I am on an obsessive hunt to find a new coffee table and media storage unit for the living room. It’s an obsessive search. Did I mention obsessive? So when we saw the two pieces above during a window-shopping trip to Crate & Barrel, I thought our problems were solved and my shopping was over! But there was just one small problem, and it started with a capital “C” and that rhymes with “P” and that stands for… Price (thought I was going to say pool, didn’t you? I knew there were some Music Man fans out there!).
For these two pieces alone, we would be spending almost $2,400. And when we eventually want to get a new couch, recover some chairs and do other projects in the living room, that price tag sounded just insane. So now we’re left wondering where we will find pieces that we like, that fit our style, and that don’t cost $2400. Do we settle for something we don’t love as much because the price is right or do we save up and spend what seems like a high price on the pieces we really like? What’s your strategy when trying to furnish a room – buy within your budget to get it done now or wait and save for items that cost more?
a little old fashioned 
Inexpensive “functional” pieces you can find easily. Inexpensive “furniture” – not so much. Form or function? Keep looking WHILE you are saving your money, you might find both.
Beautiful pieces! So, I’m not sure which aspects of these pieces you’re in love with (marble top, length, etc.) but West Elm has some similar profiles for less $. Might be worth a look! I love that coffee table though!
So funny you should mention West Elm because I just received their August catalog in the mail yesterday and saw several pieces that I like. The plan now is to put together a “vision” board for the room where we will actually pick out the pieces that we like style-wise and that will work size-wise, then tweak as needed to either fit a predetermined budget or save our money knowing what our room will eventually look like. Do you have any pieces from West Elm that you absolutely love? I always love seeing fellow bloggers living and work spaces.
So, I ordered this coffee table a couple of weeks ago, but I’m waiting to get it in our space to decide, as it’s actually quite low. I want something round to break up all of the rectangles we have in our space. I have the Hex side table, which I love. And I have a couple of their task lamps, which are very versatile (white & antique brass). I’m also going to be buying a couple of pieces for my office makeover, most likely a Parsons desk and the Niche Dresser. A vision board is a great idea, that’s what I’m doing with my office. Too often I’ve just dived right in and ended up with things that don’t work together. Good luck with your redesign! I look forward to an update!