Ideas for a Kitchen Table at a Bay Window

Kitchen nooks are small eating areas in the kitchen that often feature a bay window. A small table placed in the nook complements the space and takes advantage of the view. Many homeowners use the table as a casual eating space, but decorating it can be a challenge depending on how it's used and on the shape of the table. Does this Spark an idea?

'50s Diner

Some bay windows have built-in window seats. If this is the case in your home, consider placing your table near the seats and setting a bench on the other side of the table. This creates a boothlike feeling. Then, continue the retro diner theme by decorating your kitchen table with a stainless steel napkin holder, a small radio shaped like a jukebox, framed vintage recipes or food ads, and other '50s diner decor.

Coffee Break

Create a morning retreat for yourself by decorating your kitchen table with your favorite morning goodies. A pretty tray can hold teacups or coffee mugs. Arrange matching sugar and cream servers next to the tray. If you prefer tea, try displaying an antique tea set. Even if it's not functional, it is decorative. Finish off the space with a magazine holder. The light streaming in from the bay window will make that table the perfect place to enjoy your morning paper.

Bird Station

Take advantage of the view by hanging some bird feeders outside the bay window. Then use the table to enjoy watching the birds come to feed. Furnish your table with items such as binoculars, a bird-watching guide and dishes decorated with bird patterns. Fill a grapevine "nest" with round napkin holders to continue the bird theme.

Garden Delight

Bring the outdoors in by decorating your table so that it reflects the view outside. Fill a vase with flowers that complement or match those outside in the garden, and set it in the center of the table. Or choose a tablecloth patterned with the same flowers. Add seasonal touches as the year progresses, with items such as a bowl filled with colorful gourds or cinnamon-scented pine cones.

How to Use the IRS Tax Rate Table

While many taxpayers choose to utilize the advantages and convenience of electronic tax filing by using online tax-preparation companies that calculate your taxes electronically, many still choose to do taxes by hand. Deciding to do your taxes by hand requires use of the instruction booklet for the specific form you file. The instructions guide you line by line in filling out your return, even providing a tax-rate table for you. The Internal Revenue Services (IRS) tax-rate table lets you figure out exactly how much tax you owe to the IRS.

Instructions

1

Complete the information on your federal income-tax return until you figure out the dollar amount of your taxable income, which is the amount you enter on line 43 of your federal form 1040. This amount is the outcome of subtracting your tax deductions from your adjusted gross income.

2

Find your taxable income on the IRSs tax-rate table. For example, if the taxable income on line 43 of your income tax return is $87,067, locate the $87,000 section on the tax-rate table and find the line where the table states your income is At least X amount but less than X amount until you find the line where $87,067 fits.

3

Use your filing status to determine the amount of tax you owe. Next to the line where your taxable income is located you will see four different dollar amounts. Your total tax due is the amount in the column of your filing status, which is either single, married filing jointly, married filing separately or head of household. If you are married filing jointly you will locate that column next to your taxable income to determine your tax liability, which in this case is $14,019.

How to Build a Sofa Table

Sofa tables sit behind your sofa and normally run 4-feet long or more, depending on the size of your sofa and your design choices. You can build a sofa table with wood and top it with slate, tile, rock or glass to fit the dcor of your living room. Building a sofa table is a simple project. You can ask your local home improvement store to cut your wood top to size and you can find pre-made table legs in many styles at your local home store. These instructions are to help you build a sofa table that's 4-feet-long, 18-inches wide and 30-inches tall. You can adjust any of the sizes to fit your sofa. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1

Place the hardwood panel face down on a flat surface and attach the L brackets to each of the four corners with wood screws. Attach the table legs to the L brackets. Stand the table right side up.

2

Attach the decorative strips to the facing edges of the panel with wood glue, followed by finishing nails spaced every 6 inches or so, around the perimeter of the sofa table. Let the glue dry.

3

Sand the table with medium-grade sandpaper followed by light-grade sandpaper. Sand the wood in the direction of the grain. The light-grade paper will help remove the scratches left by the medium paper. Remove all of the debris left from sanding. Any particles left on the wood will be visible in your finished table.

4

Stain the table to match the dcor in your living room. Always stain in the direction of the wood grain. If you need more than one coat of stain, follow the manufacturer's directions regarding sanding in between coats. Let the stain cure completely before you apply a coat of polyurethane for protection and shine.

Inversion Table Dangers

Inversion therapy is a useful practice for chiropractic patients. Using an inversion table assists in alleviating spinal compression and can help reduce back pain as well as offer users a way to exercise abdominal muscles. However, as with any medical treatment, there are certain risks associated with the use of an inversion table.

Inversion Table

Inversion tables can be used in a chiropractor's office or purchased for home use. An inversion table works by having the user place the feet in stirrups and slowly tipping back until the user is partially or completely inverted. Used properly, inversion tables present little risk, although caution should always be exercised.

Health Risks

An inversion table should not be used for longer than 20 to 30 minutes at a time in one day, due to the risk of increased blood pressure. Those taking blood thinners or using aspirin therapy should avoid using inversion tables due to the risks associated with changes in blood flow caused by inversion.

Muscle pain can also result from improper use of an inversion table; follow all directions given by a doctor when using an inversion table.

Pregnant women, those suffering from glaucoma and those who have experienced recent spinal injuries should all avoid using inversion therapy.

Misconceptions

One common misconception about the use of inversion tables is that one must hang at an extreme angle to get the full benefit of the inversion; in fact, it is damaging to muscles and fitness to do too much too soon. When first using an inversion table, starting with gentle angles is the best way to receive the full health benefits.

Inversion Tables and Stroke

There was speculation that using an inversion table could contribute to strokes. The media reported the risks, but studies on the use of inversion tables found no evidence to support the speculation. Research done at universities including Marquette, Iowa and Portland showed that using an inversion table will not increase the risk of a stroke in users. However, those with high or uncontrollable blood pressure should be cautious when using an inversion table.

Considerations

As with any form of fitness or wellness equipment, inversion tables should be used with supervision and an eye to caution; whether used at a doctor's office or in the home, the table should be checked to ensure that it is being used properly and is in working order.

Those who plan on using an inversion table should discuss it with their doctor to be sure that they are sufficiently healthy and will not experience an unhealthy increase in blood pressure or other complications after or during inversion.

How to Build a Dining Room or Kitchen Table

Building a dining room or kitchen table is a task just about anyone can do. It's important to make the table as durable as possible.Having a strong and durable table is important when someone wants to knead bread, or perform other rigorous baking tasks in the kitchen. Building your own table will not be expensive, and should take only a few hours. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1

Lay your 36-inch boards on edge, parallel, and 33 inches apart. Lay the 33-inch boards on edge, and perpendicularly between them so the 33-inch boards are parallel and 33 inches apart. Screw through the 36-inch boards into the 33-inch boards, using the drill or screw gun, resulting in a square frame of 36 by 36 inches.

2

Lay your plywood on top of the 36-inch frame and center the plywood. All sides of the plywood should be 6 inches from the frame. Screw through the plywood, and into the frame. Countersink your screws, allowing inch for wood putty. Use four screws for this process. This is your tabletop.

3

Turn the plywood and square frame over so it is lying on the tabletop. Place a 30-inch board perpendicularly inside each corner. Screw through the 2-by-6 boards into the 30-inch boards to secure the legs.

4

Apply the wood putty in the screw holes on the tabletop. Use your putty knife to pack the putty over the screw, and to make a smooth surface between the putty and the tabletop. Let the putty dry according to instructions, and then sand the project with medium-grade sandpaper and then fine-grade sandpaper.

5

Wipe your table clean with a tackcloth, apply the wood stain with a paintbrush, and let the project dry.

Console Table Decorating Ideas

Considering the small amount of space there is on a console table, the less accents on it the better. Wherever you have the table, the dcor on it should accentuate the table as well as the space, not draw away from it. Decorating the table can be a challenge, but it could have wonderful results. Does this Spark an idea?

Collection of Photographs

You can mix and match the frames but having one type and color of frame can give it a more streamlined look. Use the same frame but in varying heights and similar shapes; for example, a tall brown rectangle frame next to a short square brown frame. Instead of mixing black and white photos with colors, consider just having all of one type. If there are some photos that you would like to transfer to black and white, you can easily change them by using a photo editing program or by sending them to a local photo processing center.

Silver Decor

To dress up a console table, consider adding an elegant touch of silver. Put silver candelabras on either end of the table and a silver decorative bowl in between. To protect the surface of the table, put a runner underneath the items. Consider one that is white to complement both the dcor and the color of the table itself.

Decorative Lamp

A plain lamp could look boring on a console table; it may appear as though you added the lamp just to put any item on there. Consider one that has a decorative and elaborate base so it can stand on its own as a decorative piece. It doesn't necessarily need a runner underneath it; it could look beautiful on its own.

Vase with Flowers

One option you have with flowers is to use a regular, cylindrical vase with a very large bouquet of flowers that stretches out past the sides of the vase; you can use faux flowers if need be. Another option is to use a larger vase, such as one that is rectangular, and fill it with flowers. Both options can help balance out the size of the console with the single vase.

Tray with Candles

Place a large, rectangular mirrored tray in the center of the table, preferably one that has an elaborate frame on it. Place pillar candles of varying heights on the tray along with several loose crystals scattered along the bottom. Consider using candles that are off white, which can go with almost any color dcor.

What to Decorate an Entrance Console Table With?

A small console table in the entryway of your home serves as a welcome to your guest. It's the first thing a guest sees upon entering our home, so this piece of furniture is inspires their overall first impression. Just as important as the the entry table itself is the way you present it. When thoughtfully decorated, an entry table welcomes guests and hints at what's to come in the rest of your house. Does this Spark an idea?

On the Table

Imagine if you're an overnight guest in a boutique hotel or someone's home. The same types of things a thoughtful host might supply your room with are some of the things that go well on an entry table. For example, fresh flowers are cheerful and welcoming. A mirror comes in handy for those who'd like to take a quick glance at themselves if they've come in from a rainy or windy day. Consider also a lamp, a beautifully scented candle, a basket or tray for keys and mail or a few favorite framed photos. A plump tassel hung from the drawer pull is an elegant touch.

Cluster your items groups of three or five, using items with varying heights and placing taller ones toward the back. Group similar items together, whether the items themselves are similar (framed photos) or similar in color or material.

Above the Table

Don't stop at just the table top. Hang items on the wall space above your table as well. A cheerful painting, an antique "Welcome" sign, a key hook rack or a mirror all come to mind. Another option is something unusual that hints of things to come in your home. For example, in a Western-themed home, that might be an iron star or a cluster of old horseshoes.

Under the Table

If your console table is open underneath, place a few larger items under your table. Again, cluster them in groups of three of five and use objects with varying heights. Some ideas are pottery pieces, tall metal candle lanterns and baskets.

Creating a Complete Vignette

If you've decorated your entry table's surface, surrounding wall and the space underneath, you're very close to completely decorating your entire entryway. To finish off the area, add a piece or two such as a small rug, a hat and coat rack, a chair and an umbrella stand. The idea is to create a welcoming room that will help your guests feel comfortable in your home. Having a spot to sit and take their galoshes off, to leave their keys and to check their lipstick goes a long way toward making visitors feel welcome.