Hotel Tables

Most young kids are budding artists. They like to draw and paint on just about everything, which sometimes elicits frowns, warnings, consequences, and partial mental breakdowns from parents.

Now there’s a table that actually encourages children to draw on it: the Eric Pfeiffer Woody Chalkboard Table. It’s part of the new trend in furnishings that do double duty; that is, stools that double as tables, tables that double as shelves, and, now, tables that double as chalkboards. It’s a great way to maximize a small space without skimping on the furniture.

The Eric Pfeiffer Woody Chalkboard Table would be perfect for elementary school art classrooms. These tables would also be the perfect way for preschoolers to learn to write their letters and numbers in a group setting without having to stand in front of the class or deal with individual dry erase boards. The only drawback is having to teach children to differentiate between table tops that they can write on, and table tops that they cannot.

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Black and white can mean many things to many people. The silver screen days of Hollywood were created in black and white. Piano keys come in black and white. And now, you can use these two contrasting colors to make a very interesting decor for your home or business.

A black and white floor is a good place to start decorating with black and white. The best choice would be beautiful black marble set off with tall white baseboard moldings. If that’s not within your budget, try white ceramic tiles with a black border, vinyl tiles laid in alternating black and white squares, or a painted black floor with white border stencils or white with black stencils.

Walls painted stark white or a soft, ivory white serve as a perfect background for framed photographs, prints, and other artwork. Choose dark wood or painted black frames. Select stark black and white matting for your artwork or add a punch of color with red, gold, or black mats.

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The new trend in furniture fashion is all about bringing the garden indoors. Customers like natural looking furniture with leafy or floral motifs. Bright colors contrast nicely with the neutral browns, beiges and greens found in nature. And during the cold winter months, anything that reminds us of springtime is especially welcome.

Luca Nichetto and Massimo Gardone have made it even easier to bring the garden indoors, without all the dirt and bugs and stuff. Check out their “Around-the-Roses” tables. They were inspired by flowers, but with a most modern twist. Made from resilient Alicrite plastic, these tables have high resistance to chemical substances such as acids, alkali, oils and benzines.

And the design just looks fabulous. I like floral prints, but tend to shun anything that’s too girly. That doesn’t often leave me with a lot of florals that I actually enjoy. But the darker colors and semi-abstract nature of the flowers on these tables makes them just subdued enough to be attractive without being too feminine. This unique look was produced by using dye-sublimation printed and embedded fabric. The process sounds a little complicated to me, so I’ll just say that they turned out great, and leave it at that.

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Wrought iron furniture has been a popular choice in bar furniture for a very long time, and for good reason – it looks good, it’s versatile, and it’s tough enough for home or commercial use. If your outdoor bar area has wrought iron furniture that’s beginning to look a little rusty, take heart; getting rid of the rust isn’t as hard as it seems, and you probably don’t need to replace your furniture. Follow these simple tips for removing the rust and returning your wrought iron to its previously lovely state.

Start by scrubbing the rust lightly with a wire brush. Scrub hard enough to remove any rust flakes, but be careful not to scratch the paint. If the rust is very bad, you might have to repaint the furniture. Consult an expert if you’re not certain.

If you see rust stains but no flakes, dip a very fine steel-wool pad into kerosene and brush out the stains. Always wear safety glasses and rubber gloves when handling kerosene, and work well away from open flames. If you’ve got a sensitive respiratory tract, be sure to stay in a well ventilated area while you work with anything that puts off fumes.

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With the movement toward bringing the outdoors inside by way of natural materials and textures, it’s only natural to want to bring a picnic indoors by way of bench seating and tables that remind us of family cook outs in the park or back yard. What could be more homey and reminiscent of summer fun than a nice picnic unit for your hotel? If your business is situated near a beach or outdoor cooking grills, so much the better!

Families enjoy picnic style seating, so if your business caters to families, you should consider picnic seating indoors, or outdoors in the coming warmer months.

Stua’s Deneb Outdoor Table by Jesus Gasca is the perfect blend of natural beauty and commercial grade durability. The table is constructed in anodized aluminum with a solid slatted timber top made from certified marine grade, plantation-grown teak. Both the table and the matching benches are well suited for outdoor use, but they could easily be brought indoors as well.

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When I was a child, I was especially impressed by the old Superglue commercials which featured a construction worker suspended by his helmet, which was secured to a brick by Superglue. I was warned against any Superglue of my own by my mother, who informed me that Superglue would just stick my fingers together forever. Well, I didn’t want to go through life with fused fingers, so I left that stuff alone until I was a grown up.

Superglue doesn’t play havoc on skin, though; it can be really tough to remove from table tops, too. What’s a hotel manager to do if they find a rock-hard spot of dried Superglue on their new table or hotel seating? Probably swear a bit, then get down to business.

Grab some 600 grit sand paper, either wet or dry, and a sanding block. Hold the block level while you sand down the glue spot flush with the furniture’s surface. You will probably do minimal damage to the surrounding finish, or you can try blocking it off to avoid scratching it up. Finish by sanding the spot with 1200 grit sand paper. To get the shine back, get a cotton rag and try some rubbing compounds and high quality furniture polish. Run until you can’t rub anymore.

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I live in one of the warmest states in the U.S. It is now mid-December, traditionally a cooler time of year. Just a few days ago, we enjoyed 80 degree weather. That was before the temperature plunged into the 30’s and 40’s. Winter is here at last, and I’m already looking forward to summer.

What’s this got to do with furniture? Furniture can be summery and refreshing. In fact, the Copacabana tables from Eero Aarnio remind me of a refreshing slice of citrus on a warm, summery day. The only down side is that I can’t really read the name without hearing Barry Manilow’s voice in my head. But if you can live with that drawback, I recommend these tables for any home or business that wants a modern, playful, summertime motif.

Even cooler, the Copacabana tables can be used as stools. Furniture that can serve more than one function is always welcome in places with small spaces, or in businesses that cater to children – because trust me, children will find alternative uses for furniture, even if those uses weren’t intended by the designer.

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I am all for celebrity endorsements, since I think they are entertaining to look at, even if they don’t compel me to part with my hard earned cash. Celebrities pitch all sorts of things that are inspired by, named after, or made for them. Boxing gloves, exercise equipment, perfumes, clothing, and even dining furniture.

Yes, dining furniture. The high-end Kreiss Furniture Gallery has a lovely dark wood and natural stone dining collection called the Agassi-Graf. (You know, after the tennis icons.) The photograph above doesn’t really do the table justice, so I recommend going and taking a look at the picture of the table and chair together.

It’s nice to see something different from the usual wood and steel tables. The Agassi-Graf dining table has a solid walnut top stained ebony, held up by an off-white base of natural stone. The result is a table that looks both earthy and modern. In fact, paired up with its matching dining chairs, I think it would be lovely modern bistro furniture - especially in a natural, outdoor setting.

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