Coffee table for the living room: types, selection and placement
When equipping a living room, the layman is often faced with the problem of choosing a coffee table. The material in this article will acquaint readers with the nuances of models, their varieties and tell you what to look for when choosing a specific option.
Peculiarities
The coffee table for the living room is a functional element of the arrangement of the guest room of any home. It increases the comfort of the hall by partially performing the functions of a dining table when receiving guests. It can be used for tea drinking, refreshments, depending on the type of construction, it can become an impromptu workplace. In addition, this piece of furniture is used to locate accents in the interior composition.
On the table you can put a vase of flowers, a statuette, put books, TV remotes. Depending on the nuances of the design and the degree of functionality the model can be used as a kind of organizer.
For example, some modifications provide for the presence of shelves and a variety of storage systems. Thus, a coffee table can become an element of 3-in-1 furnishings: a table, a stand and a curbstone.
Models vary in form and functionality. Taking these features into account allows you to select products with an emphasis on belonging to a specific interior style. Furniture can be deliberately rough or curly, decorated with carvings, painting and various decor. Tables can be one- and two-tier, large or small, high or low.
Types of structures
Today, furniture manufacturers produce a lot of varieties of coffee tables for arranging living rooms. Conventionally, this furniture can be classified according to several criteria. The products are classic in shape. square, round, rectangular and oval.
Also on sale you can find rectangular models with rounded edges.
Products may differ by the number of supports. In most cases there are 4 of them, which increases the degree of stability of the furniture... Often, thanks to the creative look of designers, models appear in the assortment of brands with three, two and one support.
Sometimes the creative approach of stylists is so radical that supports can be intertwined in unexpected ways... In some cases, the support is a ring or several rings connected to each other.
In order to increase the strength characteristics, manufacturers supply structures with shelves under the main tabletop. At the same time, the so-called second tiers are distinguished by a smaller working surface area that can be used for certain things. And if in some variations these shelves are single, in others they are double: the lower tier is located almost at the floor.
Such models are equipped with wheels, which is why they are characterized by mobility. However, not everyone likes the presence of casters, as this reduces the level of stationarity of the tables. The supports themselves can be traditionally straight, concave, curved outward.
Their shape also differs: these are the usual metal tubes, and corner elements, and panels of a rectangular or arched shape.
Manufacturing materials
In the production of coffee tables, different raw materials are used for the arrangement of the hall. The most valuable type of material is wood.... These tables are characterized by durability and practicality. They look stylish and high-status in the interior, which gives the guest space a special aesthetic appeal. Wood is environmentally friendly, such furniture serves for more than 10-15 years.
Coffee tables with glass top look great in the living room. Glass has the ability to bring visual lightness into space. It is durable and resistant to mechanical stress, it can have different shapes and designs. For example, a model for a living room can be tinted, the table top can be decorated with prints or special prints. The disadvantage of glass products is the likelihood of scratches that worsen the decorative characteristics of the furniture.
The decor in the production of coffee tables for living rooms is often wood driftwood, stone, as well as corals (both whole and fragments). Manufacturers often use metal as a frame or supports. Depending on the design idea, it can be both a laconic design element and its decoration.
For example, they look beautiful and original in the interior of the living room. models with forging. Despite the fact that metal makes furniture significantly heavier and increases its cost, it is durable and is not afraid of mechanical damage. Also in production they use artificial stone, wood derivatives. As for the finish, then some modifications are made using natural or artificial leather.
Color and design
Color solutions in the manufacture of coffee tables can be very diverse. Usually, the assortment of manufacturers is dominated by products in woody shades, which range from almost bleached to dark tones.
These are the colors of wenge, alder, walnut, cherry, oak, and beautiful color options with overflowing tones, beige, beige and gray undertones. In addition, furniture is gaining popularity today. neutral paints (white, gray and black), metallic is in fashion.
Based on the nuances of the design, the models can be presented in a variety of designs:
- with a small drawer located directly under the worktop;
- with one or two shelves without bounding walls;
- with a closed shelf located in the center or on the side of the product;
- in the form of the letters P or S, having equal dimensions of the countertop and the lower shelves;
- with a design in the form of a rigid kitchen bench;
- with a soft seat, which allows the model to be used both as a table and as a pouf;
- transformers providing for a different type of transformation.
Some models look like hemp, complemented by makeshift countertops. The transforming table, in fact, is a folding table, which, if necessary, allows you to increase the area of the tabletop. These models are good for a small living room. Models with large dimensions are usually bought in a large and spacious hall.
Often they take for guest rooms dresser models, which are equipped with a closed storage system and can consist of 4-5 drawers with convenient handles. By design, the models can be traditional and non-standard. For example, in the interior you can purchase products resembling wooden boxes, chests, cabinets in appearance. Selected varieties may be equipped with low seats.
Creative models can be made of metal with mirror inserts... Supports of these modifications can be completely folding according to the principle of ironing boards. Sometimes furniture has mirrored countertops. Options with half-tabletops that rise up look unusual too - this is convenient from a practical point of view, since users do not have to bend too low for food located on the tabletop.
Puff tables are often equipped with internal storage systems. As a rule, these products are sheathed with practical leather, from which it is easy to remove dust and dirt. On request, furniture makers can also order options with a special design, for example, in the form of a hole with storage holes. The table in the form of a sphere looks beautiful in the interior of the living room.
A separate category can be a so-called magazine ensemble, in which a table can consist of a central part and two side parts.
How to choose?
When choosing a beautiful and fashionable accessory for arranging a guest space, you need to take into account a lot of nuances.
- Choose the size of the product, taking into account the needs of households and the size of the living room.
- It is important to choose the model that will fit the existing furniture in shape and size.
- When buying, they choose a model that matches the style in which the interior of the hall is made.
- The folding option is taken taking into account its relevance in a particular room.
- It is important to think about practicality, and therefore the tabletop should be resistant to scratches and chips.
- The color is selected based on the color scheme of the interior. Furniture should not be striking.
- The model must meet safety requirements. In confined spaces, furniture with rounded corners is preferred.
- The table must correspond to the status of the interior. Expensive furniture does not look harmonious next to budget furniture.
- The parameters of the product should take into account the space for freedom of movement around the living room.
- A sense of proportion is welcomed in everything: this is the only way to make the table a stylish accent in the living room interior.
- When buying, "fitting" is possible. This will allow you to assess the degree of ease of use of the product in the future.
- The product should not have any defects at the time of purchase. Any backlash indicates a broken thread.
- Buy the product in a store with a good reputation and real customer reviews.
Do not take a product that has been on the shop window for too long. There are frequent cases when sellers have defective models on display windows. When buying, not only ask for a warranty document, but also fill it out.
Few people know that if a defect is found, you can return the product back to the store only if you left the store at the time of purchase with a completed guarantee form, which has a seal and 2 signatures: the seller and yours.
Use in different styles
Thanks to the variety of models presented in store catalogs, today you can buy coffee tables of a wide variety of types and sizes. However, the table is different, since each stylistic direction is characterized by a striving for its own nuances.
For example, furnishing tables classic style guest area must certainly be wooden and outwardly massive. This furniture should give a high status; fashionable and modern trends should not be traced in its decoration. But carving and gilding are welcome. Such a table is selected for a respectable guest design, for upholstered furniture with leather or textile upholstery. The supports can be curved, decor with an imitation of a stucco pattern is allowed.
Analogs for modern styles (for example, art deco, hi-tech, modern) are radically different from the requirements for furniture of the classic branches. It is important to demonstrate manufacturability here. In view of this, furniture should have various transformation mechanisms that increase the comfort of the owners and their guests. For example, it can be lifting tabletops, unfolding parts, table height changes. Such furniture should have metal inserts, to which modern style gravitates.
If we are talking about furniture for vintage directions (say, gzhel, country, provence), here a table is selected that resembles antique furniture in design. No manufacturability should be on display. The table can be decoupage, wooden with painting. Shape and design may vary. There is a line of models for special creatives. As a rule, it is bought by representatives of bohemia, who create interiors by eminent designers of interior art. This furniture has bizarre shapes, and therefore, in order for it to look expressive, the rest of the space is not overloaded with unusual furnishing elements.
How to place it correctly?
Usually, a coffee table is installed in the center of the guest area, which automatically makes it the accent of the zoned space. However, a lot depends on the features of the furnishing of a particular room. For example, a table might be between a sofa and a fireplace, a sofa and a TV area. Sometimes it is a link between a sofa and an armchair, which is why it is located between them.
This is done when it is necessary to unload the space in the center of the room.
Successful examples in the interior
Nothing tells about the possibilities of visually ennobling the living room space with the help of a coffee table like illustrative examples.
- An example of using a three-part table in the interior.
- Square side table for vintage style decoration.
- Model with a lifting mechanism of the table top and an internal storage system.
- Model-pouf, similar to the module of upholstered living room furniture.
- Option of a table for arranging a room in a modern style.
- A stylish table with a lattice shelf as a key accent of the room.
- Model with a stone top as the center of the guest area.
- A round version as a softening element of the interior of the hall.
- An original table with leather upholstery and metal legs.
- Round table for furnishing a living room with a fireplace.
For information on how to make a stylish coffee table in the living room with your own hands, see the next video.