Let’s talk about choosing the best coffee table for you room! A coffee table plays a very important role in a living room or family room! It’s a workhorse! Today we are talking about how to choose the best coffee table for you!
A coffee table is a piece of furniture that can change the look of a room! So choosing the best coffee table is a must!
Here are some things to think about when considering the right coffee table for you home…
BEST COFFEE TABLES ARE FUNCTIONAL
As a decorator, I love pretty! And everything I put in our home must add to its beauty! But I also am concerned with how anything I choose for our home will add comfort and be useful!
So the first thing to think about before even looking for a coffee table is what is its purpose in a room.
Here are some questions to ask yourself…
- will it get a lot of use
- is it mostly decorative
- are we going to put drinks and food on it
- is it going to be decorated
- do I need storage
- are there any specific size or other concerns
When considering a new coffee table think about how you will use it!
Answering these questions will help you choose a coffee table that is perfect for you and your family.
MEASUREMENTS TO KEEP IN MIND
Here are some tried and true measurements to keep in mind when choosing the best coffee table for your room.
- Most standard coffee tables are 16-18 inches high and most sofa cushions are 17 to 19 inches high. For ease of use keep the height of a coffee table just a bit lower than your sofa cushion.
- For a balanced look, a coffee table should be about two thirds as long as the sofa next to it. Longer will overwhelm the space and shorter will look odd.
- For ease of movement, a coffee table should be placed 14-18 inches from a sofa. It’s easy enough to grab a cup of coffee but far enough away to have legroom when you sit down.
A coffee table should fit will into the space in front of a sofa and not crowd a room. It also needs to be proportional to the other furniture around it!
Choose a coffee table with these proportions in mind and your table will fit comfortably and be functional.
STYLE AND DECOR OPTIONS
Style is a very big consideration when choosing a coffee table! There are so so so many styles to choose from.
Do your homework and look at lots and lots of coffee tables.
A coffee table can go a long way to updating an entire room!
THINK ABOUT PRICE POINT…
The coffee table I chose was not very expensive at all. It is sturdy and well made was just the perfect price to pay for a trendy piece of furniture. Will I keep it for 10 years? Probably not. So I did not want to spend a lot on a coffee table just to add an on-trend style to my family room.
REALLY consider how much you are willing to spend on a piece of furniture and how long you are willing to keep it! This is so important. Many of us spend way too much money on some items and then feel we have to keep them much longer than they have served their purpose to justify our investment. Don’t fall into that decorating trap!
THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU LOVE…
The bottom line is… BUY AND USE WHAT YOU LOVE! I really love this new clean-lined coffee table! It may not check off every box on my ultimate coffee table wish list, but it checks off the most important one… I LOVE HOW IT LOOKS IN MY FAMILY ROOM.
Always, always, always furnish your home with things you LOVE!
What do you think? Would a little fun coffee table freshen up you room?
You might also be interested in… CHOOSING AN UPDATED COFFEE TABLE. It shares coffee table styles and what you should look for to update your coffee table and room!
Very nice written blog with great informative content. Hey Gable you can get furniture designs ideas from http://www.rainforestitaly.com as their designing team is doing wonderful work in furniture.
Your article is perfect timing. We just put down new hardwood floors, purchased a new couch and chair and area rug but we have not began looking for a new coffee table. We are not in a hurry to complete our room, the hunt is part of the fun! I rather enjoy taking it piece by piece. Now that the holidays are over we will enjoy looking for a coffee table – a fun January shopping goal! Thank you for your ideas, you have given me new “food for thought” on this subject! I absolutely love your decor style!!!
WOW! It really looks nice, Yvonne! I love it!
I’d really like to have a new coffee table. It’s not in my budget right now. I’ve thought about painting the gold finish table that I already have with bronze paint but haven’t made a definite decision yet.
Where did you get the brown at the top/white lower at?
Brown/white lower curtain that is.
I am having that dilemma right now.
Thank you for the great tips.
where do you find you buffalo check ribbon you use?
I found it on Amazon.com. Look for black and white check ribbon
Love your choice! Looks great in your room!
I am so glad I found your blog. I love your decorating style and your new coffee table looks great! Where did you get your houndstooth chair from?
Love your area rug too! Where is it from?
Hi Yvonne,
We were fortunate enough to install hardwood floors this past spring. Now we would like to put area rugs down for warmth and texture. Is there padding or protection underneath your family room rug? I am concerned about scratches and perhaps issues I haven’t considered as this is the first experience I have had with both hardwood floors and carpet on top of it. Any advise you can give would be most welcome in choosing carpets and sizing.
thank you!
Michelle 🙂
Such a beautiful and perfect table for the room Yvonne!!!
What a beautiful room! The new coffee table is perfect. I love all the seating you’ve managed to get in the room. It looks so cozy and comfortable. Is the sofa full size?
Yes, the sofa is a full size.
I love your old coffee table. That is the style I love. Where did you get it? What did you do with the old one?
Hi Judi, the cottage style coffee table came from a local furniture store called Wolf Furniture.
Your new table looks great ! Great tips also.
Thanks, Pam! I really try to give our StoneGable community lots of helpful decorating tips about what I am sharing! Glad you like them!
Love the change in your family room. Funny how one small change can make the room feel so different.
Yes, my mistake! FOUND IT,?Thank you.
No storage….Higher than standard….You went against your list for buying a table!
Yes, I said I compromised with this table, but got the look I love! So I was willing to compromise!
As always, love every thing you do and creative changes. By chance, can you share name or sku of Wayfair table.
Hi Susanne, the link to this Hayneedle table is in the post. Hope it helps you!
Like your new coffee table but what did you do with the old one? Would love to have it.
I love the new coffee table, looks great. I also love your black and white checkered pillows in the living room, can you share where you purchased those?
Hi Darla,
The pillow is from Ballard Designs!
I’m enjoying how the new table makes your end table really POP!
Your table looks pretty. Where did you get the slip covers for your chair and sofa or did you buy them like that. I love the slip covers on the furniture and it would be easy to keep clean since I have two dogs. Thanks !
Love your new table. I have a dilemma with my choice of a coffee table to use with two love seats which are perpendicular with a small table between the two. Any ideas? The decor in the room is French country with some antiques and lots of blue and white porcelain accent pieces.
Hi Kathy: Like you, I have 2 loveseats. In my previous home, they were opposite each other (parallel) but are now perpendicular. In both cases, I had/have a large square glass-topped coffee table with black iron legs. Many people seem to like my decor so I guess I’m doing something right! lol! By the way, I also have a fairly large collection of blue/white pieces but keep them mostly grouped together so the room doesn’t look too “busy”. My decor is rather eclectic with clean-lined traditional along with some Asian pieces. I now have a slightly patterened area rug in my living room and love that the design is visible through the glass coffee table. I hope this helps.
Sorry for the typo – should be “patterned”!!
Why do you use small carpets—–is furniture supposed to sit on the carpet?? Thank you
Thanks for the link. As for the coffee table, I lov it. Think it opens the room. Now, since I’ve been a fan of your for quite some time, my guess would be that you will repurpose the table when the time is ready. Because of the large amount of metal, I’d say it could be used in a protected space outdoors, as well.
Great choice! I like how the openness of the iron legs compliments the structure of the round side table by the armchair. I have been without a coffee table for some time, having opted for a large ottoman–which sadly has turned into a pet gym. Think I need to go shopping!
So funny!
Your new coffee table looks great in your family room. I love the black iron on it. I also love your tip about putting things you love in your home. I totally agree!
Always, Shannon!
I’ll take the ‘old’ one !!
Great choice Yvonne! I love your new coffee table,it works well with the rest of your family room furnishings. I love the open feel of the table. Have a great day!
It looks amazing in your space! I love that it has wheels, too. That makes cleaning around it so much easier.
I think that’s an excellent choice. You could easily add a long rectangular basket underneath for a little storage for throws or magazines. It gives your room a lighter look I think, but then I think everything you do is fabulous anyway 🙂
What an absolutely fabulous idea, Amy! Thanks!
I love your new coffee table! I think it opens up the room a bit. You could possibly take off the casters if you wanted to lower it. I think it looks fabulous! Good one Yvonne!
I just fine with the height, and the casters makes it easy to move. Thanks for the idea though!
Yvonne, I love your new coffe table, also love to round mirror in the back. Could you share where it was purchased. Thank your post are my daily inspiration.
I got that round mirror years ago from HomeGoods. I didn’t like the color so I repainted it. Hope this helps.
I love it. We spent weeks and weeks looking for the perfect coffee table a couple of years ago, there are, as you say, so many things to consider, and finding the perfect one looks as if it should be easy but in fact is so very much harder than it seems.
You are so right!