Your home would not be complete if you don’t have the right coffee table to match your existing decorations. A Coffee Table is great for entertaining guests and displaying your books and arts. It serves as a place to rest your tired feet and relax after a busy day at work.
So how big should your coffee table be? A coffee table should be big enough to be positioned 12 to 18 inches away from all adjacent sofas and chairs. It should be 2/3 the length of the adjacent sofas. The height of the coffee table should match the height of the sofa cushions.
To better understand, let us first define what a coffee table is. And then we can discuss in detail how you can find the perfect coffee table for your home.
What Are Coffee Tables?
According to Wikipedia, a coffee table is a piece of furniture that is commonly placed in a sitting area. It supports beverages, books, magazines, remotes, and other objects for convenience purposes.
This type of furniture is typically made of wood, metal, or glass. Some may feature drawers and cabinets for storage.
Coffee tables originated in Europe during the late Victorian era. It complements a sofa or couch and is usually found inside a living room.
How to Determine the Size of Your Coffee Table
To determine the size of the coffee table to use in your home, you need to consider the following:
Height of the Coffee Table
A coffee table will look its best when it has the same height as the top of the cushion on your chairs or sofa. But, coffee tables that are one to two inches lower or higher are quite acceptable.
Using a higher table than the recommended size can overpower other furniture. While anything lower may force people to reach things further than necessary.
An average coffee table ranges from 16 inches up to 18 inches in height. It is perfect for the standard height of a sofa which measures 17 up to 18 inches from the ground to the top of its cushion.
The higher or lower your sofa is, the higher or lower your coffee table should be.
Length of the Coffee Table
Choosing a coffee table with an ideal length is important too. Using one that is too long can obstruct or restrict movement inside the room. While a shorter one may be insufficient to support the objects that you need to place on it.
To get the ideal coffee table length for your home, pick one that is about 2/3 the length of your sofa.
For example, if the length of your sofa is 72 inches, then the ideal length for your coffee table is around 48 inches.
Using one that is close to the recommended length is preferable. It will allow people to reach things and walk around the room with ease and comfort.
Coffee Table Placement
The last thing to consider for your home coffee table is its placement inside your house. You should never place your coffee table where it can impede movement.
The goal is to arrange your coffee table in line with your other furniture inside the room. As a rule, it will be best to position your coffee table 12 to 18 inches away from your chairs and sofa.
This will provide people with plenty of space to move around, while at the same time making it close enough to use it.
Tips on How to Get the Perfect Sized Coffee Table for Your Home
Picking the wrong size coffee table can interfere with your goal of having the perfect living room. To increase your chances of success, here are some helpful tips that you can follow:
- When measuring the height of your sofa, measure from the ground up to the top of the cushion of your sofa
- To measure the length of your sofa, make sure that you cover from the end of one side to the other
- Select a coffee table that is no more than 2 inches higher or lower the measured height of your chair or sofa
- Pick a coffee table that is about 2/3 the measured length of your sofa
- If you need to adjust the height of your coffee table, you can use a stable riser to increase its height
Final Thoughts
A coffee table should be the last thing you buy to complete your living room decor. This will allow you to perform the necessary preparation and measurements needed.
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Wondering the ideal coffee table dimensions? Or Need help selecting a coffee table for your living room? Here’s our pro design tips for finding the perfect coffee table!
Selecting the right coffee table is honestly tricky. In our design studio, we often either source something vintage or opt to have something made, simply because most coffee table dimensions available to purchase from big box stores are flat out – too small.
A major design mistake people make when decorating their homes is purchasing furniture with dimensions that are too large or too small. Like I mentioned in our post about creating gallery walls, we call this “getting the scale wrong”.
When we see good design – there are a million little nuances that all add up to perfection. Scale is one of the most important elements that attributes to the certain je ne sais quoi of a fabulously designed space. We must remember, a design that appears to be effortless is never truly effortless.
When selecting a coffee table, I think we can pretty much always err on the side of “bigger is better”. Of course, there are many exceptions to this, for example if you live in a very small apartment and have apartment sized furniture. Or if you have a tight space and need a small coffee table to fit.
When we are sourcing a coffee table for a client, or for our own homes – we start with an assumption of a 40″x60″ coffee table during the floor planning process before we’ve made any selections. Sometimes a little smaller or a little larger depending on the size of the room.
An important note: If your room is smaller, and you have a smaller sofa, a smaller coffee table will be the best fit. Keep in mind the importance of scale.
A coffee table that is about 2/3 the size of your sofa is a great starting point!
So why are there so many too small coffee tables for sale online? Shipping! It’s so much more cost effective to transport a 40″ coffee table than it is a 60″ coffee table! At the end of the day, a company analyzes market demand and factors in the cost of the items + shipping. Meanwhile, they’re really not factoring in design or scale.
So what does this mean for you? Just keep in mind that most coffee tables you see online are too small. So use a website’s filtering tool to narrow down search results from the start!
Read more: How to Hang Curtains Like an Interior Designer
Common Coffee Table Dimensions
- 36×36: Either round or square. Two squares are great to pair next to each other. We often love a 36″ round coffee table for living rooms with sectionals.
- 40″ Long: The next size up is usually about 40″ long, and anywhere from 20-30″ wide (or deep). These tables are best for smaller spaces. If you place this size in a larger living room, it’s going to feel too small.
- 48″ Long: This is the minimum size I like to go when sourcing for an average home size living room. Anywhere from 20-30″ wide (or deep) – it will work in smaller spaces as well. I prefer something larger than this if the room allows for it.
- 54″ Long: A fairly standard length for coffee tables, 54″ in length, and anywhere from 20-30″ wide (or deep) is a good size for larger living rooms.
- 60″+ Long: If the room is large enough for multiple chairs and a sofa, you’re probably better off with at least a 60″ coffee table.
- Look for a coffee table around 40″x60″. Go up or down in size based on budget, availability, and your actual room size.
- Measure everything! Use a free floor plan app (Pottery Barn offers one on their site) to drag and drop furniture in and compare scale or hire a local designer!
- Search for real wood rather than wood veneer.
- Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist are great options for finding a treasure in budget.
- Vintage and antique shops may have great pieces hiding :).
- If your budget is tight, try buying 2 smaller square tables and placing them side by side!
Here, the coffee table is 24×48, a common size found inexpensively from big box stores.
You can see the coffee table is much too small for the rest of the space!
This floorpan shows a coffee table at 40×60, the size we typically like to use for living rooms.
It feels much more to scale with the rest of the furniture!
Where to Shop for Coffee Tables:
- Restoration Hardware: I honestly really like RH’s coffee tables. I think they’re beautiful, the right size, and I love their wood finishes. For what they are, I also think they’re pretty affordable. If you have an outlet near you, you can find great coffee tables at a great price!
- Big Box Stores: You can find beautiful coffee tables from big box stores by using their filtering systems. Just select “48+” to browse through the larger options.
- Utilize your favorite interior designer’s shops! It’s like free design advice! They’re essentially telling you: this is the good stuff. Read More: How to Shop for Furniture Like an Interior Designer
- Search Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist
- Browse local antique stores (that’s how I scored mine for $500!).
When to Get A Smaller Coffee Table
I’ve talked a lot about coffee tables being too small, but when is it better to opt for a smaller table?
You definitely don’t want the table to feel too big for the space. Remember the importance of scale?
Use your judgement when it comes to your space. If you have a smaller, more intimate space, a smaller coffee table will feel more appropriate. Likewise, if your furniture is small in scale, a smaller table will be a better option.
Round vs. Square Coffee Tables
I think a round or square coffee table feels best when the furniture layout surrounds all four or at least three of the sides of the table (ex: a horse shoe style furniture layout or furniture on all sides of the table).
Because these furniture layouts are more symmetrical (non-rectangular), a square or round table is best.
I also like a round or square table for a sectional sofa. A rectangular coffee table can sometimes feel too large when placed with a sectional. A round coffee table helps add some visual interest to the lines!