I talked to Henry about having a coffee table built. However, the dimensions he suggested (except height) seemed more to me like a sofa table than a coffee table (34 by 18). When I told him the dimensions I was thinking, he was freaked. He told me to go home and measure. I was about right (48 by 36).

I went looking for “map table” on the internet. The only one I found, that was actually a map table, was at Star Furniture from Martha Stewart. Now, I have never cared much for her style, much too fussy for me, but I do like that map table. I would like it instead of the brass and glass (very nice, but clearly modern) coffee table I have now. Of course, I never go to Star Furniture. And all the highways are labeled with names rather than numbers. I would much prefer N59 Houston rather than EastTex freeway or S59 Houston rather than SW Freeway. Some of these freeways I don’t know by name. And they aren’t labeled that way on a map.

(On an aside, shouldn’t people think about visitors when they decide to label streets? I was trying to get directions from 63 to visit a friend, which, it turns out, everyone in town calls “the Brownfield highway.” Drives me crazy. Austin does the same thing, so it’s not just Houston or Lubbock. 183 is Research Blvd.)

Since I only found one map table, although I found several DIY tables with maps decoupaged on them, I wondered if they had another name. But I couldn’t find anything on map tables’ history or a definition of them. Couldn’t find much on coffee table def. either. Coffee table history simply nets you coffee table books of a historical nature.

Where do map tables come from? Why have coffee tables gotten so big? And why do we have low coffee tables anyway?

Anyone know?