Living Room inspiration: 3 questions to ask yourself before buying a coffee table

It’s the space where you pop your cuppa and layout your favourite magazines. The piece that completes the look and feel of your living space. Coffee tables are super functional, but so often an afterthought when it comes to living room décor. When revamping your space, it’s important to think about the purpose of your table. The 3 key points are: style, size and practicality – here’s our buying guide to ensuring you find the perfect piece.

 

How big should my coffee table be?

There aren’t really any set rules when it comes to size, but as a recommendation, we suggest keeping a distance of 14-18 inches between your sofa and coffee table, so the table is close enough to place your remote or drinks, but far enough away to allow comfortable leg room.

Our Danetti expert - Buyer, Johanna Rieser says: “You want to put your couches in first before you start thinking about the size of your coffee table. It’s all about considering the space and those proportions. For example, nesting tables are handy if you need a space saving solution as they can be pulled out and put away when convenient. You may also want to consider a bigger coffee table with storage functionality if you have a larger space and want to keep things tidy; a table with drawers is perfect for storing away remotes and magazines.”

 

Picking the right style

If you want to create that finished, polished look, you should add layers and different levels to your space. Ultimately, your coffee table will enhance and add a point of style and interest to the lower level of your living room. When thinking about materials that go with your aesthetic, choose carefully: do you want your coffee table to blend in or stand out?

 

Our top tip: Pick a texture or colour and co-ordinate this throughout your space for a seamless, matching look. Or, if you don’t want everything in your space to match, glass is a great material choice as it effortlessly co-ordinates with everything.

 

Danetti Buyer, Johanna Rieser says: “We’re seeing a lot of Dark Wood coming through in current interior trends, and lighter woods for the upcoming season. Ceramics are also good because they’re really durable. Smoked Mirror is becoming increasingly popular as well as metallic accents such as Brass.”

 

Look 1: A wood coffee table

A rich dark oak veneer and sleek lines in our customer's favourite style - our Nala range has expanded to include a coffee table. Finished with a solid steel leg, the table has a durable hold and a well-protected, on-trend finish with a contemporary textured gain running through it. The chamfered edge of the tabletop adds another stand-out modern twist. Style it with a brass tray to create a real luxe look.

 

 

Look 2: A black round coffee table

A perfect pairing for a 3-seater sofa with a chaise, the Ora Coffee Table is a modern shape and a practical design. The smoked glass top is such an on-trend feature for effortless co-ordinating, and it's tempered for extra strength and durability. This would also be an easy way of adding a style update to your space as you simply just screw the legs to the tabletop! Black can seem cold to some but styling it with a lighter colour like champagne or silver can create a warm and homely look.

 

Look 3: The alternative coffee table

Add a little luxury to your living room with one of our velvet Plaza footstools: available in several shades with a modern metallic accent on the base - an on trend feature this season - the pouffe is ideal for using as a footstool, a spare seat or style it with a co-ordinating tray to create a coffee table.

 

 

Practicality: The all-important details

Coffee tables are so much more than just a space to pop the remote! They can also fulfil other needs within your space with their functionality. For example, if you’re short for space, consider nesting tables or pieces with space saving functions that can slot away when not in use. Multi-functional tables can be separated when you need extra surface space or even an extra seat.

If your living room is the heart of your busy family home, you may want to consider a table with drawers so you have an extra place to stash things, or if you’re having to work from home at the moment and your lounge has suddenly become your home office, you can hide away those essentials that you need close to hand.

 

Look 1: A Nesting Coffee Table

A three-piece multi-tasking side table with an affordable price tag and stylish smoked glass finish - the Tiva tables neatly tuck away underneath each other and are lightweight, so can be moved around easily if you need that little bit of extra space when you have guests over.

Nesting tables often work well as side tables next to the arm of your sofa: if the corner of your couch is your go-to spot for curling up with a good book, pick a monochrome lamp with a metallic accented base for easy-reading and a perfect style pairing.

 

 

Look 2: A Coffee Table With Drawers

The secret to a tidy lounge and simply styled coffee table: somewhere to hide away all your essential ‘things’. Our Denver coffee table has a huge drawer for stashing away your remotes and chargers, but also has beautiful detailing with its classic clean lines, modern brass accents and a rich, dark finish.

If you’re looking for a table with drawers, you probably want less out on display to keep things tidy, but simple decorative objects like your favourite book, a bowl or vase of dried flowers will add to that homely feeling.

 

Look 3: A Coffee Table and Pouffe Set

Relax and put your feet up with our handy Thea set - the coffee table comes with a plush pouffe that slots away with an easy nesting function, so you can really relax and pop your feet up.  The Thea also has a dark, smoked mirror finish which gently reflects the light around your space. If you style the space around your table with soft furnishings like a textured rug and plush scatter cushions, these details will be picked up in the reflection and add to the rooms cosy and inviting feeling.

 

 

Your final takeaways:

One factor that will play a part in all aspects of styling, size and function is the shape of your table. Different spaces and layouts call for different shapes – for example, if your sofas are square in shape, choosing a rectangular table would add balance. The same would apply if your sofas are curved, incorporating a round table would provide more of an aesthetic balance. Round tables are also perfect if you’re short on room as they allow far more space for movement. Going for something lightweight is also a practical choice for smaller spaces so it can be moved around much more easily to create space.

 

Finally, remember to:

1. Think about the size of your space and choose a cohesive shape that fits with your sofas, allowing 14-18 inches gap between your table and sofa.
2. Consider colours and materials – pick one colour or material to co-ordinate throughout your space or opt for glass if you don’t want all of your pieces to match, as it co-ordinates so easily.
3. Think about those extra elements that would suit your needs like nesting tables or storage space etc.

 

Date Published: March 2021