How to Choose a Coffee Table?

• What is a coffee table?
• Functions of a coffee table
• Advantages and fields of application
• What are the types of coffee table?
  • Rectangular coffee table
  • “Chest” coffee table
  • Nesting coffee table
  • Coffee table with lift top
  • The kits
• Alternatives to a coffee table
  • The sofa-coffee table
  • Sofa tray

The coffee table, a link between your sofa and your TV, has become an essential object. It is practical and handy to put various objects on it: remote controls, TV program, coffee or teacups and, incidentally, feet. People spend more than three hours and forty minutes in front of their TV on weekdays and even more on weekends. It is therefore essential to choose the best coffee table. Our experts looked at the current offer and conducted a meta-analysis to deliver their results to you about how to choose a coffee table.

What is a coffee table?

The coffee table, very often present in living rooms, is part of the furniture. It is usually placed in front of one or more sofas and armchairs. The coffee table is characterized by its relatively low height and better accessibility.

It can be of different shape and size and have more or less storage space depending on the model. It is usually used to store various items that cannot be placed on a couch.

When installed in the central part of the living room, it is often as decorative as it is useful and can also be matched with the surrounding furniture. The coffee table is mainly located in a living room, between a sofa and a TV. But it can be also seen in a library, a bedroom, a corridor, a tea room, a waiting room, or even a garden room. It is practical, especially if low seats surround it.

On the top or bottom of the table, you can find decorative objects, flowers, but also remote controls, TV programs, etc.

Functions of a coffee table

The coffee tables can have several functions. There are, for example, drawers in which you can put things, remote controls or anything else.

There are those with niches that serve as storage space. Some coffee tables have a top that rises above the knees and allows you to eat while staying on the couch.

Other tables have compartments for bottles, books, game console controllers, etc. They can also be equipped with casters that allow a better movement for easier cleaning.

Finally, some models can be deployed either by pivoting on an axis or by a system of nesting tables and whose purpose is to optimize space.

In the same vein, some models can get up to become a real table, then get down to save space. These will often be found in studios where space is limited.

Advantages and fields of application

Today, we can find comparative coffee tables in several different living environments. The most common is the one you see in almost every living room, between a TV and a sofa.

Outside the home, the coffee table is also becoming a fashion, in tea rooms, for example, with sofas and armchairs that allow you to meet friends “at home”. You have probably also seen them in waiting rooms with a stack of magazines or children’s toys. And then some can be observed in company restrooms.

The advantage of the comparative coffee tables is that they are placed at your height for easier access when you are sitting on a sofa, an armchair or a low seat.

You can put your cup of coffee, your drink or any other thing there without having to get up.

What are the types of coffee table?

The criteria for the evaluation of coffee tables can be very numerous. The imagination of the designers only limits this piece of furniture. Coffee tables can come in all shapes, colours, materials, designs, etc.

Rectangular coffee table

This is undoubtedly the most classic and the simplest in the comparison. Chosen precisely for its clean lines, it often has two levels.

It is found in several colours and in laminate. It has the advantage of simplicity, but, if you are not careful, you can quickly end up with disorder.

“Chest” coffee table

This model generally has one or more sliding parts that provide access to a chest that can, for example, be used as a bar.

This type of coffee table has the advantage of having everything you need around a table at hand: board games, bottles and glasses for aperitifs with friends, etc.

But its disadvantage lies in its weight which can be restrictive, especially when it is necessary to clean. The opening can also be tricky if you have already put things on the table.

Nesting coffee table

This coffee table is made up of several tables, generally two or three, which can be fitted one under the other to free up space.

While it is very practical in rooms where better optimization of space is sought, repetitive movements can be tiring for both the furniture and the user. There are also models with a part that can be deployed in rotation on an axis to increase the usable surface.

Coffee table with lift top

Very popular with those who like to work, for example, on their computer while remaining on the comfortable sofa or by those who like “TV trays”, this coffee table with a lifting top has the advantage of having a storage space that allows you to store remote controls, TV magazine, etc. The major disadvantage is an uncomfortable knee position, especially for tall people.

The kits

Almost all tables on the market are offered as a do-it-yourself kit.

Alternatives to a coffee table

For reasons which are specific to each one such as place, personal tastes or customs, the coffee tables may not be suitable for all.

Here are some of the best solutions that are just as practical and that exempt you from the need for a coffee table.

The sofa-coffee table

To free up space or have a better space in the centre of your living room, you have the option of putting a coffee table at one end of your sofa.

Some sofas come with a coffee table that attaches to one side or can be used as a corner for a corner sofa.

Sofa tray

There are two kinds of sofa tray. The tray with a leg slides under the sofa and has an adjustable height for better use.

It is a space-saving and practical piece of furniture so as not to dirty your sofa.

To work on your computer while enjoying better comfort, some brands offer it with a tilting tray. There is also the sofa armrest tray which adapts to all armrests.

On some models, the tray is equipped with an apron with one or more pockets for remote controls and magazines.

Like classic coffee tables, these trays are available in various materials: laminate, lacquer, wood veneer, or solid wood.

If you wish to buy coffee tables from Turkey, please do not hesitate to contact us by mail at  [email protected] or to call us at +90 532 361 5149. We can help you to get in direct contact with producers or provide you with everything that you need.