High style for small spaces

Del-Teet Furniture sells: A wide variety of mid- to high-end furniture with a good selection of dining tables, sofas and beds in addition to lamps, vases and artwork.

Price range: Some pillows and woven baskets are around $30, while sofas range from $2,000 to more than $4,000.

Who owns it? Third-generation owner Polly Teeter runs the store now, but it was founded by her grandfather in 1929 on Capitol Hill. What's the secret of running a business for 76 years? "It's really all customer-driven," Teeter said. "If the customers love it, we'll continue on with it."

What's unique? A strong Asian influence permeates Del-Teet, with porcelain lamps and artwork with Chinese characters. But the most surprising thing about this store, with an abundance of displays in neutral colors such as beige, gold and bronze, is its focus on scaled-down furniture.

Much of the furniture has sleek lines and works well in small spaces. Del-Teet sells several kinds of tables with extra leaves, helpful for people who want to entertain but don't have much room in their dining areas. For example, a dark rectangular dining table with two 18-inch leaves is $1,110. X-back side chairs with beige upholstery are $265 each.

Or try pairing two leather Diego armchairs ($1,320 each) if you have a limited floorplan. The sleek curving chair arms give it a clean look, and the smaller-scale chairs will work well in any space.

If you want to go more fabulous, take a look at the Rio round table, a burnished iron side table with thin legs ($695).

What's functional? The store has changed with the eras, starting with traditional furniture when it first opened, then moving into furniture now known as Midcentury Modern in the 1950s. By the 1970s, it shifted to Scandinavian-style furniture, then maintained a strong Asian influence before morphing into its current incarnation, a store Teeter refers to as "Northwest contemporary." That means clean lines and small-scale furniture, although there still is a strong Asian presence in the showroom.

While much of the furniture is small-scale and there are multifunctional pieces here, it's not cheap. Focus instead on accessories that are more affordable, like a bronze grid bowl for $29 or a round Chinese pot for $65. Add a dose of color from a wide selection of textured pillows, or look into lighting.

But if you are willing to spend some money, consider an Asian accent piece, such as a Japanese tansu cabinet or an unusual Chinese panel coffee table ($1,198).

How does the store work? Sofas, tables and bedroom sets are spread throughout the two-level store and arranged according to style more than by area of the home.

Good to know: All sales employees are accredited interior designers who can help you select items. Del-Teet also can have furniture made to order.

Nicole Tsong: 206-464-2150 or ntsong@seattletimes.com