When we buy a new home, we walk in the front door and build our first impression. The height of the ceilings, the way the light fills the space, the expanse of floors and walls - this first impression often makes our decision for us. After we decide on the house we will eventually make into a home, we furnish this space in a way that makes a great first impression to the rest of the world.
It's a classic addition to the foyer or front hall of in our homes-the hall table. Whether it rests across the wall directly across from the front door, or fills the space in the front hallway, it becomes an important piece of furniture in our homes. But because our hall tables do not work as hard or as frequently as the other tables in our house - the kitchen table, the coffee table, our bedside tables, we may put them there and not give them much thought. But this gracious furniture works for us on a daily basis.
Think about your work day. You return home, walk in your front door, and drop your briefcase, purse, or keys - where? Chances are, it's on one of your hall tables. Maybe you stash shopping bags below the table and toss your keys in a drawer, or maybe just leave everything on top of the tables. But there's no confusion when it's time to leave the house the next morning. You know where to look - the hall tables. Pick up your bag, pick up your keys, and go.
The first addition to your family comes along soon - in the form of a puppy. It doesn't take long for her to learn to greet you at the front door at the end of the day. She's got her eye on the prize after waiting patiently all day for you - she wants a walk. Grab the leash from a drawer in one of the hall tables and take your best friend out for a quick trip around the block. Return it to its convenient storage spot, and don't move it unless you are ready to take her out again.
A few years pass, and now it's a baby who fills the space in your home. Park the stroller inside the front door, and stash the diaper bags under the hall tables. It's best to store those essentials - spare diapers, an extra sweater, and the rattle - right where you need them.
The kids are in school, and every year you've got treasures to display. The award-winning art project, the straight-A report card, the prom pictures - they deserve a place of honor in your home - propped up on your hall tables.
Maybe you like to add seasonal flair to your décor - spring flowers, summertime lanterns, autumn leaves, and holiday keepsakes. You need to make space for the decorations that appear in rotation. There's a good chance that the place to showcase these treasures is on your hall tables.
Decades pass, and the children who filled our homes with noise and clutter have homes of their own. But the house is still filled with little footsteps and covered with little handprints. You've got to spoil the little ones, yes? Where do we keep the candy jars? Chances are, they're on the hall tables.
Our hall tables - they're the temporary pedestal for the mementos in our lives - greeting cards, family snapshots, vacation souvenirs. We may not work our hall tables the way we do other furniture, but the hall tables work in tribute to the moments and the objects we hold dear.
