We used to have a cute coffee table. We inherited it from friends. It was glass and iron; really lovely.
But once we found out we were expecting, the table started to look quite different. We noticed the sharp edges and that the materials were hardly baby-friendly. It had to go!
We replaced it with a very clever solution: a leather storage bench. It is lower to the ground than most coffee tables, but it did the trick just fine. It was soft; not one sharp angle to be found! And it had an important purpose, which is that it could hold a lot of baby stuff.
Perfect, right?!
Sort of.
What we quickly realized is that having a large amount of floor space for play time is VERY important. Even before Darah was crawling around, we would shove the storage bench to a corner of the room every day so that Darah could play. Eventually, we asked ourselves why we were constantly moving a piece of furniture, and just let it stay put.
Does it look awesome and totally pull the room together when sitting over to the side? Nope. But I’m in a season of my life where I’d rather have a living room that looks a little bit off than have something that looks picture perfect and also cuts the available play space in half.
The question of where we put our food and drinks and books when we want to hang out in the living does remain unanswered, but I think there are two possible solutions.
1. We could go for something like a cherry console table. That would create a larger surface in the room for holding items. They are meant to go up against a couch or a wall. If we put one behind the couch that would make it very convenient as a place to hold stuff for us (like my iced coffees, because that’s what I’m always drinking!).
2. We could do a magazine end table, either getting a pair or just having one. If we went this route, I’d probably just buy one and then judge for myself if we would get enough use out of a second one to warrant spending the money and taking up the space.
What about you? Are there any pieces of furniture that you are “supposed” to have that you have decided you are better off without? Do you move your coffee table around all the time so the kids can play?
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