Coffee Table Legs

If you close your eyes you can visualize him. He's standing in front of his treadle-driven lathe. Wearing his thick leather shop apron, the 18th century turner stands majestically at his state-of-the-art 1740's lathe. With the hard rock maple square clamped firmly to the mandrel, he begins the process. With gouge and chisel and skew he expertly turns out a masterpiece. After a half-hour of tedious work what emerges is the perfect leg for his newest creation--the Colonial Coffee Table Leg.

With a design taken directly from the staircase banisters of the old magnificent sailing vessels, this Portsmouth Coffee Table Leg reminds us of the swashbuckling times when pirates would commandeer a ship thought to have the most well-heeled passengers aboard. To accomplish the feat of catering to the upper crust of society, the ship builders spared no expense, hence the use of the design on the staircases and banisters throughout the ship that looked most impressive. From that design, today we have created the Portsmouth Coffee Table Leg. Elegant, yet unpretentious.

It was not that long ago that I was traveling in Pennsylvania. I was staying at the Gettysburg Inn, an old establishment just across the street from Gettysburg National Cemetery. There it was, out on the front porch, of all places. It was being used to hold a beautifully billowing fern. The criss-crossed stretchers were obviously hand cut to provide the slots for the diagonal stretchers in the middle. This table was now in its second lifetime, having once been the workhorse for holding the steins and mugs of great warriors who had been there in "the day." Abraham Lincoln had stayed at the inn, and might just have been one of those who had left a tell-tale ring on the table's surface. The sturdy - yet somehow still dainty - legs just had to be reproduced. Today, they are featured prominently as our Heritage Coffee Table Leg.

Traveling the English countryside, we stopped in at the local eatery. It was apparent from the washed out, almost pickled look, that this lovely piece of furniture placed strategically between the old chaise lounge and the ladder back chairs in the lobby had been there for about as long as this diner had been operating. But, as I looked further, I thought, "No. This is a reproduction, but a darned good one." What gave it away was the look of the turned legs. So perfect. Not like those that would have been made a couple of centuries ago. These coffee table legs were smooth, not wavy. They must have been from the Osborne collection at Osborne Wood Products. The Country Coffee Table Leg transcends the ages.

Contributed by Charles Head, Beautiful Interiors

I grew up on a farm and yes, after milking the cows, my Dad would go to his cabinet shop and start creating heirlooms. Of course, as a young sprout I didn't care about all that stuff. All I wanted to do was play around in the shop with our old shop dog. But, anyway, Daddy's favorite design was the farmhouse design. Whether it was a kitchen table, end table, sofa table or a coffee table, the classic farmhouse look seemed to be what people in our neck of the woods wanted. Not much has changed in the last 50 years with this design. But, nowadays, it doesn't have to be the people who live on a farm who enjoy the beauty of the Farm Coffee Table Leg design. It can make its home universally from a Manhattan loft to a Malibu beach house.

I first traveled out west in the 60's. I told my parents I wanted to see oil wells and real cowboys. Little did I know that Roy Rogers and Gene Autry didn't really live in New Mexico or Texas or Kansas. But, what's a kid to think, after all, television was real. Those weren't just westerns, they were documentaries, right? Well, anyway, we stopped by San Antonio and looked in on the Alamo. The Western furniture influenced by the Mexican craftsman had created a new look and it was everywhere. At the tender age of 8, it pretty much escaped me that the furniture I was sitting near would create such a stir in the world of design. But, the world certainly took notice. Whether it's called Western, Santa Fe or Country, the style of this Big Country Coffee Leg has stood the test of time.

Contributed by Charles Head, Beautiful Interiors

This leg makes quite a subdued, understated statement. Providing tapers on all four sides, this coffee table leg gives a distinct impression of the Louis XVI period of fine furniture design. Unlike his predecessor, Louis XV, Louis the XVI was known for his understated styles. His 4 sided tapered legs were in vast opposition to the Louis XV cabriole legs that shaped another exciting era in the world of furniture design.

Although this cabriole leg had a Chinese origin and was later perfected in Eastern Europe, the square styling of the Cabriole Coffee Table Leg has become synonymous with the beauty and grace of English antiques. We feel the Cabriole Coffee Table Leg is just the purest of table leg designs.