How to Select Perfect Coffee Table Shape to Suit Your Living Room Layout

A combination of different types and styles of furniture completes the look of a living room. Often, the center of attraction is the sofa set placed in it. When sitting on a sofa, the next main furniture article that comes to mind is the coffee table. It is one of the most important pieces of furniture in the living room. Also, coffee table shape and its suitability with rest of living room design layout matters a lot.

Coffee table supports in bonding together the sitting area of a living room and helps in improving its look and appearance. A perfect coffee table shape makes the area practically more usable. It brings convenience in having a drink, demonstrating your favorite coffee table books, or in kicking up your feet.

You will find different types, styles, and shapes of coffee tables in the market. They come in different materials and sizes as well. To select the right one among those is a difficult thing. People make this selection based on their room settings.

The designs and shapes of other furniture articles placed in the living room also impact this choice. The building material of a coffee table is selected according to it. After that, the selection of an appropriate shape is very important. Last but not least is its finishing style.

We will tell you about different coffee table shapes in this article. This will guide you to make the right choice in the selection of a coffee table for your living room.

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Basics of Coffee Table Shape

Before doing anything else, you need to consider some general rules in selecting a coffee table shape and design for your living room.

Height of the Table

The height of a good coffee table design is equivalent to the sofa seat height. You can alter it up to 2-3 inches below or above the sofa seat according to your needs and requirements. The recommended height is though equal to the sofa seat height.

It makes them look elegant and beautiful. Too tall or short tables are practically not usable. They lose their efficiency and attractiveness. An inefficient table design will ruin the look of a whole room.

Length of of the Table

It is highly dependent on your room and sofa set size. Check thoroughly that how much space you need to walk around the coffee table. Leave enough space for your movement. The recommended space is 17 inches from your sofa seat to the coffee table.

This leaves you enough space to walk around the table. Another thing to look for coffee table shape is that it should come in the center of your rug area. This makes its appearance beautiful and attractive. The length of the coffee table should not be more than your long sofa set sitting area.

Coffee Table Types

You will find several types of coffee tables in the market. Your selection should be according to your room decoration requirements. Select the table that enhances the beauty of a living room and merges it with other furniture articles properly.

Types of coffee tables can also be categorized according to their tops.

Wood top
Mirror top
Acrylic top
Stone or Marble top
Painted
Glass coffee table

Wooden coffee tables are also available in the markets that are durable and strong. It depends that which table gives the best look with other furniture placed in the room. Often, glass top or wood top coffee tables are most popular and well suited to many room layouts. All finishes are available in different coffee table shape designs as well.

A combination of different building materials is also used in some tables. Like their bottoms are prepared in wood and the top comes in glass. Some wooden bottom tables also come with acrylic or marble tops. All of them come with a different flare of beauty and attractiveness. Selecting the right one from them is the main task.

Selecting the Right Shape and Finish

Choices are too many. So, you need to narrow them down. Selecting the right coffee table shape and finish will be subject to your personal design preference of course. You should make this choice by keeping in mind the decoration demands of your living room.

Antique Metallic Finishing
Luxurious Gold Finishing
Universal Black Finishing
Pure White Finishing
Tainted Wood Finishing
Paint in Different Color

It is a hard choice to select one out of them. Your decision will become easier if you keep in mind the look of other furniture articles placed in the living room. It should match with their finishing colors or styles.

If they are in metallic finishing then you should go for the same. The only thing you can change in it is the color. A coffee table with gold finishing can be utilized with different styles of furniture. Still select it if it enhances the beauty of your living room.

The same is the case with other styles. Match it with your room decoration needs and requirements and then take the right decision. The most recommended style is in the wood finishing as it supports all types of furniture and looks elegantly beautiful.

Choosing the Right Shape of Coffee Table

The beauty of a perfect coffee table lies in its shape. It is the main feature of any furniture article that you purchase. The coffee table shapes are highly dependent on the space available for their placement. It should not look too big or too small.

Rectangular Coffee Table Shape

If you are looking for a large coffee table with a traditional or standard sofa set then rectangular coffee tables are a perfect choice. A rectangular coffee table fits perfectly with these traditional sofa sets. If you have a sectional or chaise sofa set and you choose a rectangular shape coffee table for it then make sure its length fits in between the edge of the sofa and the chaise perfectly.

These tables provide a lot of surfaces are to the people sitting on the sofa and with that to the ones sitting on side chairs. Their beauty lies in their simplicity. A simple but beautiful rectangular coffee table should be your first choice with traditional sofa sets.

Square Coffee Table Shape

With traditional sofa sets, a single square shape coffee table might look small and gives an awkward look. This is why most designers recommend using 2 tables. This fills up space perfectly and gives an amazing cohesive look to the room. The seating will look more balanced and organized.

On the other hand, if you have a chaise or a sectional sofa set then a single square shape small coffee table works perfectly with it. It fits perfectly into the angle of a sectional sofa and leaves you enough space to move around easily. It is our blind choice for such sofa sets as their designs hardly go wrong with them.

Round Coffee Table Shape

For a diverse look, you can opt for a round shape coffee table for your living room. They give you a pleasant look and provide you some extra space as well. Their size should be selected with care that goes well with your sofa size. Their circumference should be large enough that balance the look without a glitch.

The only thing to look for in these tables is that they provide you a little less surface space as compare to rectangular coffee tables. To cover up this thing, you can use 2 round coffee tables like square ones.

Putting them side-by-side resolves this issue and also gives a striking look to the room. You can also put one in the center and one a little away from the sofa. This setting gives you more walking space around the room.

Oval Coffee Table Shape

If you are looking for an elegant and stylish design of the coffee table for your standard sofa then oval shape coffee table is one of the best choices. They are like rectangular shape coffee tables that provide you extra surface area for usage. The sitting arrangement becomes convenient and efficient with their amazing design.

Selecting an oval shape with an innovative base style makes their look extraordinarily eye-catching and stunning. This design suit you if you have kids at home due to their round edges. The sharp corners of rectangular and square shape coffee tables can hurt them.

Coffee Table Shape Considerations for Different Room Layouts

The type and shape of the coffee table in your living room should largely be influenced by the room layout too. The actual shape and orientation of your living room will demand a suited shape for the coffee table too. This applies to all furniture placed in the room.

Spacious Living Rooms – For very large spacious living rooms, choices for coffee table shapes open up quite a lot. Since, you will not be bound by walls or cramped spaces, using any type and shape of coffee table can work. Here, you can match the coffee table shape to the rest of the furniture freely. Round, rectangular or square coffee tables will all suit nicely depending on it matching with furniture.
Wide Living Room Layout – Some living rooms will be wider in orientation and layout. Different architectural designs and layouts for different homes will focus on living rooms that are wider in dimensions. These wider living rooms will almost always suit rectangular tables. The dining table, coffee table, and all other tables will suit more in rectangular shapes. Natural shape matching works better for aesthetics.
Smaller Cramped Living Rooms – As the price of land keeps rising, spaces are getting smaller. Houses and living rooms in them are also suffering from this. If you have small living rooms, using an oval coffee table shape will suit you better. This goes better if you have other furniture in the same oval shapes too. Overall sizes of coffee tables would be smaller in cramped living rooms as well to manage space better.