Coffee tables - do you subscribe to having a big thing in the middle of your lounge seating area? Why? Why not?
If you have one, are there "rules" about how to have one well?
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Coffee tables - do you subscribe to having a big thing in the middle of your lounge seating area? Why? Why not?
If you have one, are there "rules" about how to have one well?
We have one but I hate it. It takes up too much room. We need something though to put cups etc on.
We have one in our 'formal' lounge, it annoys me but we do use it of an evening. If the boys are in there with snacks they need to have a tea towel, cars are not to be used on it etc. This is why it annoys me but DH's grandfather made it which is why we have rules :)
We have one (well 2 actually) and they used to sit in the middle. Then we had kids. Kids who like to play and jump around. A coffee table just provided easy access to stuff either by reach or climbing. Then there were the corners that were sharpish.
So now we just have a little table in the corner between the couches (which are placed in an L-shape).
Yay. There needs to be somewhere to put cups, plates, feet :lol: we went without one for a while and it was a pain in the butt not having anywhere to put stuff.
Almost exactly this in our house too.:
Oh, glad someone started this thread!
We have a heavy "rustic style" coffee table in the famiy room. It's big and it's heavy but it has two large drawers that I can hide things away in. Oh, and it gives DS2 somewhere to dance....takes after his mama!
Now we have moved we have a grown up separate "formal" lounge /dining room which I'm decorating. So far DH and I have ummed and arred over the coffee table thing. He wants a large one for the centre. Me, I'd prefer a nice lamp table and two smaller ****tail tables - you know the small ones that you can either have along side of the couch or move out to the front to put your martini on...(well, more likely wine in this house...).
We found an amazing one in an antique shop but both quibbled at the price - it was $1800 - but it was circa 1780 and from France...hmmm.
Anyway, if we do go for a larger coffee table I would prefer an oval one. I'm not liking corners.
Oh, glad someone started this thread!
We have a heavy "rustic style" coffee table in the famiy room. It's big and it's heavy but it has two large drawers that I can hide things away in. Oh, and it gives DS2 somewhere to dance....takes after his mama!
Now we have moved we have a grown up separate "formal" lounge /dining room which I'm decorating. So far DH and I have ummed and arred over the coffee table thing. He wants a large one for the centre. Me, I'd prefer a nice lamp table and two smaller ****tail tables - you know the small ones that you can either have along side of the couch or move out to the front to put your martini on...(well, more likely wine in this house...).
We found an amazing one in an antique shop but both quibbled at the price - it was $1800 - but it was circa 1780 and from France...hmmm.
Anyway, if we do go for a larger coffee table I would prefer an oval one. I'm not liking corners.
Our coffee table is fondly called the "Coffee Table of Death"
We have all suffered injuries, especially the girls. A few black eyes, one split ear, lots of bumped toes and legs.
It is a big thing with drawers and shelves. Which were a great idea at the time, but are just another area to dust and clear crap from, the drawers also become dumping grounds.
On a positive side, it is big enough to eat off if we are doing a share meal and makes a great kids party table.
Our coffee table is fondly called the "Coffee Table of Death"
We have all suffered injuries, especially the girls. A few black eyes, one split ear, lots of bumped toes and legs.
It is a big thing with drawers and shelves. Which were a great idea at the time, but are just another area to dust and clear crap from, the drawers also become dumping grounds.
On a positive side, it is big enough to eat off if we are doing a share meal and makes a great kids party table.
Sometimes I think it would be nice, but I know it would just be a PITA if we had one. We don't have a lot of room in our lounge room for one and it would just become a dumping ground for everything. We do have small side tables for putting cups etc and we don't eat in the lounge room anyway. When we had one at home when I was growing up it always sat in front of the lounge. I have no idea why it was always the lounge and never the lounge chairs LOL. I didn't think it really made a difference?
we did, now have no room really, one would fit but you then have to squeeze and DH likes to put his feet up so we swapped a table for a big ottoman. my dream tho is to have one of those big solid wood ones with drawers etc.. but wont get that for a long time.
we have lots of side tables tho. and shelves near our lounge to put cuppas on out of Spocks reach
See, our coffee table is exactly the right size for two people to stand on and dance. This is where my dilemma arises.
We've just bought a lovely new rug (!) with a lovely design on it, but the right-size-for-dancing coffee table occupies too much of the rug design. So I'm thinking I could replace it with a smaller coffee which might open up the space or it might have the opposite effect where the wrong-size smaller piece of furniture actually makes the room seem smaller. Plus, the current coffee table has lots of crayon and scribble marks and it's been scrubbed so many times the stain has worn off the the top - maybe it's just safer to stick with it until my children have university degrees and have left home.
By the way - to the person who used the words "formal lounge" - ENVY. That is all.
We have a rather large (for this house) coffee table that I've recently been considering getting rid of. DS does use it to eat at though which is the only thing stopping me (wouldn't kill him to eat at the dining table though!).
We're moving later in the year and I don't think we'll take it with us. At the moment it's moved to the side of the lounge room so that DD's alphabet mat could be put down for her to play on.
my place, yes, it holds candles and coasters, also ends up being an altar table in ritual.
No. We had a glass one and when DS started pulling himself up on it I removed it, worried he would fall and smash his head or the table. It now sits behind a "fence" (old playpen stretched out) that blocks the TV unit from little hands. Comes in handy to sit the Xmas tree on, thus elevating it just enough to keep ornaments out of reach of curious hands ;-) during the rest of the year it holds Wii accessories LOL
we have small tables in the corner of the lounge (another with couches in an L-shape!)
my folks have one of the heavy ones with drawers and i hate it - it's convenient for when the kids are eating in the lounge yes, but the kids have to eat in the lounge at the low table when we have a family dinner because there is no room left in the lounge due to the coffee table (so we can't add another dining table like we used to do!). mum loves it - i hate it. i just find it cumbersome and pointless (it's usually covered in random crap that has to get moved when DD visits as she is still young enough to get into things she shouldn't!)
we discussed putting one in the bar/formal lounge many moons ago, but decided the bar was going to be a better idea and fits with us better. we have small table between the two lounge chairs up there, and then the bar (obviously!).
our family room/lounge has more in it than i'd like, and a formal coffee table would just cramp it up more and drive me bonkers! this thread has made me think about the lounge again - i may have to rearrange things again though - dd has found the drawer in the antique drinks cart so i need to move things to keep her out of it!
We did have one but decided with a baby who will be on the move soon to put it into storage until she is a little older. It has given alot more room to in front of the couches, so she can be put down on the floor and be able to roll around without banging into anything.
My very sturdy, large enough to dance on coffee table with large drawer now makes for an excellent duplo table. It is stored largely out of the way and holds our extensive duplo collection in it's drawer. I now no longer care who marks it, and it's a great height for Holly to sit at by herself.
I felt the same about a beautiful rug. That's why we moved ours. I hated the coffee table leg marks.
Nay for now - we had one but once we had kids, it was just in the way and eventually a hazard (sharp corners etc). I do miss it, especially when we have a pizza/movie night and we want to plonk everything down in the middle of the lounge. Currently we have two little tables by the sides of the couches for drinks etc
Once the kids are older, I plan to go back to having one
We have one, but it is not central to the room - the lounges are in an L shape tucked into the corner of the room and it fits nicely into the open space in front of them, but still leaves plenty of room for schools, dancing, floor puzzles or whatever may be happening in the rest of the room.
It does get used as a dumping ground, but there is nothing that 'lives' on the table - ie when the house is tidy it is empty. There are big drawers underneath, but they open towards the lounge and honestly I frequently forget they are there so stuff doesn't get put in it.
There are some minor marks on the edges but the table has rounded edges (so we haven't had many accidents) and it is a large granite centre with 100mm wide of wood on the edges (granite was from the section they cut out for the kitchen sink - so pretty solid and no marks).
The formal lounge has one, would look too open without, but it just holds the chess set. I've got a few special ornaments that were packed away when DD started crawling - now she's at school I should probably track them down and put them back on the side tables.
My parents have a massive one and it is usually covered in stuff that mum gets cranky at us making a mess when we visit (although 75% of the crap is theirs).
No and haven't in years. We have a set of 3 smallish nested side tables which I can put out when we have guests or a cuppa. We have so much more space without it and a big rug for playing board games etc. we also lie a mattress out for story time, rumbles, and chill out with still space to spare.
We don't have one, never have. They do take up an awful lot of space and often attack family members and visitors alike :rofl: We currently use our firm, square foot stools (funky but cheap red vinyl ones) as drink and foot rests and we also have a nice set of glass nesting tables (from Freedom) in the corner of the living room if we need extras.
We've just ordered a new circular lounge for our 'adults' living room in our new place and it comes with a big round matching ottoman. I'm going to get a modern serving tray to put on top of it for drinks and snacks when we need it.
We made the mistake of purchasing furniture before we moved in when we were building our house. We bought a tv unit, large coffee table and lamp table. At the moment we have the tv on the coffee table in the family room and then have the tv unit and lamp table in the formal lounge. It is too big to have it all in the one room.
Although we have just sold our house and the house we have bought only has one big lounge room so I'm sure it will all go well in that room :)
We bought new furniture when I was pg and decided with such a small living room and pending mess making child to go with 2 largish lamp tables instead so that if we need a coffee table for an occasion then we could just put the 2 lamp tables together. This way normally we can have a lamp table between our recliners and i next to the couch and rocking chair
I have an ottoman instead of a coffee table. The kids can do whatever they want to it and I can move it if we need extra seating, plus it opens up so I can store stuff in it.
If you have a lot of room or walking space in your living area, with a good 2 ft space to accommodate a coffee table, then a big one would be awesome. What's your seating furniture like? If you have individual pieces then a square one would be nice, if you've a sectional, I would personally consider rectangular or circular coffee tables!
I have 2 two seat lounges with a cane draw thing between them. That's where my coffee sits. I don't have a coffee table for a few reasons.
1, DD climbs on everything (like... the roof of the car. Apparently great for dancing on!)
2, DD jumps from everything.
3, I moved here with nothing, & its not been high on my list of priority things to buy.
I'm getting a new lounge later in the year & rather than a coffee table I'm getting a ottoman with storage under. Great for dancing, climbing AND jumping! Coffee can possibly sit on it with no kids around, but I'll still have my cane drawers for the many kid filled coffee moments in my life!
We used to have a big one that DH had sanded back and revarnished years ago but we got rid of it when DS1 was a baby as had knob bits on top that could come off and he liked pulling off, as well as any other kids who came.
We also used to have a series of 3 small tables 1 was right height and size for laptop while i was BF.
We now have a $10 ikea coffee table which is really used for my lap top and drinks, small enough can be pushed away.
We don't have enough space to have a bigger one and would be a jumping platform for kids!.