A coffee table should sit level with your sofa seat or slightly below it, around 40 to 45 cm high, and measure about two thirds of the sofa's length. Get those two figures right and choosing between round, oval and rectangular becomes a question of how people move around the room.
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Buying guide
Coffee tables take more knocks than almost anything else in the house. They carry mugs, laptops, remote controls and feet, often all at once. Before you compare finishes, measure the sofa, the rug and the walkways around them.
Most sofa seats sit between 42 and 48 cm from the floor. A table at the same height, or up to 5 cm lower, is comfortable to reach from a seated position. Low, deep sofas suit a lower table of 35 to 40 cm; a firm, upright sofa takes 45 cm without looking odd.
Aim for roughly two thirds of the sofa's length: around 80 to 120 cm in front of a three-seater, 60 to 90 cm for a two-seater. Leave 40 to 45 cm between the table edge and the sofa so you can stand up without shuffling sideways, and keep a main walkway of 75 to 90 cm on the busy side of the room.
Solid oak or walnut can be sanded and re-oiled when it gets marked. Marble and stone look calm but can stain if wine or lemon juice sits on them, so use coasters and reseal as the maker advises. Glass keeps a small living room feeling open; metal frames are light and slim. A lacquered top wipes clean and suits homes with young children.
A shelf underneath or a drawer hides remote controls and magazines. Lift-up tops bring a laptop to working height, though they add weight and moving parts. If the coffee table stands on a rug, make sure all its legs sit fully on it or fully off it so it does not rock.
In a narrow room, a round or oval table of 60 to 80 cm, or two small coffee tables side by side, keeps the walkway clear. Glass and slim legs let the floor show through, which makes the space read larger. If you need the floor for children to play on, a pair of nesting tables moves out of the way in seconds.
At a glance
| Sofa | Table length | Table height |
|---|---|---|
| Two-seater, about 150 cm | 60 to 90 cm | 40 to 45 cm |
| Three-seater, about 200 cm | 80 to 130 cm | 40 to 45 cm |
| Corner sofa | Round, 80 to 100 cm across | Level with the seat |
Level with your sofa seat or up to 5 cm lower. For most sofas that means 40 to 45 cm.
About two thirds of the sofa's length: 80 to 120 cm for a three-seater, 60 to 90 cm for a two-seater.
Leave 40 to 45 cm. It is close enough to reach a mug and wide enough to stand up comfortably.
Round suits small rooms, corner sofas and homes with children because there are no corners. Rectangular gives more surface and lines up with a long, straight sofa.