this dilemma. You will buy a new table for the front hallway. You go over to the computer and pull up the Cymax Stores website. There are so many to choose from, but you are perfectly happy scrolling through the list.

That’s when you discover console tables. Having one table in the hallway, one that could be used year round would be ideal. You really like the Linon Anna Console Table. Then you make another amazing discovery: the matching end and coffee tables also includes drawers and shelves. You don’t even need to turn around to be reminded of the mess; you cheerfully add one coffee table and two end tables to your shopping cart.

You realize, while it’s only the first week of October, you will need to give the manufacturer some time to send your items to you. There should be plenty of time. Hmmmm…maybe it’s not too early to place an order for some more dining chairs, an ottoman, and heck why not a comfy arm chair, just in time for a house full of people at Thanksgiving.

Keeping Them Close By

It seemed that it was just yesterday when your mother was worrying about whether you had enough to eat for lunch or if you had packed your heavy sweater when off on an overnight camping trip with girlfriends. But now the shoe is on the other foot and you’re worrying about your aging parent and the challenges they face living on their own.

Many families are choosing accessory apartments as a viable answer. An accessory apartment is a self-contained unit built in an existing or new house. One specifically designed for a relative can have several nicknames including “granny flat” or “in-law suite.” But whatever you want to call it, for many families accessory apartments are the ideal way of helping an aging parent maintain their freedom and independence while keeping them nearby.

Since an accessory apartment is a fully operational living space with separate sleeping quarters, living room, kitchen and bathroom, it is subject to local building codes and bylaw restrictions. But once it has been built and is ready to be occupied, there are some things you can do to make the space safe, comfortable and convenient for the senior who will be moving in. In many cases, the mom, father or in-law moving in will bring along their own furniture, but if you need to furnish the accessory apartment in preparation for their arrival, here are some basic guidelines to keep in mind when creating the ideal age-proofed living area.

Because many accessory apartments will be in the basement, you can off-set their tendency to be smaller in size with less natural light by choosing lighter colors for furniture. Or if the elderly parent or relative prefers darker woods or finishes, paint the walls of the unit a lighter color to make the area appear more spacious. When selecting a dining table, end tables, a coffee table or nightstands, purchase ones with rounded corners.

Many manufacturers are producing furniture pieces smaller in scale, designed specifically for apartment living. Opting for two loveseats rather than one sofa can increase the seating options of the living area while taking into account less space to work with.

To make the most out of the available floor space, choose multi-functional pieces whenever possible. A coffee table with open shelving, an end table that includes a magazine rack or an ottoman that doubles as hidden storage are just a few of the many ways you can introduce multi-functional furnishings into an accessory apartment.

Of course, the right lighting is a very important concern when decorating an accessory apartment that will be occupied by an aging parent or in-law. Select lamps, wall sconces and other fixtures that can accommodate bulbs of higher wattage and have at least two bulbs. Old age can play havoc on the eyes, and using higher wattage light bulbs will shed more light, preventing unnecessary accidents. Choosing fixtures with two or more bulbs will make allowances; if one burns out at night, the lamp will still provide some light until the bulb can be replaced in daylight hours.

Having a separate place for an aging parent or in-law to live can provide the perfect balance between maintaining the senior’s independence, and a loved one’s concern for their safety and well-being. Good design and wise furniture choices can create an accessory apartment that is comfortable, practical and inviting.

When the Puck Drops

So it's the end of August and with it sooner than later, the end of summer as well. No more barbeques on the patio, no more dates on the beach, and no more driving with the top down. Yes, around this time I always seem to have a certain feeling of sadness to befall me. I don’t know what it is specifically, but the sun always seems to have a cheery, happy-go-lucky effect on me. And when I wake up only to see and hear the rain (as it constantly does where I live), a depression-like mode seems to kick in. However, I remind myself that it aint all bad; after all, with the start of a new fall season brings about the one constant love that lasts with me for the next 8 months: NHL HOCKEY!!!

I understand the regular season of the greatest sport known to man (at least in my opinion) doesn’t start until October, but I can't help but get excited about the prospect of a new season and a new hope that my favourite team (the Vancouver Canucks) might finally win Lord Stanley's Cup! But the NHL season isn't quite complete with one important component: the hockey pool!

Since the NHL lockout a few years back, I've been involved in at least 3 or 4 hockey pools, but still have yet to win one. I'm not sure why that is exactly. I'm quite familiar with the rules of the game, what teams are playoffs contenders, and which players are going to 'rack em up'. I even play a fair amount of hockey as well; and although I'm no Alex Ovechkin (who'd be my first overall pick if I had the chance) I'm decent enough to show people I'm not a hockey newbie.

So why can't I win these hockey pools? I have the knowledge of the game and know how to play. Having said that, I should be a lock for at least 2^nd prize, which is usually a small cut of total pot. But alas, in the last 4 years, all I've seen is the basement of the pool and the ridicule of my friends for some of the questionable picks I've made in the past (ie – P.J. Axelson of the Boston Bruins….until this day, I still wonder what made me pick him, but what's done is done, and that pick was made at least a couple years back, meaning it's time to forget about past mistakes).

But this year I think I've found my secret weapon. And no, I'm not talking about sleeper picks (although I do have a couple up my sleeve this year, who I won't mention here). Rather Cymax Stores shall be the X-Factor that'll bring me glory. This year I think I'll be holding the draft at my place and I have the perfect idea to start making smart and intelligent picks: MoreConferenceTables.com. Here I can finally get me and my friends a nice, comfortable and organized place for our draft. No more yelling across the room for us! However, if they want the casual and often soothing ambiance of a living room, then I'm going to need some fine and dandy sofas, coffee tables, and possibly some bean bags to fully accommodate my guests, all of whom I'll be laughing at come the NHL Playoffs in late April and when they fork over the dough.

Yes, summer may soon be coming to a close. But as long as there's hockey, then I say let the rain fall down. Especially since this year I feel it in my blood that I'm destined to win my hockey pools, and my beloved Canucks will win the Stanley Cup. GO CANUCKS GO! Roberto Luongo for the win!!!!

Ruining it

All of us, at one time or another find ourselves being wowed by amazing feats, often on television, that seem to suggest their being almost beyond the scope of conceivable human ability. Almost. From vintage black-and-white Houdini footage to Criss Angel’s Mindfreak, a considerable number of people watch death-defying acts with a belief that these stunts are in fact real, legit and a testament to the trained skill of the performer.

I was one such a person until the age of 12 approximately. Around that time, an older boy that moved to our street was something of an amateur magic buff. As I became aware of his hobby, I wanted to pick his brain a little bit about just how they did it. I didn’t harbor the slightest doubt about the legitimacy of the many spectacles I’d seen over the years, save one; the bullet catch – and it was my curiosity as to just how on earth that was possible that lead to the mystique magic had for me suffering a lethal blow.

Vince, if I remember his name correctly, was eager to explain what he knew of the trick. I don’t remember much besides the wax bullet that breaks the pane of glass and dissolves, but he knew it inside and out and proceeded to debunk the mystery of every trick any of the younger kids would ask of. I wasn’t so disappointed; in fact I was infinitely (and pathetically in retrospect) more crushed when I found out pro wrestling was fake, but nonetheless it had “ruined it” for me as far as the awe with which I would watch the acts transpire from that point forward.

No one would argue that traveling cross-continent in a reinforced cardboard box would hold a candle to escaping from a mass of locked chains being dragged to the seafloor by 55 kg of dead weights. For an animate being to escape without permanent damage from the former wouldn’t be overly impressive. For an inanimate object, like any one of the thousands of home and office products available online at Cymax Stores, it’s an inherently much more risky proposition.

Accordingly, there’s no illusion of slight-of-hand in Cymax’s offering to provide a replacement product if damage, shortage or mis-shipment of any of it’s products sold to the consumer are signed for. It’s yet another example of Cymax’s commitment to quality and continued customer service, and their promise to you that they won’t disappear in a puff of smoke if your purchase does not arrive in a manner suitable to you, their valued customer.

Should your Avenue Six Mainstreet Coffee Table be irreparably gouged, you’ll receive exactly the same product in the same finish at no extra charge. The same is true if the box contains nothing more than a rabbit, top hat and cane. If one of the glass shelves of your Pulaski Accent Curio arrive cracked, you are assured of receiving a replacement shelf as soon a possible. If we could conjure it on your doorstep, believe me, we would.

Perhaps a number of Office Star Conference Tables you ordered for your Denver Office arrive with “Broncos Suck” spray painted across them and are good for nothing more than firewood. While you can’t take issue with their understanding of the AFC West, those heartless vandals have struck in vain as each one will be replaced as quickly as LaDainian Tomlinson will streak into the end zone each time the Chargers enter the red this season. No magic there – just pure talent!

In conclusion, the heights and esteem to which we hold both individuals and their deeds can, in fact, be ruined by the light of logic and inspection. Your purchase from www.cymax.com is quite another matter altogether, as no matter what fate befalls it during shipping, there’s no way your online shopping experience can be ruined when you’re shopping with Cymax.

New Puppy...New Furniture?

About six months ago a friend of mine got a new puppy. My husband and I went to visit them not long after. The men took off and went to do what ever it is that men do. Gail and I went to sit in the living room and visit. The cute little puppy 'Brownie' followed us in. While sitting there I noticed that her coffee table had what looked like gnaw marks on it. The next thing I knew, there was Brownie chewing on the table like it was her very own chew toy. Gail told her to stop and found her bone.

Gail told me that getting Brownie to stop chewing on all of the wood furniture was driving her crazy. I suggested that she look into getting some metal furniture. When Gail looked at me funny I assured her that I was very serious. Metal furniture has come a long way. I asked her if she had ever looked at the Cymax website for furniture. She shook her head no. We went over to the computer and pulled up the Cymax web site.

I showed her that all she had to do was type in coffee table and she would get a nice choice to scroll through. She really liked the Bass Theatrical Collage Coffee Table. Even more so when she noticed the matching end tables. I pointed out that they looked pretty puppy proof to me. We continued going through the web site, chatting and laughing the whole time while we decorated our own and all of our friend's homes. When our husbands came back they thought we had lost our minds. They couldn't see what was so funny about a furniture web site.

My husband and I said good night and went home. Gail phoned me a few days later. John (her husband) hadn't really liked the Theatrical Collage Coffee Table. They went back to the web site and found furniture for the living room that they both could agree on.

A month later my husband and I went over to visit with Gail and John. Gail had told me that they redid the entire living room. I couldn't believe how great it looked. They bought the Diamond Sofa Paramount Leather Sofas in Beige and the Bass Real Art Table in Champagne Chrome. It made their living room look wonderful. Of course, now Gail wants to redo the rest of the house. When we were on our way home,my husband told me that I couldn't get a puppy because we could not afford all new furniture just now.