Introduction
You can’t have a living room that’s completely furnished unless it has a coffee table. Period. Coffee tables aren’t just a fashion requirement; they’re a necessity; you can’t possibly expect to serve guests drinks without giving them somewhere to rest their mugs after a sip or two (well you can, but you definitely shouldn’t).
But choosing a coffee table for your living room is no simple task, largely because there are just So very many to choose from. Fortunately, all coffee tables can safely be categorized into five groups, so you can take a look and figure out what style of coffee table would look best in your living room.
The Traditional Style
Sometimes it’s best to appreciate things in their simplest forms. If you’re one of this mindset, then the traditional style might be just for you. This no-nonsense approach in design may appear to be un-innovative at first glance, what with the appearance being that of the most generic coffee table you could think of (just a plain, small wooden circular or rectangular table), but sometimes a simple wooden table is really all you need to compliment your living room décor truly.
Beauty is after all in the eye of the beholder, and the vintage feel of a traditional coffee table is all some people might need to feel complete. And though it’s not true for all occasions, the paradoxical quote “less is more” does apply well to the design of a traditional (mostly wooden) coffee table.
The Contemporary Style
Want to expand out of wood regarding choice for materials, while still maintaining the minimalistic design approach of a traditional coffee table? Well, then the contemporary choice might be the one for you. Contemporary coffee tables come in materials like glass and metal along with wood, and these materials are mostly used in combination with one another to make the tables.
Glass tops are pretty common among contemporary styles, so if you prefer coffee tables of this kind then the contemporary styles might be worth checking out. The designs of contemporary coffee tables do occasionally diverge from the from the traditional mold of a simple rectangular or circular table, but they’re never too outrageously different from the classic shape.
The Modern Style
Here’s where designers start to get creative. With a free range of materials to use, ranging from the more common choices like wood, glass and metal to more exotic materials like plastic, carbon fiber or even stone, as well as no restrictions to stick closely to the traditional design mold, there’s a wide range of designs a modern coffee table can take. Their edges are sharper, with surprising twists and turns in shape, so much so one could finish two or three cups of coffee and have nothing but the design to keep him preoccupied as he studies it closer with every sip.
Modern coffee tables also dare to break the custom of having coffee tables in far more vibrant colors and some cases even being of more than one color, unlike contemporary and traditional tables that stick mostly to the base earthy colors.
However, it is worth mentioning modern coffee tables aren’t too wacky in their designs. They’re designed more like architectural pieces, with basic geometric shapes largely being used to compose their designs, instead of pieces of art where there is no restriction on creativity, and one can make whatever he wishes. This honor goes to the novelty coffee table.
Novelty Coffee Table
The novelty coffee table is where a designer truly lets his creativity loose. As long as the end product can support a fair number of mugs and therefore fulfill its purpose, no creative idea is off the table (pun intended). You can have tables that have their legs molded to look like a particular figure or object, like a table whose legs are shaped like an octopus’s tentacles, or just have a glass top on an entire figure altogether, like a man on all fours or a couple of soldiers carrying the table above their heads.
You could have tables that repurpose old and unused items, like a table made of recycled bicycles (once more, pun intended) with a glass top secured at the handlebars, or a barrel or even a roulette table. The possibilities here are endless! Just as long you make have something that can hold up coffee mugs like any normal table, any piece of art can be a novelty coffee table.
The Bespoke
Despite all the variety provided by the above types, you may want something that’s a lot more personal for a coffee table. A table that meets every single one of your requirements, from the colors and materials, down to the exact measurements you want it to be. And the only one that can fulfill all of these requirements is a bespoke coffee table.
There is no denying how perfect of a fit a bespoke table can be for your living room (mostly because it’s designed for your living room, and your living room only). All you need to do now is find a carpenter with the required skill set, and you’re good to go. Before long you’ll be enjoying your new coffee table with a delicious cup of your favorite coffee blend.