As you might guess, I frequently “Mochi” my own home to help me visualize various decorating issues. I find that making a quick-and-dirty image can really help us make a decision when choosing between a couple of options. Ultimately this saves us a lot of headaches, a few arguments and some merchandise returns. Case in point: our new side tables.

We recently bought a fabulous charcoal gray Metro couch from Room and Board and were looking for the perfect side tables. We knew we wanted something small (to fit the space) and simple (we don’t like fussy). We also knew we wanted symmetry and we wanted to somehow add a pop of color.

We came up with two options.

(1) The Miner side table from CB2 + Breck table lamp in green from Crate and Barrel. Not bad, but perhaps not spectacular. The olive/sage lamp sort of pales in comparison to the saturated rusty orange pillows. Also, the table looks a tad wimpy next to the chunky couch.

(2) The Zest C table from CB2 + Breck table lamp in charcoal. I think this is the clear winner. This image made us instantly realize that bright lime green was an appealing and powerful match to the orange. Plus, the chuncky profile could stand up to the couch.

Here is the complete set, installed in our living room. I think we made the right choice, don’t you?

Do you have any design dilemmas that could benefit from a Mochi quickie?