Burning Question: Table Talk?
This week’s big q is all about personal preference. What kind of coffee table does it for you? Are you all about a wood table for the richness that it adds? Would you rather have a plush storage ottoman for the hidden stash space and the put-your-feet-up effect?
Do you prefer glass to keep things open and airy?
We’re itching to hear what kind of coffee table floats your boat. In fact, we whipped up this handy little poll to keep everything tabulated:
[poll id="7"]
And what are your thoughts when it comes to shape: round vs. rectangular… or even square? We’d love to hear more about why you voted the way you did, so feel free to comment away with more details.
Both images (which just happen to picture women relaxing) courtesy of MyHomeIdeas.
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When we needed a new coffee table, we picked something we normally would never in a million years choose: a large, heavy, solid, wooden trunk with feet. We never would have chosen it because it is so big, so heavy (literally and visually), and so ornate. But… it is perfect, and perfect for the space, and we love it. Best of all, it holds all of our DVDs inside, so we don’t have them all out visually cluttering up our family room.
I’ll go with the wooden square coffee table for sure! Wood & square comb is so basic and classy- that way, you can use all kind of different colors on anything else around the table and still don’t look too “crazy.”
By the way, I just found this blog (I know, I’m so slow!) and I’m addicted to it already! John & Sherry, you are truly amazing!
I used to think that coffee tables were easy – just pick the type that best compliments your life, and your room style, right? How wrong I was! This has been the toughest and most frequently changing decor decision my husband and I have made! We wanted wood, but it was too expensive, and most were too big for our space. So we ended up with a rectangular slate and metal table. But after about a year, we realized that it was too heavy and too cold for the space. So, we decide on mobility and a more airy feel and bought a round glass table on casters. 3 years of that and the casters were starting to wear out, and the table itself was outrageously scratched (2 cats). So, we gave up on coffee tables altogether and bought two mismatched poufs from West Elm (one chocolate brown and white Eastern print cotton and one light brown hemp). They are perfect – we can move them around as easily as floor pillows, but they are still hefty enough to put down a tray of food or drink. No storage, but plenty of put-your-feet-up goodness, super easy mobility, extra durability, no casters or legs putting dents in my rug, and they are a better fit for the room’s decor than anything that came before! In short, I LOVE MY POUFS!
I love wood tables, but I like them to be painted and distressed like something that’s been loved throughout years and years of family togetherness.
i’m undecided but leaning heavily towards a storage ottoman…. (or a couple of smaller ones so one can be moved to a chair…. the other by the sofa…..) i definitely want a place to store a blanket and some extra pillows, etc…. but i’m having issues because it’s really a more casual look and we’re more transitional…. i’ve found a wood trunk that i like but then we’d probably still have to get a small storage ottoman for the chair….
i LOVE LOVE LOVE katie’s idea of the parson’s table with 2 small ottomans under it! now to find a table and ottomans that will play nicely together!
In my old 600 sq. ft. condo, I built a parsons-esque coffee table that two upholstered ottomans fit perfectly underneath. It was the best of both worlds! I could roll the ottomans out and use for additional seating when my coffee table was being used as my dining table. I could also push the table away and rest my feet on the cushy storage ottomans.
Just wanted to chime in on the kudos to you on your double posts, responses, and general lovely tone and attitude you take towards your readers.
It depends on the room and the look you’re going for, whether glass, wood, ottoman, round, square, rectangle — and also how the room is used. I do have a pet peeve, though, and that is dinky coffee tables. Did you ever go to someone’s house and they have this tiny coffee table floating out in the middle of the room? Not only does it look bad visually, but it’s impractical. You can’t reach it to put a drink down, or put your feet up on it.
Yet another burning question about something that I have trouble deciding on! It totally depends on the room for me. The last time I saw a coffee table I liked, the website said “call for price”. And I said to myself, “I think we’re done here.”
http://40daysof.wordpress.com/
We have the most gorgeous square, wooden coffee table, it measures three feet on each side. It was a hand-me down that my husband was given before we even met. He liked it so much he refinished it and covered it with two coats of poly to keep it gorgeous. It gives a nice heavy balance to the rest of our house, which is cozy, and warm. And in the fours years that we’ve been together, I have never once thought about replacing it. I’ve thought about replacing everything else in the room to match it though!
We have no coffee table right now because our 3 year old son needs the space to set up his Thomas the Train set! As a result, it is very important for us to have good sized side tables!
We have a hand-me-down coffee table that we just LOVE. It’s just a bit shorter than our couch and made of a beautiful wood. The best part? It’s a long rounded oval with four little sets of handles on the four “corners”. This made it super easy for our daughter (now 15 months old) to learn how to stand up and walk. We don’t have to worry about her hitting herself on any sharp corners and because there isn’t any under storage or anything, it doesn’t collect clutter like most everything else. It’s perfect!
In our living room, I got brave w/ two youngins runnin’ around, we have a wood/glass coffee table w/ two matching end tables – they were given to us by the hubby’s uncle. They are very nice, heavy, large pieces of furniture, and due to the glass they are in the “sitting” room where we don’t spend as much time. In our family room (TV room) we have a heavy, wood/marble coffee table that we purchased a couple years ago at Big Lots, and I LOVE it. So my preference is wood tables.
As of now we’re using an old wooden table my grandpa made me when I was a child. It used to be blue, I painted it white. IT works for now, but I’d love to have a bigger one with either drawers or shelves for storage.
Ha this post is so timely – I am trying to decide whether our sitting room can take a coffee table of any kind at the minute! As well as being our main living space, it’s also the only way to get from our front door to the kitchen/dining room so I’m worried a coffee table might make the place look a bit like an obstacle course.
We have 3 different types. 1) A metal and glass one in the living room (the Pia from C&B) … yes, it does get smudgy with the kids!, 2) a tufted leather storage ottoman in the den (from American Leather), and 3) my invention in the family room: two regular rectangular leather ottomans pushed together to form a 50″ square table. Topped it with a C&B outlet runner (to disguse the “crack”)and the giant Everglades tray from Z Gallerie for drinks. The tray is 30″ square and we still have 12 inches around each side to put our feet up.
Hey Sherry,
I know you are a Sarah Richardson fan (as am I)…so you might be interested to know that she now has her own line of paints in 75 colors! (Available at Lowes from Para Paints)
http://www.weddingbells.ca/blogs/home-registry/2010/04/15/designer-sarah-richardson-launches-paint-collection/#more-7968
I’d actually heard that and we’re so excited to check them out. Thanks for the heads up!
xo,
s
We actually just inherited an old farm table, so we used our rectangular wood country table for a coffee table by cutting off the legs. Its the perfect height for the kids little bodies to be near, enough area space for anything you need. Its perfect!
I hate the thought of glass tables. Too many fingerprints.
I like wooden tables from the thrift store, which is what my husband and I have. Really anything that we can eat dinner off of while watching FlashForward or Glee is good for us.
I’m in love with my coffee table – it’s clear acrylic and I keep a white chest under it where we store our dog supplies. You can see it on the home tour post I did on my blog last night: http://iamthebeholder.wordpress.com/2010/04/16/chez-moi/
Anyway, I luuuuuurve your blog and I’m constantly sending it around to my friends and family. You guys are awesome.
We have a wooden coffee table, but we need to upgrade! We also have a little one on the way, and those hard corners scare me. Time for a soft ottoman where we can hide some toys :o)
A coffee table should be a table… an ottoman should be a comfy place to put your feet… both can be great storage places!!
Glass coffee tables are for grownup– they show fingerprints and scratchs!! At my house we prefer wood that ages nicely!!
I definitely prefer a cushy ottoman in our family room that’s kid-friendly. In a living room or smaller room though, I could see a wood/glass coffee table. I don’t think there’s a right or wrong!
We have a wooden table, love it, but need to upgrade with a new sofa soon!
I heard a report about 1 year ago that always stuck with me-Glass table can be very dangerous if you have little kids- Dateline had a big story about kids breaking and falling through them. So something to think about!
How appropriate! I am having the worst time deciding!!
For a bit I was using a little country bench, but decided I didn’t like it because I couldn’t my feet up. So, I went to a large ottoman with storage. But then I didn’t like not have a coffee table for candles or plants or to put food on. I don’t feel like a tray on the ottoman is sturdy enough, I always feel like somethings going to tip over. So, I got a cute wicker/wood coffee table. But missed having a place to put my feet up. So, I’m back to the ottoman…but now I miss having a place to put a candle, food, drink, etc on!!!
See my dilemma. LOL
I’ve been thinking about the ‘pleather’ cubes they have at Target that have the tray you can flip over or have it as a soft ottoman. The tray would be sturdier that way I wouldn’t always be afraid of it tipping since it kind of fits down inside.
I would have chosen a chest if you had it as one of your options because I really would like to have one. My mother does and it’s great for storage as well as a fantastic rustic piece. However, I decided to boo your coffee table needs. We’ve never had one due to the fact that our homes have been smaller than 1200 square feet and the living rooms are always tiny. So, we tuck a sofa table in and use that for display, setting down our drinks and it’s great for a couple table lamps.
The Husband and I don’t have a coffee table. We like to keep the living room floor clear so we can roll around on it with our pug.
I like everything from wood to glass (depending on the look) to upholstered to woven and earthy. My living room has a lighter, airier (is that a word?) look, so I like a darker wood table to ground it all.
http://photocraftbook.wordpress.com
I love using unique finds for coffee tables. Currently, I’m using an old trunk I found at a second hand store. I love that it adds character to the room while serving as functional storage. It’s great for storing books, DVDs, and extra blankets we’re not using in the summer months. Since the piece is older I don’t have to worry about kids messing it up or people using it as a foot rest. Functional for the whole family!
I’m biased. I love my Noguchi.
My favorite baby proofing purchase is our leather ottoman with four pull out drawers to throw toys in. Perfect for the little man right now as he’s teaching himself to walk.
My husband and I are still rockin’ college apartment chic with a $5 thrift store piano bench as our sofa/coffee table. It actually works really well because there’s a little storage, it’s easy to move around, and totally scratched up (so no fear of setting down hot plates or rough tools). I think the day we get a ‘real’ coffee table will be the day we officially become grownups.
I love so many looks. Right now we have a 2 and 4 year old, so form is sacrificed to function. I have a wicker trunk, in which we store extra blankets. I bought a super cheap wooden tray at Marshalls on clearance for $5 and painted that sucker and put a top coat of the polycrilic stuff. We use this for drinks, since the wicker isn’t as sturdy. I’m currently debating whether to add an oversized monogram to the tray or a large design — decisions decisions!
We’ve gone through 3 coffee tables since our daughter was born (not because they got worn but because they were’s practical and safe for a growing baby). Now my daughter is 2 1/2 and we’re on round wicker ottomans (2 side by side) – light and easy to move around to make room for dancing and family fun. On one of them I have a round wooden tray that can securely hold drinks and food. They also serve well for entertaining as extra seating. Check my blog as I plan to feature a house tour of my place soon.
BTW – I love your blog and often send links around to my friends and family.
I love coffee tables that are not really tables at all. Like, an old trunk. Or, a friend has the bottom of an old, big handtruck kinda thing, with wheels on the bottom…cool.
We have a ottoman style and it is great for my son. He is 2 and it makes me feel so much better having one less thing for him to get injured on.
Coffee tables are really hard for me. In my family room I recently purchased a great leather storage ottoman from home goods that currently stores a ton of blankets, books, and games (and will be for toys somewhere around May 20). I’m thinking of purchasing west elm’s white square parson’s table for my living room because I have a dark wood paneled wall and I need something that will pop against it. Another side table that I HIGHLY recommend is this tray side table from cb2: http://www.cb2.com/family.aspx?c=114&f=3701. It’s cheap and has about a million uses.
We have a two year old boy running full speed from the kitchen to the living room. Not to mention a 7 month old, 75 pound German Shepherd. A coffee table would merely cause massive traffic pile ups, bruised foreheads, and spilled drinks on a nightly basis. We’ll wait till he’s about 10 to get one.
I cant stand my coffee table. It was a hand me down and it it light wood with a “smoked glass” top —and i windex it daily because we have a 2 year old. Hate it. Can’t wait to get a new one. Unfortunately, I love the idea of glass, but just cant stand all the fingerprints!!
I dislike glass coffee tables pretty much everywhere. All of my parents’ friends have them, and they seem so dated to me.
In our living room, we have a heavy, traditional style coffee table from Etha Allen that my husband purchased before we were married. I like it because it has huge drawers that hide my music books. It’s great because I don’t have any other place to store my music in that room, and I need them close to the piano. Next time, though, I’d probably ditch it for something lighter, but still with storage. We could do an upholstered ottoman with hidden storage. In our family room, we have round copper coffe table and end tables, also from Ethan Allen, and I love them because they’re unique and add interest to the room, in shape and material. If I redo that room, the rest of the furniture will go, but I’ll definitely keep those tables.
On a separate note, how do those well-coiffed women in your pictures find time to relax like that? Have any of the rest of you had such luxury lately?
Our coffee table is actually a combination of all three types of coffee tables you’ve outlined. We have a wooden coffee table with a glass top and storage drawers underneath. I keep crafts like knitting, and also my laptop close at hand in one drawer. We keep scrap paper and pencils (for writing grocery lists or jotting down a recipe while watching TV) in the other drawer, along with a couple of books that we rotate into the top drawer. The glass top looks into the top drawer, which is where we keep a couple of visually interesting books, the two remote-controls we use most often, and a couple of conversation-friendly games, like a rubik’s cube a couple of 3D mind teasers, and a deck of cards.
I would prefer glass table with shelf in the bottom. Maybe because i can keep newspapers and magazines there… Or i just like the style glass creates. If I had an opportunity I would buy it, but now the wood table stands in the kitchen.
Our coffee table is a super-modern one made of Lucite that I absolutely adore and was a very lucky Craigslist find. I generally prefer glass and Lucite for their visual weightlessness and the fact that they let the area rug and couch steal the show. This is also probably an outcome of living in downtown Chicago and having 1000 square feet to work with- you gotta work harder to make the space feel palatial!! :)
I have a glass talbe similar to the end table in the link below. I go back and forth between loving it and wanting a new one. I have a fairly small living room and the glass top opens up the space and lets my area rug show through.
It’s not as comfy as an ottoman, but my fiance and I often put a “foot pillow” on the table for lounging (aka a throw pillow from the couch) which works just fine. It gets finger prints and food smudges easily but it also cleans up really easily. I just wipe it down once a week when I clean the bathroom mirrors. And I never have to worry about permanent drink rings like I would with wood.
On the down side, there’s no storage and it looks cluttered fast. Having the remotes and a magazine out it all it takes to ruin the open, airy effect…
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://lh4.ggpht.com/_Bf4iRd0GFDs/Se446H_NUzI/AAAAAAAADHc/DsoUah3E7tE/Glass_coffee_table.jpg&imgrefurl=http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/oFnTfl0zYfSoZagLWEDS7g&usg=__YEb1ezz2q8qJtPlKhJ_rxyYJFqU=&h=1200&w=1600&sz=17&hl=en&start=28&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=NXiwE425mWCQoM:&tbnh=113&tbnw=150&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dglass%2Bikea%2Bcoffee%2Btable%26start%3D20%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26ndsp%3D20%26tbs%3Disch:1
I voted plush ottoman, though with storage is not a requirement for me. I searched long and hard for the perfect ottoman for our set up. It’s leather, rectangular and long like a bench, so that both of us can kick our feet up when on the (only) couch together or for additional seating with guests. Plus is looks chic. We use a bamboo tray from Crate and Barrel for a hard surface for drinks or displaying books.
Glass tables make me nervous — especially with a rough & tumble husband who likes to put his feet up. I’ve tried the ottoman route too but that only looks polished enough if the rest of your furniture has very crisp, modern lines.
Our main coffee table right now is a scratch and dent, large/heavy dark wood modern table ($70 for 3′ x 6′ at Homegoods). I can stand on it, spread out craft projects, leave out magazines, etc… Visually its a bit overwhelming but its so handy and tough.
I voted wood, because I like the solid surface on which I can set things, but I like mine to have little storage drawers or bottom shelves to store some things. (Glass also makes me nervous:) The shape depends on the room and furniture setup.