Rustic Coffee Table

While perusing West Elm’s website over my morning coffee this past Sunday, I stumbled across this beauty. My boyfriend and I moved to Toronto from Vancouver this past May and are still in the process of decorating. (West Elm only opened their first Vancouver location last week, so the store was a new-found obsession for me this summer.) I’m a firm believer in taking your time to buy the perfect pieces rather than decorating in one fell swoop. Sadly, a coffee table is not one of the items we’re still on the hunt for — but let’s be honest, has that ever stopped me before?

My love of this table is threefold. Firstly, the raw mango wood and steel legs lend a wonderfully rustic, organic look. I’m usually drawn to pieces with a glam, feminine element to them, but I was really inspired by our recent Rough Luxe photo gallery. Mixing that industrial style with polished, feminine pieces keeps things from looking too precious.

Secondly, some concessions must be made when living with a fella. As much as I would like our apartment to look like everything was hand-picked from a Parisian flea market — think white antique furniture and gilded mirrors — I realize my beau needs to feel comfortable in the space, too. This piece is a good compromise, because although the roughhewn wood is more masculine, its dainty steel legs keep it from looking bulky.

Last but not least, I adore the hidden storage feature! The top of the table pops up to reveal a ton of storage space, while maintaining a streamlined look on the exterior. Keep remotes, magazines and coasters out of sight and leave the top for those beautiful coffee table books you want to show off. When open, I can pull up a chair and use the extended leaf as an at-home workspace.

Now, just to convince the boyfriend that this is, in fact, a necessity. Wish me luck!

For more great items, check out our Fresh Decorating Finds photo gallery.

Photo credits:
1-2. Rustic Storage Coffee Table, West Elm