This post is in partnership with Rathskellers. After over a year of planning and then 7 months of designing and waiting while it was being built in Greece, our beautiful Rathskellers coffee table has come home!
This Garrison style table was one of the central design features in our larger living room make over plans and it feels so good to finally see it in the space.
We’ve had it for one month and are ready to give you our first impressions of the table after a few weeks of use, along with some features that you maybe haven’t seen yet!
If you missed our post all about designing the table you can check that out here! After putting in our final design choices in March, we got the email that the table was on it’s way to us in August!
Having never ordered a large piece of furniture that I didn’t have to assemble before, it felt like a complete dream when it arrived fully assembled in a giant crate. Getting this into our home required a tear down of the box as well as enlisting a neighbor stronger than I to help carry it in. (It weighs 300 pounds!)
Once in the room, it felt like it was always meant to be there. It was such a sigh of relief to see the different options we picked when designing the table fit the room perfectly.
The Garrison Table Specs
Our Garrison measures 135cm x 90cm. (roughly 53in x 35in.) I am so glad we went with this largest option — it’s a great size for both small and large board games. If we play a particularly sprawling board game we’ll still use our dining table, but on the whole, this size is perfect for about 90% of the games we play.
We chose the Antique Oak option in stain color 90, which gives the table a combination of those rustic lines and knotty elements. In person it provides a timeless, perfectly imperfect character to the table.
Playing on the top of the table is great for card games and other quick game options, but for those that benefit from a lowered surface, a quick push of the button pops up one of the table leaves so they can all be removed.
The Game Cellar
Inside the cellar makes the perfect game surface. It keeps everything contained, has a card ledge for easy card holding, and a microfiber cloth which helps make picking up cards and other components a breeze.
The inner cloth is reversible and we can take the cellar floor out, flip it around, and lay it on the other side for a different color to play on. We chose the colors Pheonix Ashes (gray) and Eternal Den (teal blue.) Additionally, we ordered a plexiglass overlay — we thought this would be fun for a few of the games we have that require writing on a map. We can add that component under the plexiglass, use dry erase markers and then clean it off when finished!
After playing games with a game table, I can now see why everyone who has one raves about them. The game cellar really does improve the playing experience. Having everything lowered a bit makes things easier to see, the side walls act as a barrier so nothing ever falls on the floor, and the table provides a nice comfortable arm rest during the game.
Something we’ve found we really love is the ability to set up a game in the cellar and put the leaves back on to return to if for some reason we’re interrupted or we just wanted to set it up for a later play session.
The Trench Patrol board is a must in my opinion! This board allows you to leave some of the leaves on and then connects to block off the underside of those leaves — keeping anything like stray dice from rolling underneath and needing the leaves to be removed. We do this all the time! We might leave a single leaf on the table to act as a snack tray, or only remove one or two leaves to play a small dice or card game.
The Aluminum Rail System
Where this table truly shines, and what sets Rathskellers apart in my opinion, is the aluminum rail system running along the outside of the table. This rail allows you to add and remove attachments to the table wherever you need them. You can customize the attachments your family needs like cup holders, dice bins, tablet holders, or extra play areas. We got a little bit of everything to test it out over the coming years both to help give our thoughts, as well as allow the table to grow and change as our family’s needs do.
Is Sitting Around it Comfortable?
The most asked question so far is whether or not sitting around the coffee table is comfortable for our backs. So far, we’ve had no issues. I even feel like I slump a little less around the coffee table than I do at the dining table. I definitely need to work on my posture all around.
One thing we did needed though was something to sit on for the opposite side of the table.
We found these collapsable and adjustable stools which work pretty well for this! They store flat under the table, and we can adjust them to different heights depending on who is playing.
They are pretty sturdy though one is a little creakier than the other but that’s just noise created by the plastic material and not from a strength standpoint.
In the future, we’d like to replace our couch and or possibly get some nicer sitting chairs and rearrange the furniture in the room, but for now, this works really well for our family.
One thing I’m not sure about…
The only thing I’m iffy about on the table so far, is the design of the Headquarters. This is the side of the table that has all of the drawers. In theory they should provide a lot of nice storage, but so far many are too small to offer much help when it comes to storing any games. There are two deep bins where we’ve been keeping a few of our current card game favorites along with some of the baby’s toys in another.
We use one of the smaller drawers to hold our remotes, and a couple more to hold some of the attachments for the rail. Overall though, I’d say about 60% of the drawers are empty. I’m not one to unintentionally fill a drawer just because we have it, so over the course of time, I expect we’ll find use for them when that use is needed. If not, we’ll let you know! These drawers were an expensive add on to the table, so they may not be the best fit in the end.
One Month down, a lifetime to go!
We are so happy to finally have our Rathskellers in our home. It came during our busiest month of the year, so even though we’ve used it daily over the last month, it’s about to be put through it’s paces in the coming weeks as we enter cozy season and all of the holiday gaming that comes with it!
From a design standpoint, I am completely happy with the Garrison so far. The table is gorgeous and a beautiful piece of furniture for both our family and hobby. We fully expect it to be in our family for years and years, hopefully passing it down to one of our kids.
We’ll check back in with another review on the table after 6 months of solid use! Until then, be sure to follow on Instagram where you can see more of the table in action on our feed and in stories!
