How’s your tablescape? Tim McKeough of the New York Times has some advice, and a video:
You see them on Instagram and in design magazines: those perfectly composed coffee tables that tie a living room together and hint at the fabulous taste of the homeowners.
How do those tablescapes come together? How does someone decide which accessories to use? And how can you compose a similar one in your home — without doing too much or too little?
Colin King, an in-demand interiors stylist, welcomed a reporter into his TriBeCa loft to demonstrate how he does it.
The following video shows Colin in action. After Colin’s tablescape, I’ll present a “photo essay” (since I don’t know how to make a video) that, though it may not show you how to tie a room together, will definitely enable you to let people know that you are together. First, the Colin King way:
Okay, time consuming and expensive, right? Well, here’s something a little easier:
Photo 1
This is a glass coffee table that I bought circa 1992. Note the second shelf. This is important. I paid $800 for this table, which, these days, apparently, will now set you back around $1,800. Okay, that’s not cheap, but it’s cheaper than Colin, I bet. If you got this in acrylic it might be cheaper, I don’t know. For 20 years prior to this, I used a trunk I bought for about $25. If you can’t afford this table, buy a trunk instead and wait 20 years.
Photo 2
Done! As you see, I’ve added a sperm whale’s tooth, which I’ve positioned in the center of the arc of the lower shelf, at a distance from the center equal to about two thirds of the radius of the arc. And, of course, I’ve aligned the curve of the tooth to the arc as well.
Afterwords
I received this tooth as a gift almost 60 years ago, when, unfortunately, sperm whales were still being hunted. Sperm whale teeth are now on sale for about $85, the internet tells me. Some states may have laws restricting their sale.
