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Our favourite high street coffee tables have style, storage and statement details
A confession: I'm a House Beautiful editor who doesn't own a coffee table. The problem hasn't been finding one that I like but choosing the one that I like the best. There are simply too many gorgeous ones out there.
Armed with advice from a couple of interiors experts, I've now spent hours methodically researching the most stylish and useful designs on the high street and I'm ready to share my shortlist. But before you embark on your own coffee table shopping journey, here are a few things to bear in mind.
Most designers agree that the living room sofa and rug take priority in the design process. Sue Jones, OKA's creative director and co-founder, points out that both 'help define both the scale and layout of your space. Your sofa will determine the proportions you need, while your rug anchors the layout and gives a clear sense of where the coffee table should sit.'
You don't want a table that will overwhelm the space – or look too puny. For Danielle Le Vaillant, head of photography and film at Cox & Cox, the magic ratio is ‘a coffee table no bigger than two-thirds the width of the sofa’. She also advises that you ‘aim for the height of your table to match the height of your sofa seat’, which means you'll keep everything within easy reach.
‘Leggier tables are perfect for smaller rooms,’ Danielle advises, because they'll create a 'more open and less cluttered' look. By contrast, coffee tables with more solid, substantial proportions can help anchor ‘open plan spaces or rooms where there’s a large corner sofa or modular seating unit’.
‘A glass-topped table with a slim metal frame will appear to float and create a sense of airiness which is perfect for small spaces,’ says Danielle. Conversely, darker toned woods feel instantly cosier, along with rich tones such as burgundy and forest green.
For Sue, upholstered ottomans are equally versatile: 'They add warmth while doubling as storage or a practical surface when styled with a tray. Simple shapes with subtle detailing tend to feel at home in almost any interior – it’s all about how you layer texture and accessories around them.'
Cartmel rattan coffee table, The White Company
Why we love it
Well-proportioned, with an integrated shelf that’s perfect for curating displays (and stashing the TV remote), this version ticked everything on my wishlist – plus it slots effortlessly into any living room’s decor style. The warm neutral colour and textured rattan material complements any colour palette and its standard size means it can sidle up perfectly to most 3 and 4 seater sofas.
Specifications
• Materials: Rattan and wood
• Size: H45cm x W100cm x L70cm
Tiled coffee table in Cherry, Cox & Cox
Why we love it
When I first spotted this tiled, lustrous red coffee table, my heart skipped a beat. Thanks to its lustrous deep red colour (it comes in an equally chic olive green), it would be the jewel of any pared-back, minimalist living room as well as layered, lived-in lounges. Best of all, even on a gloomy winter day, its glossy reflective texture helps to bounce light around.
Specifications:
• Materials: MDF, mango wood and iron
• Size: H44 x W100 x L100cm
• Top thickness: H7cm
Why we love it
You simply can’t go wrong with the sleek, Scandi-inspired vibes of this pale wood coffee table – plus it’s a bargain to boot. The narrow bench style is perfectly proportioned for long, skinny rooms, but there’s a sturdy shelf below to both store and display your favourite accessories.
Specifications
• Materials: MDF, solid wood
• Size: H: 45cm x W150 x L35
Vero Petal nesting side tables, Oliver Bonas
Why we love them
When space is at a premium, you need to keep your furniture options open – and nesting tables offer tons of flexibility. This charming duo in lightweight rattan can be angled or separated to accommodate extra guests (or a TV dinner). And when you want to keep the floor clear – hey, presto – you can tuck one into the other for extra space. Oh and did I also mention that they’re really cute?
Specifications
• Materials: Rattan
• Size: H50.5cm x W51 cm x L27cm [when nested]
Adeline round coffee table in cream, Habitat
Why we love it
With rounded feet, a luxe creamy bouclé fabric and a lid that does double-duty, this coffee table is the ultimate multi-tasker. The Adeline has a hollow interior that’s perfect for stashing living room clutter and the lid can be flipped to become either a flat wooden tray for your morning coffee or a padded surface that’s begging you to put your feet up.
Specifications
• Materials: MDF, fabric, wood effect finish
• Size: H46, W66.5, D66.5cm
Khaneh ottoman in Kirmani green, OKA
Why we love it
This coffee table/ottoman is an aristocrat, tailored with a tapestry-style fabric that will elevate the look of your whole living room. The mix of floral and abstract patterns are lively but they won’t struggle to fit in with the other prints in your space, and when you’re not using it as a footstool, you can tablescape to your heart’s content – just add a tray and style up with a candle and a glass of your favourite tipple.
Specifications
• Materials: Oak wood frame, linen upholstery
• Size: H42cm x W100cm x L70cm
Eos faux travertine table, DFS
Why we love it
This curvy, faux travertine coffee table slots perfectly into the centre of a Venn diagram where ‘timeless’ intersects with ‘on-trend’ – and boy, did I ever fall for the playful bun feet, too. With zero sharp corners, a circular table is a great fit for small spaces and works brilliantly tucked next to a more modular sofa.
Specifications
• Materials: faux travertine top and choice of matching or contrast ‘smoked oak’ feet
• Size: H30cm x W90cm x L90cm
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