Small furniture, big ideas

Tiny G has just learned to scribble with a crayon, but as it stands now the only place for him to unleash his inner Brosnan (oh, yes, Remington paints) is at our well-loved leather coffee table, a custom piece from Shelter on Beverly that was a housewarming present from my parents when I moved into an apartment on Sycamore back in my roaring 20s. While it is the perfect height, I’m hoping to find something a little more kid- and crayon-friendly for Tiny G’s room. Price is a factor, but I don’t want it to fall apart after a few months. Thoughts? So far, the contenders…

1. Ecotots Project Table, pictured above ($225 for table; $140 for pair of stools). This is my favorite and, besides being eco-friendly, would look very cute in the room with Tiny G’s white lacquer and maple Oeuf crib, but also definitely more than I want to spend.

2. Ikea Kritter Table ($24.99 for table; $12.99 per chair). Can it really be that inexpensive? It’s made of solid rubberwood, which is like a hard maple so I’m thinking it’s going to be durable.

3. Chalkboard Table & Stool Set ($200). This seems pretty great: a chalkboard table that kids can draw directly on with indented center to hold chalk. Tabula rasa, baby.

4. notNeutral BB2 Set ($480 for table, plus two chairs). Yeah, way over budget. Or maybe Mr. Foodinista could play a round of craps before heading home from his conference in Vegas today?

5. P’kolino Little One’s Table and Chairs ($129 for table, plus two chairs). Or a much more reasonable version of the notNeutral in a similar vein…love the generous size of the tabletop and orange would be great in his blue room.