How To Choose A Coffee Table – Your coffee table is the centerpiece of your living room – it’s where you’ll gather with friends over a glass of wine, play board games with the kids, prop up your feet after a long day and rest your cup of coffee on a crisp Sunday morning. So much life is spent on this piece of furniture, so it’s undeniably important to get it right.
There are various things to consider when making an important coffee table purchase, including the functionality of the piece, style, color and size. There is also a feeling that is given to you – does it enter your life easily? Does it match your existing decor? Do you want to spend all that time?
How To Choose A Coffee Table
With these factors and more to keep in mind, finding the perfect coffee table that brings your entire living room together is no easy task. But, with some important advice in mind, it will be easier… Read on to find out what you must know before deciding on a new coffee table.
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With thousands of options on the market, figuring out where to start can be overwhelming, to say the least. So, our top non-negotiable tip is this: get your coffee table’s main function done, and go from there. What do you use your coffee table the most?
Maybe it’s a focal piece of furniture when you entertain guests, or maybe the kids use it as a surface for their after-school and weekend activities. Some of us just like to sit, watch movies and use the coffee table as a functional part for our food and drinks. Others prefer to stack it high with pretty trinkets and heavy design books. Whatever the use, determine and prioritize to ensure you can choose your new parts accordingly.
With that said, let’s start things off with the size of your coffee table. This depends on the space you have, the number of chairs or sofa pieces around it, and ultimately, the size of your family. For those with a lot of space to burn, choose something larger and more ornate to fill the space and create the necessary surface area. On the other hand, if you are working with a small room or house, nothing says your coffee table has to be a monster! It’s ten times more functional to find something smaller that complements your existing furniture and doesn’t take up the precious space you have.
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The arrangement of your sofa will also reflect the size of your coffee table – after all, it’s a priority to ensure an accessible surface wherever you sit. So if you have two large sofas for a family of seven crammed around a small coffee table, chances are you will feel uncomfortable and it will be difficult to really use this part. Instead, choose something larger that everyone can easily reach. On the other hand, a giant coffee table with two armchairs will feel unbalanced and, in terms of style, will look haphazard. In this case, choose a smaller table, using an accent table if you need additional surface space.
Finally, make sure you have enough space for everyone in your family. This comes hand in hand with your seating arrangement, and therefore, should not be difficult to fulfill. As long as everyone has equal access to the table, you’re doing something right!
Tip: Do you find yourself needing more surface space, but a coffee table just isn’t cutting it? Consider decorating one or two side tables around the living room to create more places to rest your drink, arrange books and store the remote control, without having to choose a large and imposing coffee table. These are great multi-functional pieces and definitely come in handy, especially if you’re entertaining.
How To Choose Your Perfect Coffee Table
Something that fits the size of your coffee table is – you guessed it – its shape. Gone are the days when rectangles were your only option. Nowadays, it is equally common to see coffee tables in oval, square and even round formats. Again, this depends on the needs of your household, but it will also help reflect the style you’re trying to portray. For example, a round coffee table can really complement a mid-century modern home, while something clear and rectangular with lots of sharp lines might be more suitable for contemporary styling.
Also consider the practicality of the table when choosing your shape. Depending on the configuration of your couch or chair, a round or oval coffee table may not be far enough for everyone to reach comfortably. Meanwhile, a rectangular coffee table will fit on each edge, allowing your household to reach it easily no matter where they sit.
Once you know the size and shape of your future coffee table, you probably have a rough sketch in mind. Now, let’s fill in the details. The material your coffee table is made from can make or break how you use it – not all materials are created equal, and some suit certain lifestyles and families better than others.
How To Choose The Right Coffee Table
One of the most common materials is wood, with wooden coffee tables making up the majority of what is on offer. Depending on the type of wood used, this is a very sturdy option that looks beautiful and fits a variety of styles, including mid-century modern, Scandi, coastal and classic. Some woods, such as oak and mahogany, will withstand years of daily use, and are therefore a great choice for those with children and pets. Even if you have a small family and don’t plan to be too rough around the coffee table, you may still enjoy wood from an aesthetic and practical point of view – it looks nice, is relatively easy to clean and will stand the test of time.
Another option for coffee tables is glass, often framed with a metal base and legs. Glass coffee tables are stunning in modern contemporary, mid-century modern and new Art Deco homes in particular. They have their pros and cons – on the other hand, glass is very easy to clean, makes the space look bigger and gives a clean and open feeling. However, it’s not our material of choice if you’ve got, say, an uninhibited toddler or a raging Golden Retriever on your hands… Let’s just say, nobody wants that seven-year bad luck.
Finally, consider other materials that are cool and push the envelope for your coffee table, such as cement, steel or acrylic. These each have their own unique positives, and are emerging as popular materials for those who like unique pieces.
How To Choose A Coffee Table: Coffee Table Buying Guide
Aside from serving a functional purpose, the next most important goal for your coffee table is to complement your existing interior and tie the room together (anyone who says that’s a rug’s job doesn’t know the power of a good coffee table). Therefore, it is important that your coffee table has a unique point of view and creates deep and visual interest in your space, helping to strengthen your aesthetic. Here are some of the most popular furniture styles and key elements you might find on a coffee table that fits that design.
Of course, there are some other styles – and that doesn’t mean you can’t mix them up either! Be aware of the key design elements you’ve established in the space and try to reflect them in your new coffee table, within reason. There’s no harm in going slightly off-center, as long as everything is still loosely tied.
Finally, now that you have a more detailed idea of everything you want in a coffee table (and most likely, more!) let’s talk functionality. After all, there’s no point in looking for the perfect piece to fail at our number one goal, which is adapting your coffee table to your needs and lifestyle. There are several things to consider that will affect the usability and practicality of your new furniture item, and that should definitely be taken into account before you make your final decision.
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For most people, a drawer or storage space in a coffee table cannot be missed at all. Think about all the trash we collect day to day – where do you put it, if not for your coffee table drawer? Carefully consider your priorities here, and choose accordingly. If you have a lot of items that really need a home – we’re talking children’s toys, take-out menus, keys, the list goes on – then drawers will definitely be your choice. However, if you live in a very clean or minimalist home, or if design is your priority, then you may prefer open shelves at the bottom of your coffee table. These can be used to display items such as coffee table books, baskets and knick-knacks, but are also great for storage, as long as they are organized accordingly.
Another major consideration that may have been lost on your mind until now is the rim of the coffee table. The rim will affect how easily you can use the coffee table from a
