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Magtable Coffee Table by Satina Turner for Umbra

Welcome to Ashley, 1 of 6 finalists trying out for our two NY Blogger spots! Comment away....
8-18-magtable.jpg

For my parents, the idea of cleaning the coffee table is ridding it of any magazines from before 1998 - and keeping the pile just below one's line of sight to the television. Other individuals, such as yours truly, have a slightly different idea of clean. The dilemma in this is I do cherish my collection of magazines for Sunday morning reading, but I also love the calming element of a clear surface...

 
 

Well, Umbra came up with a solution. The Magtable Coffee Table, which has slots in the surface so your magazines can be stowed spine up, without cluttering the surface. Would this solution work for you? My concern is getting the magazines into the slots, but other than that, I think it's great.

The designer- Satina Turner, the price- $158.00. Go to Umbra to see more.

- Ashley White (NY Blogger Finalist)

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living room, tables - dining & occasional, coffee table, Blogger Tryouts

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Comments (21)

hmm...nice idea but I don't see it as being practical for the living room, maybe if it had more storage underneath?

posted by marley07 on August 18th 2008 at 7:12am
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I can not see this in a home - at all, but seems perfect for a waiting room at a dentist's.

posted by La loca on August 18th 2008 at 7:19am
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the pages hanging would bug me, not to mention getting the spines scuffed up and wet. but it's a new idea, kind of fun, if not a bit impractical in reality.

posted by indiasoup on August 18th 2008 at 7:21am
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I think it would be awesome to mount it on the wall in the bathroom

posted by cricketchirp on August 18th 2008 at 7:41am
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certainly an interesting idea but not very well thought out. putting anything else on top of the table will wear on the spines quite a bit. if it were a bit more inset into the frame and then had a tray on top that you could remove at will would make it work a bit better.

posted by pinstripeprincess on August 18th 2008 at 7:42am
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As an "audition" entry, my only problem with this post is that the featured coffee table has already been blogged on Apartment Therapy within the past year:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/tables-dining-occasional/magtable-by-umbra-032251

With there already being so many rehashed/reposted entries on AT, I hope that the new bloggers that join on will bring a fresh voice, new ideas, and new finds to the site.

posted by Anna at D16 on August 18th 2008 at 8:00am
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I don't really see how this is aesthetically better than having some magazines on the tabletop. You can see all the pages hanging down, that's not so attractive. You don't get the "cover recognition" that can be helpful in picking up the issue you want when they are stored this way. Magazine boxes or stacks are neater. I think this one went too far past too clever for anyone's own good. People put a lot of emphasis on "double-duty"; this really doesn't perform as well as a top of the table or a shelf below which manages to keep magazines off the floor just fine.

posted by K T G on August 18th 2008 at 8:45am
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Won't the centerfolds hit the floor?

posted by GHB on August 18th 2008 at 9:28am
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This table may have been discussed here before, but I don't mind. And I, for one, am grateful Ashley did not speak of herself as if she were a group of people ("we have a runny nose and a cold but we really like this table") nor did she use the words "after the jump", which I have grown to dislike very much. Good luck, Ashley.

posted by jendavid99 on August 18th 2008 at 11:13am
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ROFL @ GHB! LOL

posted by ohjodi on August 18th 2008 at 1:31pm
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interesting idea, but totally impractical. Can you imagine what a time-consuming pain in the neck it would be to get those magazines on there without folding/tearing their pages? Not exactly the solution for people who can hardly find the time to clear a view to the television set...

posted by B-way on August 18th 2008 at 2:37pm
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I think this table is pretty neat and practical. I disagree with people thinking that the spines would get worn down through putting things on the table. As far as I can see, the spine of the magazines are slightly below the top of the table, so no rubbing.

And I don't know how the spines would get "wet"? Don't people use coasters anymore? I know I always do, and I don't have a fancy table.

And I have had magazine racks that functioned similar to this (though they weren't tables) and I didn't have any problem getting them placed neatly in the rack without bending or tearing pages. I can't imagine how it would be time consuming...

posted by Spiderbite on August 18th 2008 at 4:18pm
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It's a lovely piece of furniture, shame it won't hold more magazines.

posted by xxkarenlcc on August 18th 2008 at 5:23pm
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Thanks for showing me something I haven't seen! I think it would be great in an editor's office or a waiting room. It is clear that the spines are down a bit, and wouldn't get ruined!
Works for me!

posted by linda@LimeintheCoconut on August 18th 2008 at 11:34pm
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For someone who reads alot of magazines and likes to have nice things and drinks on table this would be inpractical.

posted by Snugglitas on August 19th 2008 at 5:28am
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How chic!...Too bad it doesn't hold more mags...I'm a serial subscriber!

posted by jennay85whut on August 19th 2008 at 8:04am
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I like Ashley's writing style (and agree with jendavid99) - not so crazy about the table, but life would be dull if we all had the same taste!

posted by yeti3a on August 19th 2008 at 8:18am
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I like this audition post - the style, content and grammar/spelling are all on point. I don't like the coffee table, but that's not that important to me as I don't like half the products AT posts yet I still enjoy learning about something new.

posted by ndvheller on August 19th 2008 at 10:52am
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I don't think auditioning bloggers should be expected to know every single item that has been featured previously on AT. However, the editors should have a better grasp of previous content, and so if people are going to get snarky, snark at them. Ashley's done a nice job here. I have mixed feelings about the table, but it's an interesting piece and I'm glad to know it's out there! Cheers, Ashley.

posted by k8lane on August 26th 2008 at 9:51am
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I buy loads of magazines and never throw any out, this table is ideal for me I got it from Contemporary furniture and accessories including contemporary magazine racks and coffee tables

posted by Retro Kid on November 6th 2008 at 11:37am
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I buy loads of magazines and never throw any out, this table is ideal for me I got it from www.Design55online.co.uk

posted by Retro Kid on November 6th 2008 at 11:43am
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