Console Table Woes

Ian and I bought the most fantastic drop-leaf table.  The trouble is, I can't decide what to do with it!  Katie Bower offers some great ideas, like her Short-Tall Combo and Decorating With Clusters, but they can't help me decide on decorative pieces!  I want to decorate it with cottage-y accents without going too country.  I know the lamp needs to go, but I can't buy anything without a vision.  For now, we've got this icky silver lamp and a hodge-podge of other stuff we've accumulated.  Nothing seems to work!  

So here's some inspiration...

I think my favorite pieces are the lamp and the wooden bowl.  Scratch that...I love the whole things.  Those suit-case basket things are awesome!  And that mirror...incredible!  Rustic, but not overly country.

Interior Divine

Maybe the trick is to bring frames down to the table's level.  Ian and I have discussed planning out a black and white photo wall for this space...hmmm...  I also love all of the glassware! 

Interior Divine

I think I like this...although I might be getting eerily close to country.  Hard to say.  I always have to laugh at some of the things people use to decorate in these staged shots.  Maybe that's why I get a kick out of Catalog Living.  I don;t know if I can do such a big lantern, but I do have a piece of slate on my table now...only mine is holding a candle and not a bunch of pears.

S.B. Gambrel

 As I was looking for inspiration, I realized how unoriginal I am!  At Simply Natural, Catherine already did this post.  I love all of her examples.  Here are some of my favorites...

This picture makes me realize I absolutely need to go with a large, glass lamp!  I also love the tray of bottles and the baskets underneath.

I am have been on the hunt for a birdcage just like this!  I don't want to be impulsive so I am waiting to find the right one...but this could work!  I like the white vessels too...as long as they don't cross the line into country motif.

Andreas von Einsiedel

This design is from Pottery Barn so it's no wonder that it caught my eye.  Also, those are our house colors!  I love this pitcher, but again, it may be too country.  The wood pieces are great, but I'm not sure they will work with our table. 

 So I tinkered around with Olioboard for a bit and here's what I came up with.  Some nice baskets underneath, rustic candle holders, an old bottle collection, and a spin on the traditional photo wall.  I could definitely see a hanging clock off to the side, and I live the old lamp!  Stay tuned for updates!