Many people ask, “Why do they call a coffee table?” Well, it is because it acts as a center piece in your living room. It serves as a main focal point, allowing people to focus on the television, music, or whichever else they would like to entertain themselves with when seated. The term “coffee table” brings to mind a classy-looking piece of furniture that is usually made out of wood. Today, however, there are many coffee tables that are made of a number of different materials that make them much less formal looking.
Most coffee tables today are actually attached to couches instead of just stand alone pieces. Your coffee table should usually be no more than 18-inches from any standing seating and absolutely no less than 24-inches. If you lay your entire floor plan out, you should easily be able to determine how wide a coffee table you will need. For large living rooms, think about having two coffee tables adjoining to each other, with couches strategically placed between them to create additional space.
A coffee table is not necessary to hold a couch. In fact, many couch and loveseat combinations actually have a larger coffee table attached to the back of the couch, allowing guests to sit nearby while watching TV or reading a book. The coffee table and sofa function more as an enhancement to your living room, as opposed to serving as a replacement for it. While a coffee table and loveseat combination will likely take up more floor space than a traditional living room table, it may be a much more fitting choice for some. After all, the sofa is where you will spend most of your time when you are home.
On the other hand, you don’t have to sacrifice floor space to make room for a coffee table. Many sofa and loveseat sets include a set of standard coffee table legs, and if you shop around you can find coffee table sets that contain a number of interesting “teak” style legs, ranging from elegant to country to rustic. In fact, the type of wood that these legs are made out of can be quite different than the type of wood that the surface of the furniture is constructed from. Some popular choices are teak, oak, cherry, maple, birch, elm, mahogany, beech, and a wide selection of others.
If you need to add extra storage to your living space, a lift top coffee table is the perfect choice. These types of tables typically offer three to four drawers, which are directly below the tabletop. This gives you a chance to utilize that extra storage space for any number of items, including books, CDs, DVDs, holiday decorations and more. The additional drawers also provide you with an opportunity to add height to the seating area, creating a more appealing atmosphere and giving you a few more inches of standing room.
Lift top coffee tables are also ideal if you wish to add decorative details to the table’s surface. While many standard coffee tables are very plain, with just a flat surface and a couple of drawers, some of these models are available in various materials, such as cherry, maple, birch, or oak. While a basic model will usually only have a couple of drawers, more elaborate coffee tables can include a mantel, sideboard or other accents that can easily be added. Because of the decorative opportunities that these additional pieces provide, it is easy to personalize your coffee table to have a one-of-a-kind look that will have friends and family calling it “your own.”
A second advantage of a lift top coffee table is that you will have an easy time locating the item in the event that you need it. Rather than having to fumble around on the floor for the item you need, the tables usually feature a handy flat surface that makes it easy to find. In addition to this convenient feature, most models also offer side rails, which allow you to keep a drink close at hand or to place the remote controls for the television or other entertainment device that you need at a more convenient location. In the past, many of these types of tables required you to have an extra chair so that you could comfortably set up the table.
Finally, these tables are typically available in the right size for most rooms that you are trying to fill. Most standard tables are about two to three inches tall, although you might want to check to make sure that you have enough clearance for a larger table in a particular area, such as a hallway. Because they are usually sold in sets, you may also be able to find a matching Ottoman that would go with the table if you purchase it separately. The sofa and Ottoman typically fit snugly between the legs of the table to ensure that they will not move while you are using the furniture in your home.