Why your living room needs a statement coffee table
Design by Time & Place Interiors
Interior designers often craft a room around a foundational focus piece. We start with a custom upholstered sofa, or a vintage area rug, or maybe even an architectural feature like a mantle.
I’d argue that one of the most impactful focus elements of a living room is the coffee table. It’s usually in the middle of the space, framed by an arrangement of seating and floor covering. From each viewpoint, it takes center stage, drawing the eye in to its presence.
And while the coffee table does hold drinks or books, its ultimate purpose is a simple tabletop surface, not requiring tons of functionality. Unlike your sofa, which needs to provide sufficient seating comfort, the coffee table can easily be the design-forward “conversation piece” of your living room. It could have an intriguing, sculptural shape, or perhaps eye-catching luxurious materials like natural marble or metallic chrome. This is your opportunity to expand beyond pure practicality and show off curated, luxurious style.
Read on for a compilation of inspirational rooms where beautiful coffee tables make a big design statement.
Lucite AND multi-layered! This modern coffee table in a Highline apartment is bold but also airy, with its semi-translucent material. Design: Timothy Brown Studio / Photo: Richard Powers
Silvery polished chrome is a guarantee to make a punchy accent, like this 1970s mod coffee table surrounded by more relaxed vintage furniture. Design: Dumais Interiors / Photo: Joshua McHugh
A rounded coffee table can make a statement while also softening a room’s edges. The spheres of this contemporary travertine piece elegantly echo the curves of the sofa. Design: Studio.Skey / Photo: Taran Wilkhu
Your coffee table doesn’t necessarily need to be a rectangle. Here’s an unusually shaped lacquered table in a designer’s New York City den, accompanying vintage Percival Lafer leather lounge chairs. Design / Photo: Hovey Design
Low coffee tables have been making a comeback. This Italian glass coffee table is impressive but lets the vintage Persian rug show through. Design: Handelsmann and Khaw / Photo: Anson Smart
Mixed materials look elegant, like this 1970s Deco Revival coffee table with polished chrome and brass edges and smoked glass top. Design: Joern Scheipers / Photo: Studio Pion
Make that a double. A pair of vintage Italian travertine tables continues the curves of a custom designed sectional in a luxurious Brooklyn living room. Design: Jett Projects / Photo: Christian Harder
Organic, free-form coffee tables are eye catching, even more so when both the tabletop and bottom are of asymmetrical form. Design: Smac Studio / Photo: Dave Wheeler
While comfort can be your priority in a sofa, the coffee table can do the part of the bold styling. This sculptural travertine and glass table add a mod edge to a deep-seated sectional in a soothing SoHo home. Design: Olivia Stutz / Photo: Sean Litchfield
Crafting curated, design-forward interiors for young New Yorkers
Time & Place Interiors specializes in furnishing original spaces in New York apartments, elevating our clients’ living spaces through a curated mix of vintage and modern designs. Use the link below to schedule a 20-minute free information call with founder Ksenya Malina to discuss your home’s design needs:
