The Truth about Coffee Tables and Why You Need One

We’re always getting questions about home decorating, but one of the most common goes like this: do you need a coffee table?

Ask any interior designer and they’ll tell you, function trumps form in every case. Why create a beautiful room if you’ll never use it? That’s why it’s so important to establish how you’ll use a space before you start shopping. For your living room, you’ll likely be watching television, hosting friends, and relaxing with family. It’s a room meant to be comfortable.

Enter the coffee table. After your seating, it’s the most important piece in your living room because it holds drinks, your remote, reading material, and is a place to put up your feet. Every living room needs a coffee table, and we’re here to walk you through what you should consider before selecting one.

1. Coffee Table Size

We always use our Room Planner tool to layout a space before shopping, and if you’re furnishing your living room, you should start here. Your coffee table should be between 14-18 inches from any seating clustered around it, and definitely no more than 24 inches. So if you’ve laid out your floorplan, you should be able to see how large a coffee table you’ll need.

For very large living rooms, consider using two coffee tables next to each other. Or if your living room isn’t a pass through, you can go even larger.

• How to Space Furniture in Your Room
• How to Layout a Room
• 15 Ways to Layout Your Living Room

2. Consider the Shape

Different spaces and layouts call for different shapes, but here’s something to think about. For a layout that’s more closed off, square or rectangular works perfectly.

If your living room is a pass through, and you’ll frequently be walking around the coffee table, round works well.

Aesthetically, we like to balance round and square shapes in a space, so if most of your furniture pieces are square (think a sofa with tuxedo arms, square fireplace, and square side tables), a round table adds balance. Alternatively, if you have curvy arms on your furniture, a big round mirror, and round side tables, a square or rectangular side table works beautifully. It’s all about balance.

3. Finish the Room

No room should use the same finish on every surface, so just like with shape, a coffee table can be a way to bring something new into your space. If you have a nubby fabric on your couch or more rustic elements, a glossy or shiny table will contrast that rough texture. Or if you’ll be using your living room for TV watching, choose a finish that you won’t mind putting your feet on, like a slightly weathered wood or an upholstered ottoman.

4. Styling Your Coffee Table

Once you’ve picked out your coffee table, consider accessories. For a family room where you’re watching TV, you’ll probably want to leave plenty of space for propping up feet and placing drinks. A table with a lower shelf works great in these spaces because you can place books and trays underneath, leaving plenty of room on top.

Keep all accessories low, since you want to be able to see over the top of them. Anything too tall will block your line of vision.

Add essentials: reading material, a tissue box, coasters, a box for remotes, a candle, matchbooks, or anything else you’ll use frequently can be displayed.

Our Complete Styling Guide to Coffee Tables, Consoles, and Bookshelves

5. Ottomans and Clusters

Now, not every living room has to have a “coffee table” — in other words, you can use an ottoman, pouf, or a cluster of smaller side tables in certain instances. Here are 10 rooms that don’t have coffee tables. The important thing is that you have something in this space for function — an ottoman, two or three side tables grouped together, or a taller cocktail height table can all work depending on how you’ll use your seating area.

6. Coffee Tables and Sectionals

If you have a sectional, you may approach your coffee table a bit differently. Many sectionals have a chaise on one or both ends, so you probably won’t be putting your feet on the table. This gives you more opportunity to use glass or metal tables. You can also go a bit smaller here because they’ll be less foot traffic and less entertaining.

We talked shape above, and here’s an occasion when a round coffee table really works. The square edge of the sectional can make a living room feel boxy, so we like adding in a round piece here.

How to Match a Coffee Table to Your Sectional

We’re always getting questions about coffee tables, so hopefully we’ve answered them all here. To shop coffee and accent tables at Ballard Designs, go here, or find more coffee table inspiration below:

• How to Match a Coffee Table to Your Sectional
• 10 Living Rooms Without Coffee Tables
• How to Style a Console, Bookshelf, or Coffee Table
• How to Decorate a Coffee Table

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