Using Coffee Tables In Your Home

For the fourteenth time this week, you’ve walked into your living room or rec room, slid onto the couch, and began to sink into the cushions. Only too late you realize that there is still no place to set down your hot drink or lift your tired ankles. That’s what coffee tables and end tables are for, your remind yourself. It’s the truth. You furniture set it virtually incomplete without the appropriate coffee table set. Entertaining guests or entertaining yourself, picture perfect relies on that little but “oh so essential” piece of furniture.

No matter what décor you already have in place, there are most certainly coffee table sets to further enhance whatever space you have. You can have a small, large, wooden, metal, or glass coffee table to complete your look. These tables are often the visual focus of the room, so it’s important that you choose tastefully.

A round coffee table is a great choice for rooms that have a lot of hard edges and corner lines in place. The harshness of edges can be softened with a strategic placement of the table. Your entire living space will change. If your décor already has a lot of “roundness,” a circular or oval coffee table may be too much. Avoid the temptation to “match,” and go for something that will complement, instead.

If you room is furnished with series of heavy and or dark pieces, perhaps you should consider glass coffee tables. The glass helps lighten an atmosphere. Both natural light and artificial light bounce through and off the table, allowing your eyes to relax and appreciate the rest of the room as well. Set a bowl of fruit, candy, or miniature bookstack in the middle of the table to perfect the look.

For those of us who enjoy fun features and gadgets, they’ve built the lift top coffee table. It’s a one stop for ankle resting, coffee mugs, full dinners, and work space as well. The convenient top will lift upwards, and sometimes out, to reach your regular dining and work level. No more leaning over that low table to play scrabble or eat spaghetti. The only problem is, that if you’re trying to cut down on TV dinners, lift top coffee tables are not furthering the project.

Coffee table furniture constructed from wood should most often be used within its family. A light oak coffee table, for example, may feel out of sorts amongst dark cherry furniture, or vice versa. Traditional and antique sofas may be offended by a modern coffee table of chrome and glass. A black coffee table or heavily tinted glass will stand out sorely among soft color schemes like cream and pastels. A trunk coffee table will offer plenty of convenient storage space, but is too bulky for many living room spaces. Sorry. These last tips are not meant to shock you; hopefully, none of them are coming to you as a surprise. Just don’t forget it in your shopping.

Feel free to look for secondhand and cheap coffee tables, as long as you know how to avoid getting gypped in the process! A tempting money save should never leave you with crumb furniture.

Homes are becoming more and more versatile. While conference tables were once something only found in office settings, it is becoming more and more popular to use them in the home. The uses of a conference room table run the gamut from the basic office meeting locale to a homework table, rec room centerpiece, or even an alternative dining table.

The most obvious reason to consider using conference room tables in your home is if you have a home office. Depending on the nature of the business you run, you may be receiving clients regularly or have other coworkers or employees who come to your home to work with you. In a home office conference tables can be a major boon, providing not just a place to confer, as the name implies, but lending a more professional tone to the environment as well.

In a large family, homework can be a tumultuous event. If you have a lot of children with lots of schoolwork, you may find that your dining table set is constantly under attack by your children and their respective notebooks, textbooks, schoolbags, and random school supplies. Besides the fact that your elegant dining room might not look so elegant once the homework is finished, all that wear and tear is not very healthy for your table. Sure you can cover it, but dining room table pads will only protect the top of your table, not the legs and chairs.

A great solution to this homework dilemma is to put an office conference table in your family room, den, or rec room. This will provide your kids and their friends with ample room to spread out and work. And when they’re finished, they’ll be able to have a great time around it too.

If you’re sold on the idea, the next step is buying one. You can find conference tables for sale at a wide variety of furniture stores, both online and in your area. Depending on what size you want, what you’re using it for and how fancy you want to get, you can expect to pay anywhere from under $100 for round conference tables that seat just four, to several thousand dollars for large, lush executive conference tables that come complete with leather recliners.

Don’t forget about buying secondhand though. If you would like a large table for your children to have a place to crash and do their homework on but think that the price tag is just a wee bit too high, consider buying used conference tables instead. Many offices regularly updated their furnishings, and you should be able to find what you’re looking for on online auction sites, used furniture stores, or by scouring your local newspaper’s classified section.

Though not suitable for large dinner parties, bistro tables are perfect for many other dining and drinking circumstances. Small, movable, intimate, stylish: a bistro table and chairs will be perfect for a cup of tea on the patio, coffee in the kitchen on a Sunday morning, or a romantic dinner for two at the pool side.

While many designs are built for both indoor and outdoor use, you may want to first decide what the primary location of your bistro table set will be. An outdoor bistro table will inevitably be more sturdy, weather worthy, and its style will often suit the verde and flora, sunshine or starry night of the outdoors. Indoor bistro table sets have usually have a more permanent look to them. Chairs are more solid, tables more elegant. Indoor chairs may also be upholstered with fabrics that you won’t want to take outdoors, for fear of sun, rain, and fade.

The most popular bistro tables for sale are the outdoor bistro tables and chairs. Patios, decks, and poolside are the common place for home designers to seek additional small tables and seating for recreational use: hence, the patio bistro table. A patio bistro table, however, comes in an outlandish variety of styles itself.

The mosaic bistro table is an artsy, craftsy, sophisticated and incredibly beautiful table. Mosaics are usually designed from stained glass. While original mosaics were often crafted from irregular and broken pieces, today the art of mosaics has been perfected to exquisite beauty. Stained glass is cut by hand, and literally put together as a delicate and unmatchable work of art. You can find artists who will custom create the perfect mosaic bistro table for your home, outdoor or indoor. Now, that is high class.

The more casual folding bistro table for the patio and balcony are lightweight, move and store easily, or just make room for more of the same! Wood designs in natural colors, or painted vivid brights are wonderful for any party. Metal and glass sets are more elegant and impressive.

Bistro table sets are available in low lying styles, regular table heights, or bar heights. They can cost anywhere from 150 dollars or far past 1500 dollars. Discount dealers will offer you wonderful prices on great quality tables, chairs, or full chairs. A little bit of surfing the web or scouting local dealers will find you a great deal. Remember to consider shipping costs, as well. After that, what can I say? Party on!

When you invest in a beautiful, expensive, or antique dining room table, one of the main stressors may be how to maintain the beautiful appearance and protect your table from damage. Dining room table pads are the answer. Whatever size, shape, or style your table is, you can buy standard or custom dining room table pads that will be a perfect fit. This way, your table will live years without getting scratched, stained, dented, or heat damaged.

There are so many ways a tabletop can get damaged, inadvertently or carelessly. The finish on a wooden tabletop fades over time under sunlight. The fresh sun shining through your bay windows, so beautiful, may actually harm your table. Scratches from silverware, keys, pencils, book corners can cause permanent damage. Dents from heavy objects are also a concern. When placing a hot dish on the table, you’d like to enjoy; not worry about the condition of you table. All of these can be solved simply with dining room table protective pads.

Another benefit of table pads is their sound absorption. The normal clinking, clanging, and bumping of a large dinner party easily takes over conversation. With a table pad, these sound are muted. Company can be enjoyed.

Table pads for dining room tables can be elegantly attractive as well as functional. Companies offer high class leather wood grain or leather toned surfaces, in a detailed rainbow of wood and leather colors. It won’t be necessary to always cover your pad with a tablecloth. Laundry loads don’t have to increase. Less expensive pads can also be beautiful, and are offered anywhere from black, to burgundy, to tan.

In search for your table pad, there are certain essential qualities that you’ll want to be certain the one you choose can boast. First, you want serious moisture resistance, both to protect your table and so that the pad itself won’t warp. Warping should be ensured against even standing in storage. Second, a cushioned bottom so that the pad itself won’t hard your tabletop. The cushion should be slip proof, as well. The top of the pad should be heavy duty, and provide heat protection anywhere from 350 to 550 degrees. Make sure it’s easy to clean, will hold a tablecloth without slipping, and folds for convenient storage.

And with that, your table can look as beautiful as the day you bought it, for its entire lifetime.

1. Why buy a glass top dining table?
Glass top dining tables are beautiful choices of dining sets, particularly for smaller dining rooms and rooms with a lot of natural light. Small spaces feed on glass as a relaxing, eye-opening visual point; the glass allows light reflectivity and a feeling of spaciousness in an otherwise crowded room. Rooms with natural light glorify the glass table even more; the natural light bounces off and complements the tabletop nicely. In general, a glass dining table is less serious than solid wood tables. It is less formal, no doubt, but incredibly elegant. Glass table tops don’t need to be dressed with a tablecloth, which saves some laundry… though the glass does need to be cleaned often in order to look its beautiful self.

2. Will my glass top scratch or smudge?
It will almost definitely smudge, thought some high end glasses may be smudge resistant. Scratches are more easily avoidable. Manufacturers sell scratch-free and unbreakable forms of glass tops for dining tables.

3. Does a glass top dining table always feel like a patio table?
Absolutely not. While glass patio tables are delightful, a dining table is quite different. Styles range from very contemporary to traditional forms. Glass top dining table sets come with fully upholstered chairs that are luxurious and romantic in appearance. A contemporary glass top dining table from chrome and glass feels sleek and clean. The base for a glass top can be from wood, wicker, steel, iron. The design that suits your dining area best is sure to be out there.

4. Can I buy the glass top and base separately?
Sometimes. Be sure to buy from somewhere that ensures their compatibility. You want to feel confident that your glass top won’t go sliding off its base!

5. What shapes are glass tabletops available in? How do I choose?
Circular, oval, rectangular, and square are the common glass tabletop shapes. Square and round glass top dining tables are great for warmer, more intimate settings. Guests usually feel as though they’re sitting closer together, and are compelled to engage with the people sitting with them. Great for families and good friends. Oval and rectangular tables are more formal; there is a clear “head” of the table for people to turn to.

Glass top dining tables are beautiful and classy. A refreshing move from solid wood, let your glass tables open up and air out your dining areas.

The coffee table is essential to living room design. It centers your furniture, and offers a visual focus that relaxes the eyes and mind. They’re also convenient surfaces for centerpieces like fruit bowls. The one trouble we encounter with coffee tables is that they seem to great for placing things on… but not actually using those things! Don’t let that frustrating knee height tabletop scare you from buying this great piece of furniture. Consider a lift top coffee table; all your problems will be solved. Lift top coffee tables fill both form and function. They tabletop rises to perfect dining and working height, and closes back into your beautiful coffee table all other times. The beauty of your coffee table, with the function of full height.

Lift tops are available in many designs. Some lift up very high, and some only partially. There are styles that only certain parts of the top will lift top. Many lift forward, as well, moving towards your seating for added convenience. Some lift tops offer more storage space than others; the lift top mechanism can eat up some of your storage space if not designed efficiently. Don’t forget to consider coaster feet to make moving your coffee table easy.

Other than that, your coffee tables with lift top vary as much as any other coffee table design. You’ll discover a beautiful cherry, walnut, or oak lift top coffee table that will be just right for your living room. 

As with any furniture purchase, you will want to make sure that the staining is done well, otherwise you will likely be unhappy with the table once it is in your home.  If you are looking for a more contemporary design, then you may want to look for a painted piece as opposed to a stained one.  A black lift top coffee table is perfect for a more modern, sleek design. The mission style lift top coffee table is a new fad, old style coffee table that will give your home a classy yet rustic look.

For those who are short on space but want the benefits of a multi-functional table, there is one particular style that will work especially well.  A corner lift top coffee table will fit neatly into any corner space you have and perform beautifully as both coffee table and working or dining space for lone eaters!

For the very handy, you’ll be happy to hear that lift tops are fairly easy to build. You can order or buy clear lift top coffee table plans to your liking and put the table together yourself. Look for designs that advertise minimal lift top coffee table hardware; the more hardware involved, the more complex the lift mechanism tends to be. That means more difficult to build, and often, less storage space available when you’re done.

So the next time you look to arrange that living room space, find yourself a beautiful coffee table with lift top. The whole family will be grateful.

Do I need a coffee table in my living room?

Coffee tables are multitasking pieces of furniture that accomplish much in a small space.  Trunk storage, magazine racks, drawers, hidden seating, or even built-in ottomans.  If any of these ideas sound appealing, you’ll find a coffee table fitting for your living space.  Decide the form and function of your coffee table.

What shape of coffee table is right for me?

While the most classic shape for coffee tables is rectangle, you can find beautiful styles in a round coffee table, square coffee table, and even pie shaped.  Corners can be sharp or rounded.  Some styles of modern coffee tables even break geometric rules!  As coffee tables can fill many functions, take your use into consideration when deciding on a shape.  The main factor, however, will be the space you have among the other furniture in your room.

credit: Allison Choppick

Do coffee table tops come in different colors?

Coffee table tops vary just as much as coffee table bodies.  Wooden tables may have wooden tops (the color of their wood!) or glass tops, and glass coffee tables will have glass tops.  Glass can be tinted or frosted a variety of shades.  You can buy anything from misty white to black coffee table tops.

What is the benefit of a wooden coffee table?

The default material for coffee tables is, and always has been, wood.  Nowadays, most wooden coffee tables are made from medium density fiberboard (MDF) and sealed with veneer.  MDF is a compound of glue, resin, and recycled wood fibers under extreme pressure to make a very sturdy wood resistant to splitting and shrinkage.  Solid wood construction of an oak coffee table or pine coffee table is an excellent investment, but… it is an investment.

Why choose a glass coffee table?

Glass coffee tables create a feeling of enhanced space.  A full glass or glass top coffee table offers multiple sight lines, and with a decorative piece on top or beneath the tabletop, this coffee table can be an excellent style choice.

What is a lift top coffee table?

A lift top coffee table has two functions.  First, it provides extra storage for book in a shelf like space.  This space can remain hidden or lie open for every day use.  Second, it gives your coffee table added height for use as an eating or desk space.

Dining is small spaces can be a nightmare without the proper dining furniture.  Don’t try to fit in furniture that is too large for your dining room or kitchenette merely because it looks pretty. Consider a bistro table!  Bistro is a French word that originally referred to small, casual, Parisian restaurants… and the furnishings used there, of course, were bistro tables.

A bistro table set can come in cast aluminum, wrought iron, even wicker and woods, fit for all weather.  Though officially for casual dining, bistro tables and chairs are now available in highly decorative styles, traditional or contemporary.  Simple styles, ornate details… Your bistro table and chairs will be the perfect dining addition for your space.

Here are some styles of bistro table sets that are particularly popular.

Bistro dining table:  These are indoor table sets that are generally large enough to seat four.  Solid wood sets may also have a leaf in order to extend.  The bistro dining table can come in any material, and is available in all styles to complement your dining area.  Aluminum or wicker with glass tops, solid wood or wood with stone tops, cottage styles or regal ornate designs.

Outdoor bistro table:  Perfect for your patio or deck!  Often smaller, the outdoor bistro tables will be made fit for all weather; wrought iron, stainless steel, or special wickers and woods.  These bistro table and chairs set will often include only two chairs.  But the designs are delightful!  Glass tops, ornate bases, delicate accents.  Be sure to look for a mosaic bistro table, or one with a ceramic tile or granite top.   These designs have great character.  Look at your surroundings; in the garden, head for the delicate metals or wicker and wood.  Steel and stone might be more appropriate for a poolside bistro table, as wood the wrought iron bistro table.

Folding bistro table:  By far the most casual form of bistro tables, the folding bistro table can be for indoors or outdoors.  It will be simple, small, and straightforward, with minimal decorativeness and standard legs. Often, but not solely, found in wood, the folding bistro table is convenient as a side table, kitchenette table or lightweight decorative patio piece.

Consider your space, number you need to seat, décor in place, and the environment you’re creating.  Skim through furniture magazines, websites, or even window shop until you’ve found the perfect bistro table.  It is out there.