Urbanspace Interiors, original photo on Houzz
Five designers tell us why they use unique live-edge coffee tables in their design choices, and how they can bring a rustic look to your Hudson Valley home.
By Brenna Malmberg, Houzz
No two live-edge coffee tables are alike, and neither are the rooms they inhabit. These five designers share how — and why — they added a live-edge piece to their client’s living space to blend design styles. Here are their approaches.
Artistic Designs for Living, Tineke Triggs, original photo on Houzz
1. Find a showstopper. A walnut coffee table that retains the contours of the original tree fulfills a client’s desire for mixed materials and a one-of-a-kind design, says Tineke Triggs, interior designer and owner of Artistic Designs for Living. Contemporary art and colors fill the rest of the room, but the wood tabletop’s natural edge offers something unique, not uniform or rectangular.
“It is the jewelry in the room,” she says.
SLC Interiors, original photo on Houzz
2. Pull from nature. Once the main pieces of decor filled the space, Natalie Lebeau, senior interior designer at SLC Interiors, added small details throughout the room that played off the natural colors and organic textures of a live-edge coffee table.
“The original layout and feeling of the room was very modern and sterile,” she says. “The shiny chrome was nice, but we wanted to make it more warm and cozy.”
In this case, she brought natural color into the room with throws, decor and pillows, such as the chestnut-colored Kevin O’Brien Studio watercolor pillows.
Coffee table: Artefacto
Urbanspace Interiors, original photo on Houzz
3. Boost the visual interest. A live-edge coffee table brings warmth and character to this living room’s more formal feel. Merrill Alley, lead designer at Urbanspace Interiors, designed this table and had it built by a local craftsman in Austin, Texas. The final piece include a claro walnut slab on a polished steel sleigh-leg base.
She especially likes adding live-edge pieces to a room because of the texture and visual interest they add to a space.
“The great thing about natural wood is that it really isn’t bound to one style,” Alley says. “When you are trying to mix pieces from different aesthetics, a live-edge piece can be a great bridge to bring everything together.”
Abodwell Interior Design- Brittney Fischbeck, original photo on Houzz
4. Highlight the styles. Rustic, contemporary and traditional styles fill this home designed by Laguna Beach, California, architect Mark Singer, says Brittney Fischbeck, owner of Abodwell Interior Design. This room features a limestone wall along the stairs, white walls for displaying art, cozy pillows on the sofa and gray limestone flooring from Portugal.
“I wanted to make the room more lively,” she says. “The live-edge table, with its warm colors and curves, offset the rest of the home very well.”
Andrew Howard Interior Design, original photo on Houzz
5. Think of the occupants. Creating a fun space for hula-hooping and other activities here also meant designing with general safety in mind. Andrew Howard of Andrew Howard Interior Design chose this coffee table because its soft, sanded edges wouldn’t give anyone splinters and it has a beachy vibe.
But being kid-friendly doesn’t rule out style.
“The space is very organic and looks collected,” he says. “I wanted each piece to feel special and have different textures.”
Coffee table: Palecek
