Interior designers and stylists often say that coffee tables are the heart of the living space. By design, they anchor the space, become a focal point of the furniture, and are the core piece around which guests and family will gather on a daily basis.

Coffee tables, whether large or small, round or rectangular, can also bring a sense of comfort to a space; a weighted place to share coffee and stories, to store books and magazines upon, to light candles and burn incense, and to rest tired feet upon. It’s a part of your home, and so when it comes to choosing the perfect coffee table, we recommend following our 5 simple rules.

1. Know what size space you have to work with

Every room is different, and it’s important to understand just how much space you have to work with when picking your perfect coffee table. With many coffee tables becoming the focal point of your sofas and armchairs, it’s recommended to leave 40-50cm clearance between the edge of the table and the seat of your sofa – allowing for both movable space and easy reach.

Coffee tables should also remain a fair distance away from doorways or entryways, and you should avoid placing them in the pathway to important or frequently used spaces or furniture items. Ensuring that your coffee table always has a good amount of clearance around it on all sides can help it to feel conducive to the flow of the room, as a feature rather than an obstacle.

Finally, a large coffee table in a small, crowded space can feel bulky or obstructive, rather than cohesive and well-fitting, so ensure that the table you choose is a complementary size to not only your room dimensions, but also your additional furniture too.

2. Understand how your coffee table will be used

For some, a coffee table has a singular purpose – a space to pop your mug on when you’re finished with it, or waiting for your coffee to cool. However, for many of us, our coffee tables can have multiple purposes and properties depending on our family, our lifestyle, our home, and our routines.

For those with children, for example, a coffee table is an additional play space – a surface for colouring, writing and drawing. It can be the site of a picnic, or an extra desk to finish homework at, meaning that a more robust and durable coffee table, like the AMELIA Coffee Table from Kristensen Kristensen might be a good choice.

Alternatively, for those with limited dining space, the coffee table becomes the everyday dining table – a spot to cosy up and enjoy your evening meal in front of the TV. If so, something simple and uncomplicated like the WU Coffee Table could be the perfect option for your home.

A coffee table can even be a display piece, showcasing your favourite boutique decor pieces, houseplants and bespoke interior design books against a stylish and contemporary table like the PASCAL Coffee Table.

The way you use your coffee table can help you to decide on not only the style of it, but the shape, size and material too.

3. Choose a shape that suits your space

There are typically three standard shapes of coffee tables available, i.e. round, oval and rectangular, and choosing the right shape for your space can be a little more complicated than simply picking one you like.

Round Coffee Tables: Round coffee tables, like the Skovby #243 or the SYDNEY Round Coffee Table are a great option for large, open and airy spaces as they can invite all-round seating and usage from multiple guests at a time. Similarly to a round dining table, the lack of edges and corners makes it a softer, more informal piece that is welcoming to all guests on any side. However, a round coffee table can often take up more floor space, making it harder to create natural flows of clearance around the room.

Oval Coffee Tables: Oval coffee tables, like the MONUMENT Oval Coffee Table, are ideally suited to spaces that are longer, narrow or have one statement sofa to be positioned in parallel to. As their shape naturally includes tapered ends, the widest part of an oval coffee table should be within easy reach for resting cups and plates, making them a little more complex to position, yet their visual style is unmatched. Elegant, luxurious and contemporary, oval coffee tables can make a clear aesthetic statement in your home.

Rectangular Coffee Tables: Rectangular coffee tables, like the FOREST Wooden Coffee Table, are the most popular choice when it comes to shopping for a standard living space. Neatly shaped to fit within the center of a room, or an L-shaped seating arrangement, their clean, sturdy presence can sit easily on a rug or floor covering and be within easy reaching distance from all seats. 

4. Find a material that will work for you

From wood and glass to leather and marble, coffee tables can be made from a number of beautiful and aesthetically pleasing materials. But each material will have its own set of properties and characteristics that you’ll need to fit into your home once you’ve chosen your perfect table – which is why it’s important to find the right one.

For those who prefer a rustic, simple and timeless feel in their furniture, wooden coffee tables, like the ZET Solid Wood Coffee Table, are a great option for your living space. Easy to clean, customisable and durable, wooden coffee tables offer practicality, purpose and style, and long-lasting usage in busy family homes. Whether you choose a rich mahogany or a light oak, your wooden coffee table can help to tie your entire space together.

Alternatively, a glass coffee table can help to introduce an air of luxury, elegance and modernism in your home, creating a visual focal point that will naturally draw the eye. Although a little more fragile than a wooden table, glass offers a sophisticated and contemporary look that is easily maintained, and very easily cleaned.

Leather and marble are also beautiful options for your coffee table, and their compatibility can depend on your lifestyle and usage habits. Leather can be a unique and interesting alternative option for coffee tables, as shown by the GABRI Coffee Table, and they bring a new sense of depth, texture and dimension to a traditional living space, creating a fresh, modern feel in your home. However, they might not be the best option in a home with pets that scratch.

Marble on the other hand is a refined, luxurious, and impactful material to choose for your coffee table, and one that can make a stunning anchor for your interior style. Hard to stain but heavy and weighty; a marble coffee table can be suited to both a minimalist, relaxed lifestyle and a busy, metropolitan home too. Their dense structure can make them a likely culprit of bumped heads in family homes, but a beautiful talking point in stylish ones.

5. Don’t forget about storage

Finally, when choosing your perfect coffee table, the one thing we ask you not to forget about is storage. A coffee table can be more than a display unit, it can help to create additional storage opportunities within your home, without requiring extra furniture or bulky shelving systems. From built-in drawers to a secondary shelf, coffee tables with storage are a really useful option for those with limited space or those who need a place to store those everyday essentials like coasters or remotes. Pieces such as the CASO 502, the BLEND Coffee Table from Artisan or the OPTIC Square Coffee Table are great examples of stylish yet practical coffee tables with storage.

If you’re looking to explore your coffee table options at Milola, or want to view some of our pieces in-person, head to our Blonay showroom for a personal consultation.