As many of you have seen, industrial rustic furnishings have flooded the market. While working with a new residential client, this was the look they were going for. Knowing how quickly trends come and go, I designed an oversized chalkboard tray for their coffee table to act as center stage instead of a pricey industrial table that could possibly look dated in a few years and would not be child friendly for their growing family.
Instead I selected the Edgewood Coffee Table from Crate and Barrel and had a porcelain magnetic chalkboard cut into a 24" x 24" square and framed in rustic barn wood. As not to have it read "country" looking, I painted it with layers of grays and warm tans and applied a pair of heavy duty metal handles.
This was the perfect gathering place for the older children to leave notes for each other, showcase their artwork, and for the younger siblings to spell out words with magnetic letters.
Since that time, I have made additional trays for clients and currently use one myself when serving wine & cheese. It is the perfect surface to write the name of appetizers being served and has a great urban unexpected chic that continues to be a conversation piece.
