COTE DE TEXAS: Skirted Tables

Skirted Tables



My dining room with its silk skirted table

A few weeks ago, a popular design blogger wrote that she really hated skirted tables. What caused her to write about this hatred? The answer: the skirted table shown in the picture below:



Bedroom by Miles Redd with the offensive skirted table


I'll admit, it's not the best skirted table around. There's a lot wrong with it: the fabric's color for one thing, the shapeless drape, for another. The blog about this offensive skirted table started a very lively debate. Everyone, every single person, who left a comment agreed - this skirted table was just awful. The discussion centered around whether there was a hated of all skirted tables outright, or rather just this particular version alone. Oh, the revulsion! - People worried about what was hiding under the skirt? Why use that awful pea green fabric? The room is too jumbled - what's wrong with the designer Miles Redd?!!?? One person ashamedly admitted to owning a skirted table just to hide his jumbled stereo wires.

There was just one brave person who disagreed with everyone about skirted tables and left a comment defending them. That person? Of course, it was me. You see, I adore skirted tables. I've had one in some shape or another in every place I've lived for the past thirty years. I place them in clients' houses. I've even removed perfectly good dining room tables and replaced them with skirted ones (and yes! most husbands fight me tooth and nail over that one!). So, today, I write this in defense of the skirted table.

You see, a skirted table done CORRECTLY, can be a beautiful asset to a room: dreamy, romantic, and useful. They make wonderful vanity tables in bathrooms. They also make great nightstands in bedrooms and side tables in living rooms. They ARE wonderful to hide stereo wires under and are especially useful to hide the often impossible to disguise subwoofer. I especially like a rectangular skirted table, with a tailored cover and a thick glass top, flanking both sides of a large king bed. Another place I like to put one is in the entry hall as a center table where it provides a place to put books and accessories. Ditto for the library. But, my personal favorite destination for a skirted table is the dining room. A square room is a perfect spot for a round table. The softly draped fabric adds instant warmth to the dining room and can be a wonderful alternative to too much wood in the room. When a dining room is lacking in architectural interest, a skirted table can add something decorative to a plain box.

A skirted table is not a "cheap" alternative to a wood table. Far from it. Now, it CAN be cheaper if you order it from someplace like Ballard Designs, but I don't do that. I custom make all my skirts. The preferred fabric is a heavy weight linen or silk. The heavier the fabric, the more luxurious the drape, just like with any wonderful curtain. I always line and interline my skirts, with one lining being a blackout one. This adds to the weight, which adds to the richness. Plus, you don't want the sun shining through the skirt like it's missing a petticoat. I puddle my skirts about 3 inches. That way, you can pull the skirt up with your hands and let it fall to the floor in graceful folds. I don't use glass on the dining room table. To protect the fabric when I'm having a dinner party, I put a waterproof liner on top of the skirt and then cover it with a white tablecloth. That way, I don't have to worry about wine spills ruining an expensive Bennison or Kime fabric. Also, I don't like to use particle board tables under the dining table. They're too flimsy and don't have a feeling of permanence. Instead, I prefer to buy heavy duty conference tables.

Despite me being the only commenter who stood up for the skirted table, I'm not alone in my love of them. All the great designers use them to perfection: Saladino, Stefanidis, Easton, Moss, and Buatta to name a few. Personally, that's good enough company for me!



The incomparable John Stefanidis. Here he drapes a center library table, piled high with books. The table is an octagon with tassles hanging in each corner.




The master, John Saladino, with a skirted dining room table. He's layered three different fabrics here in this famous New York apartment.




In Mario Buatta's most famous Kips Bay Showhouse room: a skirted vanity table in orange, constrasts with all the blue and white.



Another Kips Bay Showhouse bedroom: this time Charlotte Moss, in what appears to be an ode to Buatta, contrasts her blue and white bedroom with a chartreuse skirted table, shown at the far right.




A recent cover of House Beautiful featured this Markham Roberts' dining room table with two layers of fabric.




The famous Keith Irvine combines a lacquered library with a dining room.




Popular Houston designer Pam Pierce has her skirts sewn differently, and the result is beautiful.




Markham Roberts, again. This time he uses different toppers to distinguish the two dining room tables.




The debonair Juan Molyneux uses a skirted table in a traditonal way.




Bunny Williams skirts a dining room table in a flowery print - gorgeous celadon painted paneling.




John Stefanidis, again, with a skirted nightstand.



Francophile Diane Burn often uses skirts - here in a previous home, she drapes a scarf over the skirt.




Again, Diane Burns, in her current home. I counted three skirted tables in all.




Suzanis make great table covers.



My antique wine tasting table is covered with a vintage suzani - probably for winter only. I miss seeing the graceful lines of the table.



A center table in the foyer. The six sides are highlighted by the contrasting trim.




I love this French dining room with a mattlesse topper and slipcovered chairs. Love the chandelier too.



A checked fabric lends a casual look to this dining room.



A gorgeous silk fabric dresses up a vanity table.



In Belgium, a simple tablecloth adds quiet elegance to a dining room.




Here, a rectangular table is skirted in a tailored manner and used as a buffet.



Ann Coyle uses creamy linen for her skirt.



Here, cool linen is tied over a bed table to further soften the atmosphere.



A skirted table is used in a combination living room, dining room.





Here, three layers of fabric top a round table.




Dallas designer Cathy Kinkaid uses a fringed skirt in an entry hall.


Kenneth Lane, the jeweler, drapes silk over a table in his large, eclectic living room.



Jeffrey Bilhuber uses checks everywhere in his NYC apartment.




A round, damask fabric covered table softens up a square dining room.



A beautiful fabric is used as a topper over a side table in this living room.


Mismatched chairs add a whimsical touch to a linen covered oval.




Checked topped nightstand used in a classic toile bedroom.





Here a small fringed skirted table is used as an additional place to eat.



Sculpture tops this center table covered with silk taffeta.



In a French styled home, linen covers a breakfast table.




Outside the same home, a skirt covers a rectangular table.



Jose Solis uses two fabrics on this dining table. Contemporary chairs add an unexpected touch.



The ultra hot Belgian Axel Vervoordt often uses skirted tables in his designs.





Again, Axel Vervoordt.




In another blue and white bedroom, another beautiful skirted vanity.




In a French home, a rectangular table is covered in linen.





In Belgium, beautiful antique furniture, chandelier and skirted table.




In Belgium again, here the table is skirted in the same fabric as the chairs giving the room a somewhat contemporary feel.




And last, a skirted table graces a foyer.



68 comments :

  1. Skirted tables as the subject of ridicule? That is like picking on the nice girl. I think you have won your case with these fine examples.

    P.S. Good for you for standing up to the design blog bullies (as I hide in anonymity). I don't want to be next on the hit list. Tee hee.

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  2. Oh, Anon - how sweet - are you the true anon or just a poser? haha
    Yes, it's true, the scorn the skirted table received from the lemmings was just more than I could take, so I had to prove my point - taking pictures from some of the finest in the business. There were lots more, but you know how bandwidth goes. Thanks for your kind comment!
    Joni

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  3. Well I like a lot of them, some more than others....I do have one in my living room topped with a scarf and always will.

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  4. Joni,
    I really felt that I was over the skirted table having had my dining room table skirted for many years during a pretty rotten marriage. (The table underneath had been a wedding gift from my in-laws that I always disliked) I always loved my skirted table look, though. When I started my new life, I left my skirted table look behind, but this very fabulous post has reignited my love for skirted tables and now I absolutely MUST find a place in my life for another one. Joni, your posts are always so complete and all encompassing and wonderful, but this is the best one yet.
    Thank you!
    Julie

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  5. dear Joni - yes that Miles Redd one looks like he's thrown a blanket over the table!!

    But your shots here are marvelous!

    Me? I love skirted tables when done properly they can be as lush as divine drapes!! There's a certain femininity about them

    I'm wowed by this post!

    Fantastic pictures :-)

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  6. Hi Joni
    I too read the post from the design blogger who wrote that she really hated skirted tables. I was as aghast as you at such a blanket statement as that based on one poorly done skirt. So now with this post, you have very graciously educated us on the etiquette for well-designed skirted tables. There is alot of thought, planning and good workmanship that goes into making a truly fine skirted table as you have splendidly shown us in this post. Well done.

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  7. Hmm. I have to admit I'm not wild about skirted tables. I think that, like a satin dress (just as an example), when it works, it really, really works, but when it doesn't... well, skirted tables can take a horrible left turn into Victoriana kitsch (and satin dresses gone wrong? best not discussed). With such a dramatic lack of middle ground, sometimes it's simply best avoided altogether.

    Regardless of my general stance, you've provided a rich visual argument for them.

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  8. WOW!! As always Joni you have outdone yourself!!!! Great and beautiful post!

    Guess I missed the skirted table debate...

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  9. I have a silk plaid bottom skirt with a paisley topper which for years I puddled on the floor but recently hemmed to skim the floor for a different look. It's on a very large round French wrought iron base and it's topped with an assortment of garden elements, statutary, and toparies in a bay window. It think it's gorgeous and feel it's the focal point of the room. I feel the fabric is needed to counter balance all the "legs" in the room.

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  10. I guess I'm the only one who actually doesn't mind Miles Redd's skirted table, even though it does look like a blanket!
    It would definitely work better in the winter in a cold climate, as it adds a lot of warmth. The room feels very cozy and enveloping, with the dark walls.
    You have shown many beautiful examples, Joni. Great post as usual!
    (Axel Vervoordt skirted a huge coffee table with a large floral print in a country house that I loved. I think it's in my post about him.)

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  11. This struck a chord with me. Ahhh...you stole my thunder here. I've been working on a table skirt post too! I very much enjoyed your post - it was very well put. If the fabric is carefully selected and it is carefully crafted (unlike the first photo) the table skirt can be a wonderful thing. In fact, (here I go...I will say it...)I love them. I even opted to put a very tailored one in my entry. Yes, it will be the first thing you see when you walk in our home. Talk about first impressions! Great post and wonderful examples here.

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  12. Joni, I have you on my google reader but for some reason it doesn't recognize you. It doesn't show old posts or new posts. Are you banned from readers? Sorry I am late to the party.

    Of course, this will be no surprise but I LOVE skirted tables. And that is what I like about you. You aren't afraid to be an individual, and you aren't afraid to be classic! What is not to love about a beautiful skirted table? I am not afraid to do anything in a room that MAKES THE ROOM! These examples prove that your point perfectly.

    Love all of your photos. Thanks so much for your wonderful post. I truly appreciate all the time you put into showing photos and education.

    Happy Weekend,
    Melissa

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  13. This is a very interesting post, and to have so many new images that I have not seen before is like receiving a new magazine in the mail!!!

    I have been wonderfing about skirted tables ever since the mini-project I did a few years ago with a designer I used years ago (I 'won' her services at a charity auction - a 2 hour consultation). I had a skirted table in my family room, and she recommended that I get rid of it. Why did she recommend this? She said that table skirts are 'out'. I did not get rid of my tableskirt. Instead, I had a new thick linen tableskirt made, and it is lined and interlined. I think it works SO well in the room, which is my more traditional room in the house.

    I think skirted tables are part of a look, and many of the bloggers out there are not into this look. The more layered, European look. I generally do not think of tabled skirts as fitting in with the mid-century modern look, or the more contemporary end of the transitional look.

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  14. I think that if skirts are done right, they add some elegance to a room. You don't always want to see the legs of the tables.

    Great post!

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  15. Skirting is fashion for the table. I adore Pam Price's. How is that sewn. You made reference that it was sewn differently. Your table is lovely. Joni, you rock.

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  16. Shouldn't our tables be able to change outfits and accesorize occasionally like the rest of us? The table skirt is such a terrific tool for throwing some variety into your decor with very little expense. Changing from skirted to bare can dramatically change the look of a room and cozy it up for winter. I'm with you Miss Joni, skirts are always a classic statement that shouldn't be overlooked. Although in defense of the original post I did not like the way the Miles Redd table was draped. It would have been better to just throw that cover over the table like a scarf asymmetrically. But who am I to tell a deign icon his table is ugly!

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  17. The original post appeared on the Decorno blog. It's the best design blog around.

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  18. Ah, the voice of reason (I was just too busy to take on all them young'ns..ha!)!
    Personally, I liked the Miles Redd table because it did look like a blanket casually thrown over a table. We boys must, after all, be careful that everything is not too studied (what I really mean is prissy). Must admit though, my preference is for the more tailored look. But saying that, I do love the Pam Pierce table (the whole room is gorgeous).
    Keep up the good fight.

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  19. Ha! I love that little old Decorno inspired such an awesome post from you Joni. :)

    Since no one else is naming this "popular design blogger," I will... You can read the post and comments here:

    http://decorno.blogspot.com/2007/12/draped-anything-grosses-me-out.html

    And Joni, despite your excellent post, I am still not a convert.... except for that table draped in suzani, which is a standout (and as I read the fine print, just happens to be your own, of course!)

    xoxo - Love you Joni!

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  20. Oops... I take that back... I just saw that good ol' Anon had my back there. :)

    Thanks Anon... I can always count on you.

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  21. I was surprised that the skirted table was such an issue, although sometimes I like one and sometimes I don't. I don't like everything being skirted all at once, because for me it all feels too stuffy, but to show off a beautiful suzani, or in a dutch look a fine carpet, or as you've presented a beautiful piece of linen, it's beautiful. AND while I'm not wild about Mile's Redds peasoup fabric, I love the balance against his strong navy white. It depends, as with everything. Interesting post.

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  22. Your examples are magnificent! It's interesting, too, to see the wide range of designers who use table skirts- from Vervoordt to Coyle to Roberts! I like Miles' version too b/c this photo is of his bedroom at his parents' mountain house, so the fabric is rather mountain-y, right?
    Glad you filled me in on the controversy Joni!

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  23. Two things:

    #1
    I'm the one who has speaker wires under the draped table. But it's not just speaker wires! There's a bose speaker subwoofer under that skirt, too. I don't think I ever said I disliked draped tables--just that table. I realize now the problem I have with mine is that it's just cheap, ugly fabric. That simple.

    I do think that draped tables appeal to a certain style, a style that doesn't always seem to mesh with the mid century modern aesthetic. I think there is enough room for both styles to coexist peacefully on the same street, if not the same house. ;)

    #2
    I'm female. This speaker wire-subwoofer hiding draped table using poster is all woman. ;)

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  24. I am going to have to go look at that Decorno post now....missed it. Joni, I have to agree with you. A properly done skirted table can be wonderful. And I do, in fact, think they can work in a very contemporary space as well. One just has to have an open mind and an artistic approach! You always amaze me with the depth of your posts! Love it! :)

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  25. Wow - thanks everyone for all your comments!!! OK = it seems that Redd's table is ok probably, just not constructed nicely? But still, this crowd seems to like it better than decorno's. And yes, it was decorno who posted about skirted tables first. I hadn't asked her permission to link, but I'm going to edit with the link showing.

    AND one thing I did forget to mention - I like big skirted tables when used in living rooms, not just skimpy 30" if avoidable. I like them oversized, at 36 or 48 = adds to the drama. And I love a blanket thrown on a table, like the Dutch do.

    Thanks again for the support.
    joni

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  26. Amazing post. I of course agree about the Miles Redd table - so talented - he could have done better. So many of the ones you show (the ones I recognize from the past and the new ones alike) are beautiful. I have several skirted tables - 2 tailored and one full circle and must say that none of them look dowdy or old lady-ish. As is your point, it is all how it is done. Good work!

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  27. Wow, you really have some lovely examples in here. I had no opinion on them one way or another. I agree that when they are done well, it is amazing, but tragic when done poorly.

    Your post really has me rethinking some of the elements I wanted to add to my master bedroom. I think something with a very tailored look could work well for me. Thanks.

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  28. God I love it when you get riled....(stuffed animals & draped tables) But if you put out posts this fantastic when you are upset, I'm going to piss you off at ever chance (kidding!).

    That was a great post with wonderful photos, and a great body of evidence. I like crisp, tailored linen table covers for Summer. Your dining table is suptious. As the son of a seamstress and drapery maker, I know fully lined when I see it, and it's really nice. I have one my Mom made for us to use at Chrismas, and it's luxurious.
    Great post AND title...

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  29. Joni-If you're to proselytize about skirted tables, you'd better pick a better example than Mario Buatta. His rooms put me into the decorating equivalent of a diabetic coma. I mean, are you kidding me? How many miles of ruffles and chintz does a room need before its occupants start to feel a spinning sensation and feel like puking?

    I read Decorno's original post and got riled up about it but didn't bother to comment. I was, like, whatever, these people have no idea what they're talking about. Miles is a f*cking genius. I wish he'd adopt me. I'd be happy just having the privilege of washing and ironing his damn mustard sloppy skirt!

    Now seeing your response, I'm starting to see perhaps decorno had a good point after all. The table skirt is a design cliche and most of these examples are no exception.

    The thing about the skirt that I think annoys the decornos of the world is that they're cloying and fussy. They scream "done." Of course there are exceptions (your suzani being one of them). But most skirts give a room a tarted up quality that comes off as unseemly. (After all, you don't wear a yellow ball gown on a daily basis do you, so why should your room?) And how fun is it to pull up a chair to a table draped in taffeta? About as much fun as going to a rubber chicken dinner (talk about draped table heaven!). Your chair legs get caught in the hem, and your own smooth legs have to fight a wall of fabric (three layers no less!) all night long.

    My vote on the table skirt: Unless one is trying to conjure up the 80s (and they were great) a skirted table is a NO about 90 percent of the time.

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  30. Wow! Wonderful post!
    I happen to love skirted tables!
    Thanks for the beautiful photos!

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  31. We all must agree on this: a good debate is good entertainment! I've spoofed you gals over at my place...Love you Joni!

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  32. Wow Joni, you really supported your case with intense homework and evidence! I like Jennifer's (Peak of Chic's) point about the diverse designers who use skirts.

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  33. All the photos are gorgeous. I have often thought about having a skirted table in our dining room, to soften the room, a bit. I may have to see about having a skirt made. Something simple, I'm thinking.

    Great post, Joni!
    Pat

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  34. Love all the comments - I agree with Decorno on the MR skirt it sucked. To Annon - You are so full of hot air you must float instead of walking - grow some tiny little balls and come out of the closet. Anyone with as much to preach about as you should at least do it without a bag over your head. MR is not a God, he's a freaking decorator! He's not curing cancer or rescuing small babies from starvation. I think we all have a deep appreciation for learning from each other in this forum and there is no room for tight assed closed minded snobs like yourself - there I said it! If you have the guts to come out and address us without the cloak of anonymity then I will pay attention but until then I think I'll pass.

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  35. Almost everyone in the design-blogging world (except you) cloaks themselves in anonymity:

    "House of Beauty and Culture"
    "Halcyon"
    "Habitually Chic"
    "Forever Chic"
    "Decorno"
    "Fairfax"
    "Pigstown Design"
    "SGM"
    "Jules"
    "JJ"
    "Mrs. Blandings"
    ***
    Adding a pseudonym doesn't make an opinion valid or invalid.
    As for Miles Redd: You called him a "design icon," Anonymous called him a "f**king genius." No real difference.

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  36. FOR THE RECORD. My name is Kevin Graves and I live in Dallas Texas. I'm not hiding from anyone.

    Secondly, everyone you just named on that list has been warm, gracious and inviting and informed us on their style likes and dislikes. THEIR because it's their blog.

    I've been on the internet since Al Gore invented it, and I know a LIST TROLL when I see one, Another Fake name.


    I know I had a can of Troll-Away around here, and now I cannot find it.

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  37. ok - I happen to love anonymous. I think he's actually the most intelligent of the lot that leaves comments. His wealth of knowledge is endless and despite his biting and stinging style of writing, I appreciate what he has to say. Hurt though it might - I'm a big girl and can certainly take constructive criticism.

    That said, and I just said this over at Decorno's - whose comments you should read after this! - all I was trying to show with this post was that skirts can be wonderful if used and constructed correctly. I probably did post too many pictures now that I'm looking at them but I tried to show as many as I could - although, there are a few stinkers in my bunch.

    But - taking Buatta out of the mix because Anon can't even stomach to read his name, much less look at his work - the list of designers who utilize skirts was surprising to me when I started putting this together - Axel, come on - he uses them all the time - and who would judge him? His taste level is so up in stratosphere. Saladino - a god to me, yes a mere designer to some, but a god to me. His book taught me more about design than 4 years at college. Moss - I adore her style, call it matronly, I don't care, I want to BE her! Molyneux - a sophisticate. I'd love to be friends with him and his wife and share drinks with them in their French castle. Redd - who doesn't love him now? Markham Roberts - a star waiting for super stardom. Bilhuber, young and fresh, unpretentious. Jose Solis- a Saladino protege, he learned well at the master's feet. Carithers - the tops at Southern design, few do it better. Pierce, a Houston icon. Kinkaid, ok - ok - you made your point!!!! I apology for this one. And for Burns too! But Stefanidis - world traveler, fabulous style. And all the ones I didn't post, the great English and French, and NOLA designers.

    So, let those who hate skirts get a beautiful textile and hang it on their walls I guess. Or keep it in a drawer. Myself? I like to sling it over a table and admire it 24/7 for a while. I mean sometimes you just get sick of seeing legs and wood and wood and legs. A beautiful piece of fabric, a Belgian linen, a exotic piece of handiwork, an antique rug, an old exquisite piece of silk is wonderful over a dining table, a place to rest your eyes in a sea of wood. It softens hard edges and adds a romantic ambience where there was none before.

    Thanks Jackie for sticking up for me, but I so enjoy Anon and appreciate him for what he has to offer. If you strip away the bravado, there's a very intellegent, warm and loving person inside of the hard shell.

    Joni

    And don't forget Webb Design - oh my, the best Houston has to offer, a star waiting to shine, ha!!!!

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  38. I am not hiding from anyone, either. Each of us whose names show up as a link isn't hiding. We're giving you open access and free rein to visit our blogs and make comments, too. It's those who post as anon and don't link that can't take the heat.

    BTW, I am trying to find photos of Christmas night with my gateleg table with its covering of an antique red & white quilt to send to Joni.

    Fairfax@Pigtown Design

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  39. Phew..what a debate! I do agree that skirted tables can look amzing if done correctly, in a traditional or a contemporary setting...but I also have to disagree about the Miles Redd room. I love it! I love the colour he's selected, and I also love that it does look like a blanket spread over the table..it looks like such a dreamy wool or cashmere, so soft and warm, and yet also quite masculine looking. Great post though!

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  40. Wow - this is a big debate and somewhat heated I must say! Personally I like skirted tables - done correctly and in the right place! Love your suzani table cloth Joni!
    XXX
    Anna

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  41. And I truly thought they were designed for a good game of "hide and seek" - olly olly ot free, come out where-ever you are!

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  42. I can't believe I'm reading a vicious argument about table skirts.

    Personally I have yet to be convinced about rectangular skirted tables but a small round one can be ever so lovely.

    Anna :)

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  43. I love skirted tables -- so sexy! And to be able to change the mood of a room with another style or fashion of cloth is wonderful! Tailored to a tee OR a bit flirty -- skirts can do magical things for a table, a room -- or even a woman! What an outstanding blog entry -- loved every word and photo -- many thanks!

    Jan at Rosemary Cottage

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  44. Who knew table skirts could cause such madness! Anyway, I call myself a minimalist and modernist, but I must confess that I secretly like table skirts. I don't use them very often, but I think when you grow up in TX, or anywhere in the South, you grow accustomed to them being used a lot. Besides, if John Saladino thinks they are beautiful, how could I argue with that.
    P.S. I like the Miles Redd table skirt. Its organic and casual.

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  45. Wow, what a topic you have chosen! Personally, I like the skirted table and I think you have selected some wonderful examples.

    Thanks,
    Paula Lofton

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  46. You always have such unique and diverse photos on your blog- your post put skirted tables in a whole new light for me! Where would you say is the best place to get a suzani? I love the one over your wine table!
    Emily (formerly known as Dear Designer- now Material Girls!)

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  47. I guess i arrived at this party a little too late. but anyways since i chanced upon your blog only today i shd probably be excused. had seen decorno's blog and thought the same thing - its the way you do the skirt not the skirt itself that is the prob. Also the modernistic aesthetic probably does not have place for this sort of look nor do the minimalists - but i guess to each his/her own. my dining table has a skirt and i think it adds charm and femininity to the room.cheers!

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  48. I like the " skirted" table , I even love them . it depends how we use them . These examples are fabulous. And you can guess my favorite is the suzani one

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  49. i think shirted tables can be quite beautiful. i love it done in burlap...i am thinking of having my DR table done!

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  50. Skirted tables deserve scorn ONLY when they look like ballgowns or are so puffy you can't get near the table at all. I have fallen in love with Ballard Designs's fringed burlap tablecloths ... they go with everything, look swell, and can have any number of tablelinens tossed over them to pretty effect.

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  51. WOW what an entertaining post this was....the pictures were great eye candy too! LOL...
    ~Des

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  52. Lovely skirted tables. My favourite is the dining table by John Saladino! Actually I want a skirted table myself now :-)

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  53. What a fabulous post, Joni! One of your best ever! What a great reference to come back to! :-)

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  54. Table skirts are so Southern cheese chintz. Like a taffeta bridesmaids dress gone bad. Not for me. I support your rival on this one. Oops!

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  55. Look at Kay's O Tooles house on the cover of Veranda.......the best tableskirt Ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  56. Okay, where the heck have I been on this one!! Anyways, all fab. examples of skirted tables, but you're missing one of my favs girl...Vicente Wolf/West Village...do you know which one?!?

    Great post Joni!!!

    ~Kate

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  58. Great post! We've seen plenty of rooms come alive with the proper skirt(s)/ tables! Mind if we post a link to your blog on our site in our decorating section? (we make custom plywood tables for skirting). Thanks!

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  59. I'm super duper late on this post but I gotta say that I think this debate is all just really about people that love fabrics and people that don't.

    For fabric lovers like me, yes bring on as much as possible anywhere anytime!

    For fabric haters use no fabric if at all possible and they will be happy campers.......

    thanks for another great post by the best!

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  61. I like skirted tables a lot. I always want to brush my feet on it!

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  62. Funny… I dream about a cozy round table like that one in the first picture. Amazing sets!! round dining tables

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  63. I totally match with everything you've written.

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  64. Your blog has a lot of inspiring skirted tables and I can't get over the pictures here so am just simply filling some encouraging support from me! I appreciate your wonderful ideas and wish you a good continuation.

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  65. I love skirted tables but I can't get mine to look full, they kind of just hang. Do you have any tips? I've seen some with something sewn into the hem, does that help?

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  66. Hi there,I enjoy reading through your article post, I wanted to write a little comment to support you and wish you a good continuationAll the best for all your blogging efforts.

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  67. I added a white skirt and a black velvet accent drape to my nightstand and it turned out so luxurious and romantic! I let the skirt pool a bit and put the drape slightly crooked to give it a casual vibe. It has a great sculptural quality to it. The room had enough right angles and basic parallel lines going on, so the skirted table really adds some cozy softness and shapeliness. I get why people might not like them in practice though - they're dust magnets! For a quick "dusting" I just run a lint roller on the top and sides, then shake off the bottom with a broom at the ready.

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