HELP!!!! Too many choices for my mind to handle

[Matt Brawley]

I am designing a set of tables for my living room (coffee table and two end tables), and I have hit a snag. I am somewhat of a perfectionist, but it seems as soon as I come up with a design I am trying to figure out how to make it better and perfect. My question is I have some beautiful Cherry that I had planned to make the entire set out of, but I am now debating using hard maple legs and curly maple for the aprons.

I would like some feedback from everyone here on whether I should just continue with the all cherry design, or get some maple for the build. Another thought I just had was to make it all cherry then do an inlay on the tops of the tables in maple or QSWO. Someone please help me while I still have my sanity.

Thanks for your input.

[alex grams]

Something I would consider is how light is the room, and what floor/wall colors/shades do you have? Have you selected a finish? What kind of inlay are you thinking of using? Geometric, or more of a small design?

I really like cherry, it is very rich, and if you already have it on hand, I would consider sticking with that. While I think cherry can work well alone in a piece of furniture, maple really lends itself to using a complimentary wood.

I am running into a similar problem. I plan on making two end tables and a sofa/hall table for my living room, but I have the material pretty well picked out (curly maple legs, koa panels/tops), solid hard maple framing. My issue is I just can't seem to find a unique design that really appeals to me. Everything seems too typical.

[Matt Brawley]

I have the opposite problem I have the design figured out, but I can't pick my woods for it. The floor is a light cream colored tile, while the walls are a slightly darker tan, I am not a woman and don't know the names of all of the fancy colors :). I plan on finishing the Cherry with BLO and Varnish. The inlays will be two diamonds in the top of the coffee table and one diamond in each of the end tables.

[mike holden]

Matt,
I have worked all my life in the automotive industry, and we have a saying: "At some point in the project, you have to shoot the engineer and build the da*n car!"

Sounds like its time to "shoot the engineer". (grin)

Build it with what you have, and enjoy it. No matter what project you do, or how well you do it, in two years you will look back and think of many things you would do differently. But, you WILL have a piece or two to look back on. If you dont build anything till you are certain that there is no better way, then you will not build much if anything.

Take this from a major procrastinator, me

Mike

[Matt Brawley]

Thanks, and you did hit the nail. I am an engineer.

[mike holden]

Hello Matt!

Yes, My name is Mike, and I,,,, I am an engineer! (sob!)

Sometimes I think we need a twelve step program to function in the "real world" (grin)

Mike

[Ben Hatcher]

Matt,
Here's my 2c...I'm another engineer so take if for what it's worth.

I faced a similar dilemma when I built my table set. I really like the contrasting wood look, but I worry that it is somewhat trendy and won't age well. I chose to make a shaker-ish design and to use one species (walnut) for the body. To get the contrast that I like so much, I built the drawers out of curly maple which I attached to the drawer fronts with half blind dovetails. I got to use some fancy wood and some fancy woodworking at the same time AND the pieces retain that timeless quality.

Another reason that I didn't use maple on exterior pieces is that it is kind of a boring. I find that I appreciate its subtle beauty much more when I only see it once in a while.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Have a little chat with your spouse.
It may be that your idea of a flair for wood grain and wood color combinations might seem a tad loud for her.

I've shown many things to my wife that I thought were really cool like Gorgeous grain of Claro walnut in a piece, or super involved inlay- - you name it - - and as often as not she recoils from it saying things like "loud," "too much - overpowering," "too busy" or her favorite: "not my taste."

It would appear that she and I have different ideas of aesthetics. And it's just as well too because, if I did the all the design and selection, the house would be a jumble of wild ideas, mismatched colors, and conflicting schemes and styles. The likes of which would not well deserve the word "eclectic" so much as "hodgepodge."