A living room without a coffee table as a focal point is a lot like putting on a stunning evening outfit but skipping on the lipstick. It just feels unfinished. All the furniture and décor pieces just seem scattered around with no particular order if there’s no coffee table to tie it all beautifully together. And just like the right shade of lipstick can make any outfit pop, so can the perfect coffee table accentuate your interior. So, you need to choose wisely!
Although coffee tables don’t drive the design of the room, they can be a stylish statement piece that enhances it. As such, you need to pick a piece that complements your living room’s style. A modern, design savvy setting demands a sleek contemporary coffee table. If the design is minimalist, you can get a beautiful Scandi-inspired piece, whereas traditional settings can benefit from a more classic coffee table design such as French provincial, for instance.
Of course, you should also pay attention to size and how it can affect the surrounding furniture. If you have a spacious room where you can easily fit in a large coffee table, be careful to not make it look overpowering. You can try to break up the powerful effect of the table by flanking it with some accent chairs or ottomans. This also allows you to gather several people around the table. When you have a larger seating arrangement, you can also consider a pair of matching tables instead of one bulky piece. This way, no matter where you’re seated, you can always have a table within close reach to rest your drink or something else.
Smaller rooms can present a problem when it comes to choosing a suitable coffee table. Normally, you’d want something that won’t compromise the available space and restrict the freedom of movement. So in this case, the tape measurer is your friend. Make sure that the distance between the coffee table and the seating furniture is not less than 30 cm, so that people can easily sit down or get up. A good solution for any tight space is an oval coffee table which allows for better circulation around the room.
When it comes to material, you should take two factors into account – durability and maintenance. A glass table can look incredibly modern. However, consider that you’ll have to clean it everyday, and it’s usually a bad choice if you have young children. If you want something that’s more resistant and requires less maintenance, you can opt for a contemporary coffee table out of hardwood like oak in a sculptural design that provokes interest. Of course, there are also marble tables that can draw quite the attention with their luxurious look.
In the end, it’s all up to you to decide what will look best in your interior. And if you’re feeling a bit playful you can even consider alternative replacements for a coffee table, like for instance an ottoman, some stacked suitcases, a rustic crate, or any other interesting item that you can imagine stylishly playing this role.
