Coffee Corner
With a multitude of designs and options, coffee tables have evolved to be much more than the purpose they were originally designed for.
Call them teapoys, centre tables or coffee tables, as they have been known of late. There was a time when teapoys were all about decor. Made of the best teak-wood, usually with curved legs and carved with decorative motifs, these beautifully detailed pieces were the highlight of every living room. Today, they have risen far above their mere decorative purpose.
According to Swati Raj, architect, a coffee table usually acts as the binding factor for most living rooms. “When it comes to decor, it is all about striking a balance. If a room is heavily decorated, the coffee table can be a simple, yet classy addition that serves its purpose but doesn’t overpower the room, whereas a room that is minimally decorated can get a much-needed push with a well-designed coffee table,” she says.
Furniture styles can be categorised mostly into three types traditional, contemporary and transitional. While traditional wooden furniture is still very popular due to its sturdy and long-lasting qualities, people have become more open to experimentation and don’t mind veering away from the traditional wood tables. “Although working with wood gives the craftsman a whole lot of freedom in terms of design, of late, other materials have been making a niche for themselves in the coffee table market,” adds Raj.
However, with shrinking homes, the functionality and flexibility of any kind of furniture often takes precedence over the aesthetics of the piece. Many people are leaning towards customisations. The reason this trend is catching on is that one can get unique designs made and even add certain personal details to the piece for almost half the price quoted in big furniture stores. According to Pranay and Tanvi Joshi, who recently got a unique coffee table made, the time and effort they spent getting it made from scratch has been completely worth it. “We picked a design from a website and asked a local carpenter to replicate a design. It is a two piece table that can be merged to make a huge coffee table and separated to make two corner tables,” says Pranay, an IT professional.
But professionally made coffee tables are not all the market has. Says Rati Rajagopal, a graphic designer, “I wanted an inexpensive centre table. So I picked up a big flat decorative clay pot, filled it with shells, glass pebbles and topped it with a round sheet of glass. It is very basic and that is the beauty of it,” says Rati.
Source: Times Property, The Times of India, Chennai