From suburban mansions to studio apartments, town houses to country homes, living rooms everywhere prominently feature the furniture must-have of the century: the coffee table. Its popularity, along with the expansion of online shopping, has flooded the coffee table market. This embarrassment of riches has been for some a blessing and a curse for others, making the hunt for the perfect fit simultaneously easier and harder than ever. That's where we can help. This coffee table buying guide contains some basic information to help you figure out how to buy a coffee table that is right for you and your home.
The traditional setting for a coffee table is center stage, surrounded by an orchestra pit of living room furniture. So if the three tenors were coffee, sofa and end tables, your coffee table would be Pavarotti. Unlike Pavarotti, however, it does not just occupy center stage. Your coffee table IS center stage, and it's a stage accustomed to its share of entrances and exits. Coffee tables are catchalls for items as far afield as books, magazines, remote controls, a vase of fresh peonies, dinner plates, newspapers, coasters and yes, even coffee. How do you know when a coffee table is tailored to you, your living room and your lifestyle? Learn the lingo. Create some coffee table criteria. Include considerations of size, shape, material, style and utility. With standards informed by this coffee table primer, you'll be better able to envision the perfect piece in your home.
Coffee tables are not one-size-fits-all, and sizing them depends on the size of your living room and the setup of your living room furniture. There are three basic rules of thumb: One, choose a table that's approximately the same height as your sofa cushions or slightly shorter; two, it should measure no more than two-thirds the sofa's total length; and three, keep two feet of clearance around each side.
After spending a little quality time with the tape measure, you will have a range of sizes that will work. But beyond the formula approach, don't ignore your own designing impulses. If you are tall or if you plan to spend more time standing than sitting around your coffee table, you might want to tack on a few inches. On the other hand, if you are interested in creating a down-to-earth feel, think about lower settings. Begin with the rules of thumb in mind but remember that form and function are fast friends when you want to create an ideal living area.
The textbook coffee table shape is rectangular, with such familiar proportions that it probably deserves its own trademark. In practice, furniture designers create endless variations on this shape, in which the table surface is just one component.
Table top
It's hard to go wrong with a rectangular coffee table, but again, consider how you'll be using it. If you frequently entertain guests, you may want to consider a circular or oval coffee table. Round furniture pieces tend to be better at gathering groups of people. If not just for aesthetic reasons, the absence of corners makes for a crowd-friendly space. And if that doesn't sell you, consider that round coffee tables translate into fairer, livelier games of slapjack.
Square is another popular coffee table shape. Square coffee tables excel at unifying facing seating areas that otherwise might look too far apart. They also present an excellent focal contrast in living rooms dominated by rectangles. Beware of placing a square table in a room that's already too small, but if you're trying to bring balance to a larger or galley-shaped room, this might be the table for you.
Maybe it's a modern, urban chic look you're after. Then consider a tiered coffee table. Multiple surface heights mean multiplied utility. You'll have designated space for items when you are standing versus seated. Plus, tiered table tops open a world of interesting decorating ideas. A good bet is to find a variable height coffee table set that you can easily arrange and rearrange as you wish.
Legs and support
Shape is about more than just the coffee table's surface. Think about what's underfoot, especially in terms of concentration, comfort and convenience. If you plan to spend stretches of time seated near your coffee table, you may want a support system that will get along with the preferred placement of your feet. If you have kids, pets, foot traffic or a tendency to stub your toes, you may want a table with leg support that's slightly recessed. Finally, if your coffee table might hold a Thanksgiving turkey buffet with all the trimmings or a 50-pound geode and petrified tree stump centerpiece, you may want something with leg support on the burly side. On the other hand, a lightweight coffee table makes it that much easier to clear the floor when you want to demonstrate your lindy hop or throw down on a game of Twister.
Wooden it be nice
Coffee tables can be made from just about anything under the sun, but the default material is still wood. Solid wood construction is an excellent investment, but these days, most wooden coffee tables are constructed with medium density fiberboard (MDF) and sealed with veneer. MDF is an excellent building material with more advantages than disadvantages. It's a relatively inexpensive, eco-friendly material created from a compound of glue, resin and recycled wood fibers (among other materials) under extreme pressure. MDF's lack of grain, along with its considerable strength, makes it a reliably sturdy, split-resistant wood compound for machining and veneering. Also, sealed MDF has a greater tolerance for changes in temperature and humidity. On the other hand, unsealed MDF is prone to shrinkage in hot, dry environments and swelling in areas of high humidity.
Head of the glass
Glass coffee tables are excellent for small rooms and areas where you want to create the feeling of enhanced space. A semi-reflective surface multiplies sight lines and works to establish an attractive focal point in your room. Combine a glass top with a visible decorative treatment underneath and you add attractive visibility to your coffee table storage, not to mention serious style points.
Made of a different metal
Most coffee tables that utilize metal use it as a frame for tempered glass. The effect metal coffee tables create can be fantastic for toning down a room that's decorated to the point of being over-warm. They can also let your living room decor breathe by bringing the breezy look of patio furniture indoors.
Don't ask what you can do for your coffee table; ask what your coffee table can do for you. Coffee tables are nothing if not multi-tasking furniture pieces that accomplish a lot with a little. Trunk storage, magazine racks, drawers, shelving, hidden seating or even built-in ottomans are all possibilities, but beware of the busily tricked-out coffee table that includes all of these features. The message bears repeating: Think about the form and function of your coffee table. How will its design impact how you use it?
Drawers are excellent features for storing remote controls, cards, games or magazines that don't necessarily make the coffee table display cut. Compartmentalized storage shelves are perfect stashes for family members who have a habit of leaving textbooks, notebooks or other personal items in the living room. Trunk storage is best for those who like to snuggle up with one, two, even three blankets for movie night. Keep in mind that these options are the tip of the functionality iceberg. Once you have a notion of the space's ideal use, your coffee table's style and features will be calling your name.
How do I care for my coffee table?
There are a few simple preventative steps you can take to give your coffee table a long, healthy, good-looking life. Avoid placing your coffee table in direct sunlight for prolonged periods, especially if it has a painted surface that's prone to fading. Don't place anything abnormally hot or cold directly on the coffee table's surface. Regulate your humidity to check large, sudden fluctuations. Finally, find some interesting coasters that family and visitors will enjoy using. Each step goes a long way toward keeping your furniture in style and intact.
How should I decorate my coffee table?
Just like the coffee table itself, how you decorate it should reflect your tastes, style and personality. You can get away with the textbook smattering of plants, books and magazines, but coffee table decorations that truly speak are custom-made. Chances are that you already have plenty of decorating fodder around the house. It's just a matter of presentation: interesting postcards in a decorative stainless steel recipe box, a collection of flat stones in a large oyster half-shell or some ever-functional ceramic tile coasters. Last, keep it simple, fast and loose. Whatever adorns your coffee table, be aware that this is a lively traffic area of the house, so make room to let life in.
Three of a kind beats two pair
Consider the modifiable wonder of three identical, small coffee tables instead of a single large one. Not only can they be dispersed as individual tables, but they look great arranged alongside one another.
Taking the idea a step further, you could save yourself the hassle of matching the coffee table to your end table and then to the sofa table. Coffee table sets create an instantly unified look for your whole living room. If you find a coffee table style that's the Cagney to your Lacey, check Overstock.com for its matching counterparts.
Sofa, so good
Once you've decided on a coffee table, think about your seating options. If you'd like to create an area that invites conversation, make sure your coffee table has seating on each side, in the form of a sofa, loveseat, sectional, recliner, wingback chair or ottoman. Sectional sofas excel at creating a flow of unified space and look especially good with circular tables.
The complete living room
Whether you live in a one-bedroom loft, a three-story condo or a traditional family home, you deserve a living area that's comfortable and inviting. Overstock.com has everything you need to make it that way. Nothing defines space quite like an area rug, and wall art will add points of interest. Finish off your look with the right lighting, and your living room will be unstoppable.
