The coffee table which has become an indispensable furniture particularly in the living room is a long low table which is placed in front of the sofa. It functions as a resting place for beverages, magazines, a coffee table book or two, occasionally even the feet.
In this day and age, these tables of this type are made from a variety of materials or a combination of materials which makes this piece of furniture more appealing with designs that range from the simple leggy types to those with ornate designs that show the artistry of the table's maker. This table can come in many colors as well and shapes such as round, rectangular, square, and irregular shapes such as the kidney bean.
Here are the top 9 resting places for coffee based on material or materials used, color, and shape, starting from the most popular.
1. Wood Coffee Tables
Wood is the most popular material in a coffee table, they are perfect for those who have rustic or traditional design themes in their home. There are also many wood selections that a furniture buyer can choose and they are: oak, pine, cherry, oak, walnut, cypress, and teak. If you're going to make your own table, your choice of type of wood will be determined by the use (and abuse) the table will incur and the design you're making (simple or carved). For heavy duty use, you can choose strong wood and if you're just using this type of table as an accent piece, then you can choose softwood.
2. Glass Coffee Tables
You can purchase an all glass table or a glass table paired with wood or paired with wrought iron. Glass gives the room an illusion of width because you can see through it which is great if you live in a small apartment or house. The author does not recommend glass on homes where there are small kids as glass has the tendency to break. When buying glass tables always be sure that you ask for tempered or treated glass because when this type of glass breaks it will not have sharp edges unlike untreated glass which has the tendency to break in large shards.
3. Noguchi Coffee Tables
Designed by Isamu Noguchi over 50 years ago, table resulted from a match made in heaven by sculpture and furniture. This table features an interlocking wood base and a glass top. This is so popular that it's design is often imitated, so if you're in the market for one, checkout the glass edge and the wood base for the artist's signature. The Herman Miller Company is the one who exclusively manufactures Noguchi tables.
4. Stone Coffee Tables
Different kinds of stones can be used in constructing a stone table: marble, granite, and slate. The most popular is the marble. If you want a Victorian style theme, this furniture will be the best table to put in front of the sofa.
5. Bamboo Coffee Tables
This material is three things at the same time: strong, beautiful, and sturdy. This material is popular because this is perfect for establishing an island or Asian design theme or a traditional theme for the living room. Furniture that use this material will be very expensive as this grass does not grow locally, they have to be imported. Moreover, the process of preparing bamboo for constructing any kind of furniture is a long process that involves stripping bamboo, boiling the strips and gluing the strips together is also what makes bamboo furniture expensive.
6. Wrought Iron Coffee Tables
"Wrought" is an Old English term for "work" therefore literally it's "worked iron". When you buy a wrought iron furniture, you can be sure that artistry is incorporated in that piece because wrought iron is hammered and bent into shape by highly skilled master craftsmen making the iron long lasting and more resistant to corrosion than other types of metals. Wrought iron tables are elegant pieces by themselves but their beauty is enhanced (or they enhance the beauty) of another material paired to them. For instance wrought iron and glass or wrought iron and stone.
7. Lucite Coffee Tables
If you're looking for the perfect table that is visually appealing and gives the eye the illusion of space but that you have reservations with a glass table, then Lucite ends your search. You can now show off that beautiful Persian rug with a coffee table made from Lucite a material which is also known as acrylic that is stronger and clearer than glass.
8. Black or White Coffee Tables
Tables for your coffee can come in many colors but the most popular of these colors is the black or the white colored tables. This is because these colors go with any design theme.
9. Round and Rectangular Coffee Tables
Lastly, a coffee table regardless of any material or color does come in many shapes. The most popular shapes are rectangular and round. Choosing a table's shape should depend on the amount of space in the room, suitability of the shape to the other furniture, and / or whether or not you have young kids at home who might accidentally bump onto rectangular table edges.