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Does a custom-cut slab of thick frosted glass make for a cheeseball desk?

It occurred to me over the weekend that, instead of getting a desk and slipping it into the rectangular "nook" for my computer center, that I could have a custom piece of glass cut and fit it smoothly into the nook. Will also cost me far less. Will that look to Miami Vice? The wife said I was a cheeseball moron for even suggesting it but what the hell does she know - how smart can she really be, marrying me and all.

I think it depends on how it's fit in, etc. What about getting it backpainted to be a colored glass instead of just the frosted? Also, one thing to note (from a former glass desk owner) is that optical mice don't work on them, you'd need to get a mousepad)

Optical mouse - ha, never would have thought of that. Backpainted, great idea. How do you do that? I thought to get that effect you have to lay it over painted wood. Is that inaccurate?

What about the cheeseball factor? Your name is, it should be said, "joey" after all

Jonathan, Did you ever post a picture of the nook in question...I don't think it would be cheeseball or Miami Vice, unless you paint the nook turquoise and pink and stick a white blazer on it. But then again, not sure...

My glass computer table table ( 49" x 30") is kept on a tool organizer ( make: taskforce from home depot) it has 2 drawers and ample space to keep magazines books,etc.

Blue: what does this mean? What is a tool organizer? A table top of some kind?

Decor8 Holly:
Are you here today? If so, is there a way to email you directly? I went to your blog & tried to email you from there but it didn't go through. I have a question about Boston that has nothing to do with design but thought you might be able to point me in the right direction since you're a local.

Thanks!
bigpikchur@comcast.net

I made a "custom" desk in a rectangular "nook" with a 3/4" slab of wood cut to size and set on on a pair of sawhorses. I primed and painted 4 coats of a semi-gloss black. I really like how it turned out. I have a G4 cube and it looks pretty stunning on it. I personally don't like the glass look for a computer nook so I took this route and am quite pleased with the result. It set me back all of $30.

I am either more of an idiot than usual today or you people are making up words deliberately in some sort of planned attack, but Deepa what is a "G4 cube?"

I'm being stumped by a coffee table and am wondering if I can get some help/advice/direction on where to go. I just can't get a grip on what material to use (glass, metal, wood, platic)... or what colors. As far as shapes, square or round would be best (36"-42"). If I explain what's in my room maybe you can help me fill the coffee table hole? I've been looking for the perfect thing for months and am going insane...
black 7' low single cushion sofa (seat is 14" off the ground)
red saarinen womb chair/ottoman
2 plywood lounge chairs in walnut
all on a large flokati rug
(lighting is a large tripod floor lamp from cb2 and 5' cortina floor lamp)

Help... please!

As far as backpainting, you just use an oil-based enamel, put on a couple of coats and you're done. It would give it a cool sense of depth with the result being a highly-polished surface instead of the potential vice-ness. It's used a lot in backsplashes now, I was actually thinking of doing it because of how easy it would be to clean.

Re: my name, I'm Italian. I had no choice but to be named after my father and grandfather. I introduce myself to people as 'Joe' and they automatically start calling me 'Joey'. Even the people that work for me call me that.

jonathan,

A tool organiser = a professional 's metallic tool box with drawers on wheels. I reused a coffee table glass top as the table top and put the tool organiser as its base.

Jonathan, I was waiting for you to come to this conclusion: work surface supported by the partiiton enclosure rather than a freestanding desk, with freestanding/rolling unit(s)for storage underneath.
I know of a few attractive alternatives to the frosted glass top: not so heavy, more color options, variations on texture, eyc. E-mail me if you're interested: tat_epstein-at-hotmail-dot-com.

I think it'll look fine, but why frosted? Why not just clear glass or backpainted glass? I think it's the frosted factor that's making it feel a little cheesball.

I have a question. Does anyone know where I can get an interesting tablecloth? I want something more fun than plain white (which I already have) and all I can fine is casual, bold striped varieties. My dining room has dark wood furniture, very clean lined, with pale grey microsuede parson-style chairs (espresso legs). We also have Ron Arad's bookworm shelf in black and various framed, mostly black and white photos on the walls. Color comes from the books on the shelf as well as the odd tchocke. The room has a zen vibe.

I think I'm either looking for something very smart, like a man's pinstriped suit in a grey shade which is machine washable, or a very modern oversized photographic print. Any ideas? Thanks!

Thanks all, helpful.

Laura: glass doesn't seem to go with the furniture you described. Room & Board and BoConcept both sell walnut veneered and solid walnut coffee tables at decent prices. R&B also has a zebra wood veneered table that I am partial to.

I can answer why you'd want frosted instead of clear on a desk--finger(and everything else) prints. Frosted will hide it better.

Thanks Jonathan! I'm kind of struggling with wood because I have an open floorplan and some wood pieces in my dining area (just feet away and no wall to separate from living)... including a very large wenge stained storage piece. I'm torn between too matchy vs too mis-matched. You don't think a walnut coffee table would be too matchy?

Laura-

Are you in NYC? If so, a great source for modern coffee tables is The Terrence Conran Shop.

And I think a glass table is a viable alternative to wood.

Jonathan,

I feel that I need to point out that you just recently posted photos in which it appears some rooms in your home don't have floors. Is the glass desk thing really the next logical step in your home renovation?

A G4 is a computer.

Jonathan-

The G4 cube is what Apple named it's powermac computer. (although now they're up to G5). Also about the glass top--back in college in my waitressing days, I worked at a classy deco type restaurant where all the tables were glass that had been underpainted in a deep but saturated forest green. The ceiling was outfitted with dozens of those sort of cheesy dressing tables bulbs. They reflected of the glass tops and the effect was really stunning--very glam and very deco and very polished.

Laura--Roomandboard has a beautiful 36 inch square coffee table called "Portico." It has steel legs and the top comes in many finishes. I really like the limestone finish. I've seen this table on flokati in the cover story of Domino back in September. I feel the mix of different surfaces gives a nice variety but also blends together well enought to remain cohesive.

Laura

I'm kind of on an anti-wood pro-glass coffee table kick right now, so i'm biased. I prefer the sleekness of glass and I think it makes spaces look open and larger. I was thinking with all the different levels of seating you have, rather than a traditional coffee table, you could do a set-up like this:
http://www.boconcept.com/Default.aspx?ID=10455

That way you can move the pieces around as needed or keep them nested like this in the center. Also you have choices of different bases and tops - plain or colored glass or wood veneer. I really like the red glass - not sure if it would clash or go great with your saarinen pieces though - you would have to decide. I am facing a similar issue with too many different woods in my apartment and have decided to ditch my wood coffee table and get a glass one. hope this helps.

If you don't want to see fingerprints it is precisely the frosted glass you'd have to avoid.

There is a company, Skylight Design, who solved that problem with their special finish, called Etch-Sealer,that they use on sand-blasted surfaces, that magically makes fingerprints invisible.

They ship across the country.

laura - where did you get your rug - are you happy with it?

The one concern I would have about the portico is that it is 16" high and Laura's sofa is 14". Is there a general principle that the coffee table should not be higher than the sofa?

NOTE:
Jules, et al., be careful about posting your email on the site as spambots do harvest addresses and you can get a lot of junk email. Better to do it like this:

cooldude (at) coolapartment (dot) com

We will have a specialized user comments system in a month or so, which will allow you to email and contact one another without showing your email. It will also allow you to upload a photograph of yourself.....if you wish....

I should have posted here ages ago (longtime lurker)!
Where to start...
Other Patrick - I am not in NYC, which is probably 90% of my problem. I'm relying on online mostly.
Wennyth - I've actually been looking at the portico table (I think C&B has it too) but my concern is that it's too heavy with the eames plywood chairs. But maybe with limestone it would look lighter. I'm going to dig through my Domino mags and see if I can find that pic of it in a room. And the mix of diff surfaces is exactly what I'm trying to do... unsuccessfully so far.
And New Tenant - my problem with Bo is that everything is now chrome there. They've done away with all the matte steel and everything for '06 has shiny chrome. I'm just not sure that look works for me. And the tables I currently have are similar to nesting tables (they're about 20" high)... they're way too high for everything else. My seats range from 12"-16" so I think a table should be max 16" high.
And lastly... the glass question. I think some glass could work as long as it's not too modern looking... which is a challenge. I actually love the platner table, but I'm afraid of having too much mid-century.

NT - I got the rug at IKEA (it's actually 2 that I pieced together to look like one... the shag covers a seam nicely!). It's a cheap test run to see how a light color shag wears. White/cream shag always looks like hell when I see them on floors in stores. I've only had it about 4 months but so far so good. If it wears decently I'll invest in a better one.
And I would optimally like to keep the table close to 14"... not always easy to find.

Laura--

You can still visit the "shop" portion of the Conran website to check out some of their options.

http://www.conran.com/

Laminated glass, with the frosting sandwiched in between, prevents the fingerprinting pitfalls of sandblasted glass... you can also choose color and level of opacity.

Patrick - sandwiched glass with enamel paint on the bottom sounds perfect. The guy in park slope is quoting me around $15 a square foot. Sounds okay.

I am planning on sending Maxwell a full set of pictures now that we are about 50% done with the renovation. Should give all of you an opportunity to see the wretched hell that is my sh*tty life and perhaps save me from a misstep or two.

Jonathan, with laminated glass, you'll have to think about your edge solution (that is,if you're not ok with layer look)

We're looking for a square 40 x 40 or 42 x 42 solid wood top coffee table to put in front of a chaise-type sectional couch. Have checked out the recommendation Maxwell posted on room and board table plus base combos, which we liked. However, we'd also like to spend less $$ than $700 if we can find something comparable. Please no West Elm or boconcepts. Any thoughts? Thanks.

Laura--
Although you said you preferred square, here is something I really like from Conrans that seems like it might fit into your mix nicely...

http://tinyurl.com/gs5v8

Another option, brand spankin' new from the folks at Gus Modern...

http://tinyurl.com/fmt5h

Patrick -
Those are both great options! I actually printed out the page on the conran piece. You don't think that would be too much walnut? It has the right feel... not too heavy and a good height.
I love the Gus table too, but think it might be a little too small for the space. A shame they don't make it in a 40". I was actually looking at a similar style on chiasso.com (the sena cocktail table), it's teh perfect size but unfortunately it's chrome where the Gus piece is steel and veneer.

I'm on a serious walnut-lovin' kick right now, so perhaps I am not the best to ask. ;)

But also, don't forget, the table will ultimately have some things on it which may temper the amount of wood showing.

If you want to *really* temper it, try a large lacquered (white?) tray as part of your tablescaping plans. I think Williams Sonoma Home offers some. Love love LOVE white lacquer with walnut...

Also, have you tried Velocity and or Design Public?

The whole challenge of mixing woods - matching woods - too much wood is a definite weak area for me. I think you may be right though about tablescaping... I hadn't even thought about that. That will definitely tone down the walnut.
And I have checked Design Public (nothing new... considered and discarded the bludot barbarella table) and Velocity. Velocity is now carrying Adler and I had considered that funky spider leg glass-top table. It's interesting, but looks like it may start walking on its own. I wish 3square design was still doing the inlay like they used to with their dining tables... that could have made a very cool coffee table.

speaking of design public, i kind of like this table (although the one I was checking out was the rectangular version)

http://www.designpublic.com/shop/blu-dot/4305

Funny - we must have both posted about that barbarella table at the same time, Laura. I decided against it for myself as well, but it is kind of cool.

That's the barbarella NT! Cool table but if I'm building it myself the price seems a little steep.
What do you guys think about this one from 2modern?
http://www.2modern.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1087

I think that's really cool - It's out of my price range for a coffee table, but I like it.

I'll have to stick this on the next Open Thread if I don't get any traction, but here goes:

What is a good, cheap application for drawing floorplans? I'd like the output to look decent. The main problem I've run into is the rounded front of my condo. Pretty much everything I've used is unable to draw a curved wall.

Whoah! Love both of those tables! With a slight preference for the Barbarella. The other one runs the *slightest* risk of looking "hotel lobby" to me.

There is also always the iconic Mies van der Rohe Barcelona and the Noguchi tables (both at DWR).

p2 - the cool thing about the Barbarella is it comes in that robin's egg blue. very chic

I know! Am loving that!

And I must say the name of a thing can make or break it for me, even though it shouldn't... so the name Barbarella is just too fun on top of it being way cool.

Reef I am so jealous--I love the bookworm and just went on a mad hunt thru my shelter mags to show my husband a page where it was beautifully shown off--about the tablecloth why not somethinig bold and colorful like marimekko or maybe hable construction?

Okay Reef-totally missed that; stopped at the word "colorful" and "bold" of course marimekko is nowhere near pinstripe-like. well, scratch that, as am still looking for a nice pinstripe fabric to reupholster my couch meself.

P2-
LOVE that Conran table. I have a similar table from Conran and it has done a really nice job of unifying my eclectic furniture..... one thought. As someone who owns a LOW coffee table, i think it is a good idea to test it out in the store first. If you tend to be the kind of person who likes to sit around on the floor, for instance, you might want to make sure you can fit your legs under the table while sitting at it.
I have been off the site for a while traveling. How fab is the new issue of Living etc?!?!?! LOVE IT!

Patrick, how much is that Gus Modern table? I can't find prices on the web for it.

Aliza--
Not sure, and I'm having trouble with the Gus Modern site today.

Looks too new an item to be available yet via Design Public or South Beach Style.

I've had luck from Gus in the past by emailing them for more info.

Thanks Shoshana!

I was contemplating Marimekko myself. I can't decide whether to do something colorful or something smart like a pinstripe. Hmmm....decisions, decisions.