HAVING TROUBLE PICKING A COFFEE TABLE? HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Choosing a coffee table for your home or office seems simple enough, right?
You walk into a store, pick a piece, and off you go, or wait for it to have it delivered.
However, upon further reflection, you discover there’s actually a lot that goes into choosing the right coffee table.
Naturally, you’re going to want a coffee table that’s the right size, length and width, and one that doesn’t look odd sitting in your living room.
Or, the fact that it needs to be the correct scale and propionate to your space, working seamlessly with your existing living room furniture and overall aesthetics.
Ah, so many considerations, such little time.
Well, we’re here to help you get on with it, so once you know what kind of style you have in mind, these pointers will help you pick the perfect coffee table:
LET’S START WITH HEIGHT
A coffee table that’s too high or too low will always make those tea and coffee sessions unnecessarily awkward.
To ensure that everyone feels comfortable in the living room, choose a coffee table that’s the same height as your sofas, or perhaps, 1-2 inches lower.
That’s a safe bet because any more and your space is going to look and feel a bit off.
NOW, LET’S TALK ABOUT PROPORTIONS
Similar to finding the right height for your coffee table, you should also look for one that doesn’t sit at odds with the length and width of your sofa.
A good rule of thumb: your coffee table should be roughly two-thirds of the length of your sofa.
So, let’s say your sofa is 96 inches, your coffee table should be no longer than 64 inches.
SOME CLEARANCE RULES TO CONSIDER
After figuring out the right length and height, you should consider the ideal shape or design of your coffee table.
For example, do you want to go with an oval-shaped one or a round or rectangular one, or maybe coffee tables with storage is more your thing?
This can be confusing at first but it doesn’t have to be. The kind of shape you want comes down to the length and clearance you want around it.
Traditionally, most people have their coffee table about 12-18 inches away from the sofa – outside this range, your coffee table may feel uncomfortably close or far.
Between your coffee table and TV stand, unit or cabinet, have at least 24-30 inches so that there’s enough room to walk easily around the space.
To find the optimal width for your coffee table, measure the distance between your sofa and TV stand or fireplace – subtract that by 42 inches. Simples!
FINDING THE RIGHT BALANCE – OR RATHER, HOW TO
Another important rule to think about when picking the right coffee table is its overall “weightiness”, but what does that mean, anyway? It needs to effortlessly complement your existing living room furniture, dining table and chairs, TV stands, units & cabinets, sofa beds, and so on. You get the gist of it. This is important because your overall space has to feel proportional and balanced.
We can’t have skinny sofa legs, for instance, and choose a coffee table that’s fully solid and has short, chunky legs running all the way from the table to the floor.
