Find the perfect coffee table for your living room

A coffee table is a handy piece of furniture that has far surpassed its basic use. The piece has become a showy add-on in modern times and the right style can enhance the getup of your room immensely. The winsome lounging accessory unifies all the decorative elements in your room and lends a cozy appeal to your seating area. Even though it looks easy, picking the perfect piece is not all that simple. Here are a few tips that can help you out.

Style

The design style of the coffee table should be in sync with the setup of your room. A showy piece will easily become a centerpiece while a table with a toned down style is a better choice if other trappings stashed in your room are really glitzy. Modern homes should go for minimalistic pieces with planar outlines while ornate styles or bulky units are for an old world charm. The oversized square pieces though fashionable can only be stashed in commodious homes.

Material

The material chosen should gel with the rest of the furniture in your room. Although wood is a time honored choice, modern day pieces are available in a slew of materials. Glass, metal and clear acrylic look good in tight spaces. Wood, marble and stone is for spacious rooms. And woods, especially dark tones of walnut and mahogany, along with wrought iron, are a good choice for traditional spaces. Wicker, bamboo and thickset weaves look great in casual and breezy homes. Whereas, fiberglass, metal, faux leather as well as glass bring out the appearance of modern interiors.

Size and placement

Coffee tables are flanked by seats on all sides, so you should consider measurements of all pieces in the vicinity before deciding upon the size of your table. The table should be about half to two-thirds the length of the sofa placed alongside. A bigger size will make the entire place look cluttered. There should be about 18 inches of leg space between the sofa and the coffee table. Also, the height of the coffee table should be the same as the sofa or slightly lower. The size chosen also depends on the shape of the table. An oblong shape should be about 22 to 30 inches wide and at least half the length of your couch. A round table for compact rooms should not have a radius of more than 18 inches. Also, as most sofas stand at an elevation of 18 to 20 inches, the height of your coffee table should also range between 16 to 20 inches.

Shape

Settle on a shape that suits the outline of the room and the seating arrangement. Oval and rounds are a good choice for confined spaces and if you have children and pets then pick a piece that does not have any sharp corners. Stash round or square shaped tables in roomy areas or in between bulky furniture units like sectional sofas, hulky armchairs and love seats. Rectangular tables look nice in rooms of all sizes. Low coffee tables can make rooms with high ceilings appear closed in.

Convenience

Tables with leg support allow you to stretch every now and then. If you have kids and pets at home go for a recessed leg support. Also, glass tables are easy to clean but avoid them if you have kids at home. Pick a low coffee table if you habitually perch on a rug or low settees. Circular and elliptical shapes are a good choice if you entertain guests often as people can hang around them easily. If you hoard books and magazines on the coffee table then go for a mission style and if you stash albums then pick a table with drawers or an apothecary. If you plan to loll around your coffee table often, then select an ottoman-styled table.

Bear utility in mind

Apart from resting mugs and cups on top, you can place a horde of miscellaneous stuff on your coffee table. Everything from magazines, books, newspapers, remotes, candy dispensers, coasters, plates and a vase of fresh flowers can be stowed here. Tables with storage space like shelves, racks, drawers and compartments come handy. Some tables have surfaces that can be lifted for working or eating. Caters and wheels are good if you need to move the table often. Seasonal items like sweaters and blankets can be stowed in the lift top styled coffee tables.