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What is a Coffee Table?
A coffee table is a low table designed to be placed in a sitting area for convenient support of beverages, remote controls, magazines, books (especially large, illustrated coffee table books), decorative objects, and other small items.
Most coffee table tops are made of wood (though faux wood tables are increasingly common) or glass and metal, typically, stainless steel or aluminum and may incorporate cabinets or drawers.
Coffee tables were thought to initially be constructed in Renaissance England.
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Why Do You Need a Coffee Table?
- They Help To Bring The Whole Room Together:
Take a look at any interior design magazine depicting living rooms.
What do you notice? Yes, there are sofas and sideboards. But right in the middle of the room is almost always a coffee table.
Why is this? It’s all to do with how our brains process spaces. It turns out that coffee tables serve the vital function of the centerpiece in our rooms, helping to bring the whole ensemble together.
Think about how you feel when you place a coffee table in the middle of your sofa suite. All of a sudden, the room feels complete. It’s like putting the cherry on top of a cake.
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- They Are Practical
Let’s say that you want to use your room for having coffee with friends. You don’t want to perch on the kitchen table. Instead, you want to sit back, relax and enjoy your lounge.
But how can you do that if you don’t have a coffee table? Guests need somewhere to put their drinks, right?
Coffee tables allow you to turn your living room into a kind of seating area for enjoying a good chit-chat over a warm drink. Plus, many tables have special surfaces, which means that you don’t even have to use coasters.
Coffee tables also let you store the equipment you need for a great round of coffee table, such as stirrers, coasters, and spare cups.
- They Are Beautiful
If you’re looking for an excuse to have a coffee table, then look no further than their beauty.
Coffee tables help add interest to your rooms and make them more beautiful. A well-placed coffee table can complement your three-piece-suite and help to bring out the best of the rest of the furniture in your room.
Moreover, these objects are beautiful in their own right.
- They Help To “Bridge The Gap”
Coffee tables really come into their own in larger lounges.
If you have a lot of big rooms in your home, you often need something to fill the floor space.
Adding chairs and tables randomly doesn’t always look great. But careful placement of coffee tables can help to bring the entire interior together.
Let’s say that you have two large sofas facing each other in your living room, with nothing but the floor separating them. An easy way to fill this space is to place a coffee table in the middle.
Remember, you can get large tables that effectively span the gap, creating a kind of “bridge.” That way, everyone who uses your living room can feel connected, even if the space itself is large.
Which Material of Coffee Table Tops Do You Prefer?
When you are looking for a coffee table, you'll become aware of how many choices you have when it comes to material for the table top. The most obvious material that comes to mind is wood, but you don't have to restrict yourself to wood if you don't want to.
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- Take a look at your room and other furniture to determine what material would look best. Clear acrylic and glass can make a small room look more open. The glint of metal can accomplish the same purpose. Glass, acrylic, metal, and stone also look good in a modern room.
- Darker wood, such as mahogany or walnut, or materials such as marble and metal can look good in a traditional room.
- Leather or faux leather can work well in a variety of settings, and they are also easy to maintain.
- Consider the material's durability and safety especially when you have small children.
What Kind of Shape Is Best?
Coffee tables are available in many different shapes. While the shape of the room can play a role in choosing a coffee table, you must pay attention to your seating configuration more than anything else.
- A rectangular or oval coffee table works well for smaller rooms.
- Squares or round coffee tables are good for large seating configurations, such as large sectionals or a large sofa and loveseat.
- Round or oval tables are useful around children because of the absence of sharp corners.
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Different spaces and layouts call for different shapes, but here’s something to think about. For a layout that’s more closed off, square or rectangular works perfectly.
If your living room is a pass through, and you’ll frequently be walking around the coffee table, round works well.
Aesthetically, we like to balance round and square shapes in a space, so if most of your furniture pieces are square (think a sofa with tuxedo arms, square fireplace, and square side tables), a round coffee table adds balance.
Alternatively, if you have curvy arms on your furniture, a big round mirror, and round side tables, a square or rectangular side table works beautifully. It’s all about balance.
Coffee Table Size
When choosing a new coffee table, it's important to measure your existing living room furniture using a tape measure before you begin. These measurements will help you choose the coffee table length dimensions and width dimensions that will be perfect for your space.
Follow the recommendations below to determine the perfect coffee table dimensions including length, height, width, and placement.
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Height
The standard coffee table height is between 16" and 18", however, we recommend choosing a coffee table height that pairs well with your sofa. We recommend choosing a coffee table with a height that is the same as your sofa cushions, or 1" – 2" lower. This allows you to easily grab any drinks or food off the tabletop.
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Length
Coffee table length dimensions are very important when choosing a coffee table. To avoid overwhelming your space, we recommend choosing a coffee table that is approximately two-thirds the length of your sofa.
Coffee table length dimensions that are proportional to sofa length dimensions help make your living room look more balanced.
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Width & Placement
To determine the width of the perfect coffee table for your living space, you must first decide where to place it.
To allow for easy maneuvering around your coffee table, we recommend leaving between 12" and 18" of space between the coffee table and the sofa.
To ensure comfortable foot traffic around the rest of your living room, we also recommend leaving 30" of space between the coffee table and other pieces of furniture, like a TV stand or entertainment center.
To calculate the width of the perfect coffee table for your space, measure from your sofa to your TV stand or other big piece of furniture, then subtract 48" (30" + 18"). This is your living room's ideal coffee table width.
Styling Your Coffee Table
Once you’ve picked out your coffee table, consider accessories. For a family room where you’re watching TV, you’ll probably want to leave plenty of space for propping up feet and placing drinks. A coffee table with a lower shelf works great in these spaces because you can place books and trays underneath, leaving plenty of room on top.
Keep all accessories low, since you want to be able to see over the top of them. Anything too tall will block your line of vision.
Add essentials: reading material, a tissue box, coasters, a box for remotes, a candle, matchbooks, or anything else you’ll use frequently can be displayed.
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Can you epoxy a coffee table?
Coffee tables require care, and so it is important to finish a coffee table before it is used. Finishing a coffee table is very important because it not only protects the wood but also gives it a glitter. The best way to coat coffee tables is by applying epoxy resin, which is high gloss, durable, and can easily be poured on. This not only strengthens the wood surface but also protects it from spills and stains.
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How Much Does A Coffee Table Cost On Average?
It’s time to admit it: you need a new coffee table. The last time you bought one was years ago, so you have no idea what the current prices are like. You want to ensure you get a high-quality coffee table that will last you for years, but how much money will you spend on one?
The average coffee table costs $200 to $400. If you shop cheaper, you can surely mix your own table top with Flowyline Design metal table legs. The average coffee table costs $100 to $200, while high-end designer coffee tables made from pricier materials will likely exceed the $300 or $400-mark.
If you want to make a unique accent with your coffee table on a budget, you should know about these best coffee table legs.
