top 5 side tables  

Actually, I have the IKEA one too,
And both are in fine shape. The Offi one is actually suffering more, since it's gotten water rings on it from repeated martini supporting duties. The IKEA one I use as a seat at my dressing table. I actually got nail polish on it once when painting my tootsies and it wiped right off. I like them both, but the Offi one has a cooler styling and is more multi-use.

For the money it is hard to...
For the money it is hard to beat eh IKEA one. I have had one of those cheapie target stool a la aalto for years. Its fun to use for anything because it was 15 bucks. I use it as extra seating, to hold drinks without coasters when I'm too drunk to care. I take it outdoors when needed.... etc.

Finish
On my side table is fine... But I don't use it for sitting, just for putting stuff on.

HAH!
Whitespike, I have that Target Aalto knockoff too! Too funny, you and I have such similar tastes.

faux aalto upgrade
.. Frosta / Aalto ..
http://www.doorsixteen.com/2009/06/19/faux-aalto-frosta-upgrade/

I painted mine black
even with four legs they look better.

Target also sells (last I...
Target also sells (last I checked) imitation Aalto stools. I'm surprised at the contradictions some have made regarding knock offs...every rule has an exception.

In my living room, I'm...
In my living room, I'm actually using Cado wall units as side tables. I was having problems finding side tables I really liked that had adequate storage. I had two Cado units sitting around that I had yet to find rails to mount on the wall. So I decided to use them as side tables until I found something that fit my needs. I actually like them so much as side tables that I plan to keep using them in that capacity. But they only work if they are going to be sitting up against a wall because they have a black back and dowels on the back. So basically, something doesn't have to be designed as a side table to work and look good in that capacity. Likewise, you could use a really cool stool if storage space isn't a necessity. On my deck, my side table is a neat wooden planting pot I found at a yard sale, that I just turned over. You'd never know it was actually a pot if I didn't tell you. So use your imagination if you can't find something that meets your needs.

Absolutely!
I'm using an antique Pueblo Indian chili pepper mortar turned upside down as a side table next to my Womb chair. The look is reminiscent of an Eames walnut stool, but it cost me $50 and has an interesting history to boot. A friend of mine uses a stack of old books that she ran a dowel through and glued the covers shut. Then she painted the whole stack glossy white. It's very Droog, I like it a lot and just might steal the idea.

my bedside tables
are stacks of unused ex-Naval issue suitcases !

OLIVE - got a photo of your...
OLIVE - got a photo of your table? And your friend's?

Mine, yes...hers, no
but I'll ask her for one. Here's mine. If you'd like one I can get one for you easily in Santa Fe. BTW, that's a cat, not a black pillow on the grey chair in the foreground. He has made of that cushion, his own personal hammock. No amount of shooing will disuade him...I gave up and conceded defeat.

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Cats do love a womb chairs,such a nice space Olive.Side tables:I feel a side table can go counter to the whole/look feel of interiors...sorta like flowers,an exclamation point,perhaps?

I agree
side tables are like a clutch purse or a scarf, they accent the ensemble, they don't have to blend.
Thanks for the compliments, AzC. We will VERY much miss this house. It was such a joy to live here. But in the end a house is not a life, and you can make a home wherever the heart is.

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that reminds me I left my hello kitty clutch on my rough hewn side table:)