Choosing a coffee table that works with your lounge
A coffee table is measured against the lounge, not the room. The rule that works: a table about two-thirds the length of the sofa, its top within a few centimetres of the sofa's seat height, and 35 to 45 cm of space between the table edge and the seat so you can reach a drink without standing and walk past without bruising a shin. Start there, then choose the shape and material.
Round, rectangular or square
A round coffee table is the friendliest shape in a busy house: no corners at toddler height, easy to walk around in a tight room, and the natural choice in front of a curved sofa or a corner lounge, where a rectangle leaves awkward gaps. A rectangular coffee table suits a long sofa or a pair of sofas facing each other, and gives you a surface for books, trays and feet. A square coffee table anchors a large modular lounge or a square room. If the room has to do several jobs, a nest of tables gives you two or three low tables that tuck together when you need the floor and spread out when guests arrive.
Timber, marble, stone or glass
Timber coffee tables are the warm, forgiving choice. Solid Marri, a West Australian hardwood, brings a one-of-a-kind grain to the centre of the room; oak, ash, teak and burl veneers run from pale honey to deep brown, and timber is the easiest surface to refresh over the years. Marble coffee tables and travertine tables are the statement pieces: cool to the touch, heavy, and beautiful in natural light, with every top slightly different. They need spills, especially wine, citrus and oil, wiped promptly, and a coaster under anything hot. Cement-finish tables, with a decorative render over a timber frame, give the look of concrete without the weight, in soft sand and white tones that suit coastal and contemporary rooms. Glass and metal tables keep a small room feeling open because you can see the rug beneath them, and are the lightest to move.
Large, small and low
Large coffee tables of a metre or more belong with modular and corner lounges, where a small table looks lost. Small coffee tables of 50 to 70 cm, or a pair of round tables at different heights, suit apartments and two-seaters, and are easy to move for a game on the floor. Low tables, below the usual 40 to 45 cm, are the modern look with a deep, low lounge; keep the top at roughly the height of the seat cushion so it is still useful.
Storage, shelves and drawers
If the lounge room collects remotes, chargers and magazines, choose a table with a shelf underneath or a drawer, or a pedestal table with a tray top that keeps everything in one place. An ottoman with a tray is the soft alternative, and doubles as a footrest and spare seat.
Styling the living room
Pair the coffee table with side tables at arm height, and sit it on a rug large enough that the front legs of the lounge rest on it too. Repeat one material elsewhere in the room, such as the timber of the table in an entertainment unit or the stone of the top in a lamp base, so the table looks chosen rather than placed. Keep the surface simple: a stack of books, one tray, one object.
See them in a Perth showroom
The Furniture Gallery is WA owned and family run, with showrooms across Perth and regional WA. See the tables beside the lounges they suit, compare timber and stone finishes in natural light, and talk sizes with an interior stylist. When you have chosen, add the table to your cart and enter your postcode for a delivery price; our white-glove delivery team will unpack it, assemble it and take the packaging away.
