Choosing the Perfect Coffee Table
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How to Choose A coffee table
A coffee table is one of those things that you might not think about until you’re headed out to BUY one and then… all of a sudden there are infinite possibilities. We have a few coffee tables in our house and each one serves a different purpose, but there are some things to consider when buying a coffee table for your space!
1. Size.
A coffee table should be roughly 2/3 the length of your couch. There are ways to cheat, though so don’t feel like you have to follow this suggestion to a tee. A cluster of smaller tables could fill out the space. A pair of ottomans could also do the trick. Other visual tricks like a few floor pillows alongside a smaller coffee table might visually trick the eye into thinking you’re using a larger table.
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Ideally, the coffee table will be about the same height as the top of the seat cushions. I think a slightly lower coffee table will probably work alright, but a coffee table that’s significantly *higher* than your seat cushions might look out of place. (Click here for a full tour of our first house… bad photos and all!)
3. Material.
Durability, cleanability… you get my drift. The coffee table in our family room is tap dance central. Kids are on that thing every. single. day. So priority number one was that it could literally support children. Our family room coffee table is also the source of many dinners, snacks and coloring sessions. In other words, I wanted something that would hide dings and dents, something that would stand up to spilled sippy cups and something that would allow me to wipe off crayons and markers.
4. Shape.
This is mostly personal preference, but there are a couple things to consider with shape. If the coffee table is in a room where you’ll be entertaining or placing drinks, then a rectangle or square might make the most sense. if the coffee table is more decorative, then you can have a bit more fun with shapes like hexagons or circles.
5. Finish.
Coffee tables come in everything from wood to stainless steel to lucite to brass. Again, what your coffee table looks like is obviously a personal preference, but… different surfaces will suit different spaces for different reasons. Have a small space? A clear coffee table might not fill up the visual space as much. Have a gallery wall of gold frames? You might not want a silver coffee table. Are your floors a rich dark stained wood? You might not want a rustic white washed finish. Consider the other elements in the room as well as the overall balance of surface textures.
6. Kids/ Pets.
I know I mentioned whether a coffee table could handle a river dance routine, but there are other more practical things to think about as well. Do you have small kids in the house? You might love the idea of a round coffee table to avoid corners and the bumps and bruises that come with them with early walkers. Have a dog with a big wagging tail? That delicate narrow coffee table might mean drinks are knocked over everytime Rover comes over to say hi.
7. Function.
What do you use your coffee table for? Foot rest? Eating meals? Serving food? Playing games? Depending upon how you answer, you might opt for a different coffee table. I LOVE the look of an upholstered coffee table or soft ottoman, but… with kids who like to build towers or color pictures on the coffee table, a soft topped coffee table won’t work! I also love the look of a trio of clustered smaller tables, but these would NOT hold up to a pack of children looking to rearrange furniture to make blanket forts.
8. Storage.
Technically this is a sub category of “function” but it’s an important one so it deserves it’s own category. When we lived in New York City, we needed a coffee table that would essentially double as a desk… drawers for pens and pencils. Drawers for notebooks and remote controls. Now that we have a little more room, we don’t need the storage, persay, but our current coffee table has a shelf underneath which I’ve found to be super helpful when looking to clear off the coffee table for a game or just to declutter a bit. I’ve never had one, but there are also coffee tables with hidden storage underneath the table top which could be a great solution for family games or extra throw blankets or something.
If you’re in the market for a coffee table, I perused some of my favorites online and listed them for you below! Click the image to see the full description!
Turn on your JavaScript to view contentHow to Choose a Coffee Table
Although I never thought I’d be obsessing over a coffee table, I’m actually finding it to be one of the hardest items in our living room to choose. In fact, I think I’ve been debating what kind of table to get for over six months. I’ve been most focused on design and debating whether to go with a wood or brass and marble or lucite design. But once I started shopping, I also realized choosing a coffee table was about so much more than picking a style you like — you also need to take into account your space, the other furniture in the room, the floors, and the material. It’s actually pretty overwhelming.
Coffee Table Size
The general rule of thumb is that a coffee table should be about two thirds the length of your couch, so the 40×40 coffee table I was in love with, just won’t work. Our couch is a massive 96 inches long, so I need a 64 inch long coffee table, which I’m actually finding hard to find. One thing I didn’t think about but that is equally important is the height. We used to have the Restoration Hardware Cloud sofa and it was super low, so we had a lower table. Our current couch is more standard height, and needs something a bit higher. Ideally, you want to look for one that’s around the same height as your couch’s cushions.
The Space
Once you figure out the dimensions, think about the rest of the space. Our living room is open and a good size, so we can have a more substantial piece, but glass and lucite are great options for smaller spaces. You also want to consider what’s on the other side of the coffee table. We have a lot of space between the couch and the TV and fireplace, so I can go for a bulkier square shape. However, I may want to put two chairs on the other side of it, or one day have our two couches facing each other, so I’m leaning toward going with something more rectangular. We currently have an oval shaped placeholder and I don’t hate it, but it’s ultra traditional and we have a lot of dark wood in the room, so I’m looking to get away from it with the coffee table.
Your Other Furniture
Speaking of furniture, don’t forget the couch and/or chairs that will surround it. If your couch has legs, you want to go with a table without legs, and vice versa to balance it out. We have one couch without legs and one that is more a settee style that has legs, so it’s a little more tricky. However, the table will go in front of the larger couch sans legs in the space’s current configuration, so I am looking for a table with legs.
Of course you also want to coordinate with any side tables. I’m not a big fan of the matchy-matchy look, and we have two gold brass side tables, so I decided to go with a different material for our coffee table. With that said, I still want everything to feel cohesive. I’m toying with the idea of a lighter antique white or ivory table to compliment the brass and contrast the darker woods in the room. However, my husband has been complaining about the lack of color, so I’m also thinking about whether I want to try something with color like a light blue or even navy.
What the Table is Made Of
For those of us with kids or who are spillers, it’s also important to research the material. For example, I probably shouldn’t go for something that can’t take wear and tear and stains from the kids, but I am also a fool and love grasscloth. Marble can show stains easily, as anyone with marble countertops knows, but woods can easily get ring stains too.
Cost and Versatility
I am not ready to invest a fortune into a coffee table with our kids being so little right now. I am looking for one that’s nice but at a reasonable price point. I also know this is not our forever home and I have design add, so I may not want it for our living room in our next home, but I’d like it to be sturdy enough that we could repurpose for another room in the future.
After months of agonizing, I have finally narrowed my picks to several coffee tables that are all pretty affordable. They definitely are a little all over the place style wise, but as I said, I want something that will make an impact on the space, which is currently pretty traditional, and I’m just not sure which direction to go. Here are the coffee tables i’ve narrowed it down to and they’re all at pretty good price points. Now, help, which should I get?
From top left:
Serena and Lily Blue Coffee Table
Serena and Lily Oak Coffee Table
Serena and Lily Ebony Cane Coffee Table
Serena and Lily White Rectangular Coffee Table
Ballard Raffia Covered Coffee Table
White Wood Cut Corner Coffee Table
Society Social Grasscloth Coffee Table
Ballard Lucite Coffee Table
Marble and Brass Coffee Table
