Home Interior: Annoyances

I don't know about you, but I grow weary of the repeated suggestion in design magazines, books and blogs to take a stack of books, plop on a glass or vase and call it a table:<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Christiane Lemieux in Family Circle- March 2011- DwellStudio " height="738" src="http://www.dwellstudio.com/media/upload/image/FamiltCircle.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="500" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.dwellstudio.com/blog/family-circle/">Source</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="101708_books01.jpg" class="mt-image-center" height="458" src="http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/uimages/la/101708_books01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="540" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/la/inspiration/inspirationmaking-your-books-functional-066826">Source</a></td></tr></tbody></table> <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq7NZi91gbM5GsQ-zY1WOimPntepasP9Rh1FdqJH0U8sNVa0iIwLb2mw56JDahyphenhyphenpFe9y4gO2bJX4XGATw8BFQbNeqVER1DpQtU2TCMAh7BgwnjXlSaB01H8uomsLenSleznigUWL37U60/s1600-h/books+side+table.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq7NZi91gbM5GsQ-zY1WOimPntepasP9Rh1FdqJH0U8sNVa0iIwLb2mw56JDahyphenhyphenpFe9y4gO2bJX4XGATw8BFQbNeqVER1DpQtU2TCMAh7BgwnjXlSaB01H8uomsLenSleznigUWL37U60/s400/books+side+table.jpg" width="335" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://littlelovables.blogspot.com/2010/01/books-glorious-books.html">Via</a></td></tr></tbody></table> <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="imgLnk" href="javascript:void(0)" onclick="showMyLayer('http://images.meredith.com/bhg/images/2009/04/p_101332123.jpg')" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Green living room with book side table" border="0" height="400" src="http://images.meredith.com/bhg/images/2009/04/ss_101332123.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.bhg.com/decorating/budget-decorating/cheap/free-decorating-for-every-room/">Source</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />I loathe to be a hater, but I really like my books on a shelf or on a table.  Off the floor, in general.  Granted, the ones below are kinda cool, but they are tables made out of books, not a stack of books <em>acting</em> as a table.  But maybe I'm just crabby today.  I'm nearing the end of my timeline for my comprehensive exams and I'm just sick of books in general.  Can I just order my PhD online?  Does etsy sell them?  <a href="http://dans-le-townhouse.blogspot.com/2011/02/teeny-tiny-valentines-day-gifts.html">That might break the seal</a>.  What are your thoughts on books as tables?  Have you done this with fantastic results?<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidRT9EFX2xPCQGX6uQzKwFTEouZ9fFdp9atiX2jSNiQfxniKGrwpbYSh9X5BVYBpzMn9CvtmaeV1B8WRblByNC02OL1RcraBC4HgwI4fw6XkIqOYEY9JSezkRSV44doh4e_TfOsUSjIo4/s1600/books+as+table.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidRT9EFX2xPCQGX6uQzKwFTEouZ9fFdp9atiX2jSNiQfxniKGrwpbYSh9X5BVYBpzMn9CvtmaeV1B8WRblByNC02OL1RcraBC4HgwI4fw6XkIqOYEY9JSezkRSV44doh4e_TfOsUSjIo4/s400/books+as+table.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://interiordesignhouses.com/tag/tables-of-books">Source</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3e-rqOTPR78Pl4iY4Na1H_QeKfU19lYo0NRA9iUdyw8vn0TK6WC_FLhqgFOk9LjNs6tHXBw1_yItH8klBidi9TtLG7IZVH-JP180BCeiJmb2VjBbZuBcFNQ3Ly3hFdS5t-V1pu9gkQm4/s1600/books+as+table+II.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3e-rqOTPR78Pl4iY4Na1H_QeKfU19lYo0NRA9iUdyw8vn0TK6WC_FLhqgFOk9LjNs6tHXBw1_yItH8klBidi9TtLG7IZVH-JP180BCeiJmb2VjBbZuBcFNQ3Ly3hFdS5t-V1pu9gkQm4/s400/books+as+table+II.bmp" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.toolgirl.com/toolgirl/2010/01/tables-and-counters-made-from-books.html">Source</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-7yImWcLB6huNw3TwhyLt0PFedsCdOvC-G_l9v0LflH1wICLCwDTMzr121gLK78ZpBgIbG4cvVHTCaWRYWyyJop8KDzL44d45NvRyVsndCItM2cH4aijS_Lc-8W0KqmOq54VqM1H6ryw/s1600/books+as+table+III.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-7yImWcLB6huNw3TwhyLt0PFedsCdOvC-G_l9v0LflH1wICLCwDTMzr121gLK78ZpBgIbG4cvVHTCaWRYWyyJop8KDzL44d45NvRyVsndCItM2cH4aijS_Lc-8W0KqmOq54VqM1H6ryw/s400/books+as+table+III.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.modernests.com/2010/01/phone-book-table.html">Source</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />P.S. This, I love.  I too have the ubiquitous Ikea Expedit, in dark brown (see <a href="http://dans-le-townhouse.blogspot.com/2011/01/my-office-before-in-progress.html">here</a>), but I just love how <a href="http://alannacavanagh.blogspot.com/2010/12/i-heart-my-expedit-bookcase.html">Alanna Cavanagh styled hers</a>.  Do you have an awesomely styled bookcase that could draw me out of today's funk?<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBCo7zfT1ZiIzYGIhILe0fWVjvbZ_eptJns4fnpqvFOnbEzAQPJ2cs0w1A995GHb_k_ESbdPjVgDNkbWip-ROMUBuR8mmPrXLcVBuw4JILFOMSiT4qHkcMFeOOxFKkPjPopngx7EPEQu0/s1600/alana%2527s+expedit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="318" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBCo7zfT1ZiIzYGIhILe0fWVjvbZ_eptJns4fnpqvFOnbEzAQPJ2cs0w1A995GHb_k_ESbdPjVgDNkbWip-ROMUBuR8mmPrXLcVBuw4JILFOMSiT4qHkcMFeOOxFKkPjPopngx7EPEQu0/s400/alana%2527s+expedit.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://alannacavanagh.blogspot.com/2010/12/i-heart-my-expedit-bookcase.html">Source</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-SLhvgb_WG3J9OldHLZm6exbaU919IVlUwFv5nxqjMxFg389mVETTUk6II-SZoN8cRwJ1EP1fSkok3tZuYOmYA_DfWhk7GoofjKeRvYfFlSdRYJpWcuxTEWczoEJPTH2tP7fkr1ZEJtQ/s1600/alana%2527s+expedit+II.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-SLhvgb_WG3J9OldHLZm6exbaU919IVlUwFv5nxqjMxFg389mVETTUk6II-SZoN8cRwJ1EP1fSkok3tZuYOmYA_DfWhk7GoofjKeRvYfFlSdRYJpWcuxTEWczoEJPTH2tP7fkr1ZEJtQ/s400/alana%2527s+expedit+II.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://alannacavanagh.blogspot.com/2010/12/i-heart-my-expedit-bookcase.html">Source</a></td></tr></tbody></table>

Books as Tables: Blargh

I don't know about you, but I grow weary of the repeated suggestion in design magazines, books and blogs to take a stack of books, plop ...