How to Choose a Coffee Table: Size, Spacing and Height
A coffee table does more work than almost anything else in a living room. It holds the drinks, the books and the remote, and it decides whether the room feels balanced or crowded. Here are the four numbers we use when we pick one, plus six tables from our collection that fit the rules.
1. Go about two-thirds the length of your sofa
A table that is roughly two-thirds the length of your sofa looks anchored. Much shorter and it floats in the middle of the rug; much longer and it blocks the way in and out. For a seven-foot sofa, that means a table somewhere around 50 to 60 inches long. For a loveseat or a small apartment sofa, an oval or round table in the 35 to 45 inch range usually feels right.
2. Leave 14 to 18 inches between the sofa and the table
That gap is close enough to set down a mug without standing up, and far enough to walk past without turning sideways. If people need to walk all the way around the table, give the other sides about 30 inches.
3. Match the seat height, or go an inch or two lower
Most sofa seats sit around 17 to 19 inches off the floor. A table top at the same height, or an inch or two lower, is easy to reach and keeps sight lines open across the room. Measure your own sofa before you shop; a low, lounge-style sofa wants a lower table.
4. Mix your materials
Stone, wood and a little shine keep a room from going flat. If your floor and sofa legs are wood, a marble top adds contrast. If the room is mostly white and grey, a warm walnut table does the same job.
Six coffee tables that fit the rules
Jason Coffee Table, $419
A black Banswara marble top set in a walnut-stained solid acacia frame. Stone and wood in one piece.
Josie Coffee Table, $356
The same mid-century frame with a white Banswara marble top, for lighter rooms.
Remington Coffee Table, $147
Stripes of real walnut, cherry, beech, ash and white oak veneer on a walnut-stained Malaysian oak base.
Starburst Oval Coffee Table, $229
An oval top with criss-cross walnut veneer on an angled solid wood base. The oval shape is easy to walk around in a tight room.
Boomerang Coffee Table, $189
A walnut-veneered oval top on solid wood legs with boomerang-shaped feet. Mid-century and a little playful.
Anders Coffee Table, $132
A round faux marble top on solid Malaysian oak legs. A good fit for a smaller sofa or a reading corner.
All six ship free. Questions about sizes or finishes? Call us at 1-973-276-0444 and a real person will help.