Compared to many other living rooms around town, mine would most likely be considered rather small.  But don’t tell it I said that.  I can tell that it has a little bit of a complex about it and I wouldn’t want to hurt its feelings.  The style of my house is actually called “Cottage” if that tells you anything.  In the wintertime when I have my fire crackling I am happy for the coziness of the little space.  But lately I have been feeling a little closed in.  Part of the problem is that when I first started buying things for my house almost 4 years ago when I bought it, I for some reason and without realizing it bought lots of brown items.  Brown sofa, brown rug, and dark wood media console.  The fact that my wood floors are also dark brown didn’t help the problem.  But then I also had a hand me down wooden coffee table.  I have known that I wanted to replace it but never really found anything that rung my bell.  At least nothing that was within my budget.  Then, in the winter, West Elm had a sale and I found a table that I thought just might be the ticket.  Unfortunately it was backordered and backordered and backordered until I finally received it about 2 days before I left for Europe.

Sorry for how dark some of these pictures are.  Had to take them early in the morning and that is not a good time of day for my living room.

Here is the before…

The old hand me down (but in great condition because I refinished it before I moved in my house) coffee table.

Here is the after…

My shiny, light and airy coffee table from West Elm.  It is smaller which gives me more room to walk around in here.  This combined with the fact that it takes up much less visual space in the room and bounces light around makes it just what I was looking for.  The mirror top is “flocked” (whatever that means).  That makes it look a little antiqued which I like to think hides spots somewhat.  But I could also just be telling myself that.

This is my unstyled and jumbled media console so that you can have a better idea of all of the dark brown I have been working with.  I would paint this but it is such a nice piece I have some guilt when I consider it.

Kitties’ reaction when I was trying to open up the box that it came in to get out the glass.  “You didn’t need this, right mom?”

That’s all.  Just a quick little update.  I am still working on Ireland pictures.  Fingers crossed I finish editing them this century.

P.S. When I bought this coffee table, it was $15o cheaper than it is now.  Maybe if you are gonna buy it wait till it goes on sale again cause that is just silly.