Modern Coffee Tables

Coffee tables come in all shapes, sizes and materials and the style you choose depends on your individual needs. Many people have moved to smaller homes as their children have grown up and moved away or they retired from their jobs. Students living away from home want their dorm rooms or small apartments to be as welcoming as possible but have limited space to work with. Small coffee tables are ideal for these types of spaces or to complement a conversation area of a larger room.

You have different needs for this type of table depending on your lifestyle. If you enjoy entertaining and quiet conversation you’ll probably want a more practical table from which you can serve coffee, tea and other refreshments. If you are a student it may have to do double duty as a study area and retirees living in smaller spaces might want one that does double duty as a table with storage underneath. Whatever you plan to use your table for, you want it to be both stylish and versatile.

Small coffee tables come in different shapes, too. Some are oval, some are rectangular and others are squarer like an end table. There are tables with ornate, carved legs and those with more Spartan designs.

Glass tables make a room look bigger and feel more spacious because of the light they attract but they can also be higher maintenance than solid tables. If you love the look of glass, especially the type of table where you can put knick-knacks on the lower shelf, you’ll enjoy this style. You can even make a striking arrangement if you have two square glass and iron end tables that you can put together when entertaining. You may also like a Fontana style glass table that combines the clean look of glass and chrome with no sharp edges.

Modern coffee tables have taken advantage of the newer man-made materials that have been developed and you no longer have to put up with heavy, cumbersome tables if you prefer fine wooden table. Composite materials have gotten very light weight so you can have a beautiful Victorian style table that is easy to move around. Many people love the carved, ornate styles of the past but have avoided, up till now, having those tables in their homes because of the weight issues and the difficulty of moving them.

A very good solution in small spaces is one of the many styles of drop-leaf coffee tables. These small coffee tables were very popular in the early to mid-1900’s and are enjoying a resurgence today due to people wanting more choices in their home décor. These tables can fit comfortably into small spaces and when the leaves are lifted into place can expand up to double their usual size. An alternative to the drop leaf table would be a two-tiered table with a usable and attractive lower level and some of these even come with drawers for extra storage.

Small coffee tables can be a valuable and unique decorating tool. Aside from their utility, they can add a striking focal point to your room!