How to choose a coffee table

There is no living room without a coffee table in front of the sofa. There is always the need to have a surface where to place a drink, arrange magazines, put a book … or to be used as a footrest if the landlady allows it. Small, large, high, low, round or squared: here is a brief guide to not being caught unprepared when deciding to buy a new coffee table.

Better round or squared?
The coffee table must first of all adapt to the use and space where it will be placed.
If you are looking for a coffee table that adapts well to all spaces, opt for a square shape that fits perfectly even between two sofas. If, on the other hand, you want to privilege the convivial aspect, choose a round one, perfect to be placed in the centre of the living room, allowing all your guests to be together in the spirit of cheerfulness and good humour. If the room is large, then the choice will almost always fall on a rectangular table: just decide the size of it.

What will we use it for?
We need honesty and a little critical sense: will we use the table for dinners and aperitifs? Do we love having magazines and knick-knacks in plain sight? Are we chronically messy? Would you need another catch-all at home? Children running around? The answers can guide you in choosing the table in a rational way, making an intelligent and lasting choice. Hard-to-clean surfaces are at risk if we often use food and drink. If you need more space to rage things and make order, a solution with drawers or an underlying compartment is the best. No glass if there are children around or if we plan to use it as a footrest.

And finally, are we looking for something more than just a surface?
In small houses and compact living rooms, where every square meter is important, it may be useful to opt for solutions that allow to double the useful surface, without creating excessive visual encumbrance. The same would be for lovers of practicality who seek an ally in the coffee table, perhaps in order to write on the PC or work on the sofa. In this case it is better to opt for transformable models, with tops that move and hide convenient storage compartments and save space.

Target Point, Italian Ideas