13 Unique Coffee Table Design Ideas
A special coffee table can smarten up a living space, store home goods elegantly, and facilitate fun, cozy visits with friends. If you're stuck with an uninspiring spot for social or relaxing caffeination, think about making or buying one of these unique designs instead.
1. Semi-Ottoman Tables
These low-lying, multifunctional pieces let you put your feet up on one section and set your books and drinks on another. Most are made with wood and fabric, and some feature storage for books or trinkets. These designs can even be as simple as a hurdle-shaped table that fits over a long, upholstered footstool.
2. Wheel Tables
Like to change your floor plans regularly? Maybe go for a coffee table you can move easily from place to place.
3. Aquarium Base Tables
Turn a rectangular, glass-surfaced coffee table into a conversation piece that will mesmerize kids and cats by nestling an aquarium in between the legs. Make sure it's close enough to the table that no little hands or paws can reach in when you're not watching.
4. Wine Rack Tables
A wooden wine rack topped with glass can make a classy, cool table, especially if you're a collector of fine vino and/or you like sipping things other than lattes in your living room.
5. Bureau Tables
Short dressers can make excellent living and family room tables since they have plenty of easily accessible storage for craft materials, coasters, cutlery, or anything else you keep close to hand for recreational and social occasions.
6. Book Shelf Tables
Double up on storage and display space by combining short bookshelves to create a table with all your favorite reads close to hand. The surface will be easier to keep decluttered and stress-free now that you have somewhere to tuck all those coffee table books.
7. Retro Tables
Vintage tables have great classical appeal, especially if the rest of your design scheme has throwback elements. Keep an eye out at your favorite antique spots for a perfect piece, or build your own incarnation of a classic design. Many old coffee tables are very low to the ground and feature storage drawers for small items like office supplies.
8. Mirror Tables
If your decor is sleek and spacey, a table covered in reflective surfaces might add the perfect techno, sci-fi touch.
9. Chest Tables
Coffee tables with hinged lids are simple and fun, and they can make great storage, especially for larger or more delicate items like board games. The only downside is you have to clear the top any time you want to access the goodies within.
10. Tile Design Tables
Tile surfaces are common in Mediterranean countries, and they're simple to create with various materials, patterns, and styles. Tiles can be both elegant and durable, provided they're treated with care.
Diamond Inlay - Find the center of the table and create an inlay with four tiles rotated, so the points face the center of the edges. For a unified aesthetic, choose a color or colors already present in the design scheme of your room.
Grid Inlay - You can also lay the tiles at right angles like you would tile a wall or a floor. For an added pop, consider inlays of different colors from the surrounding tiles.
Brick Pattern - Tile staggered in running bond can be both calming and smashing. Stick to one color, alternate rows, or introduce some random asymmetry as an eye-catching tweak.
Brick with Inlay - Running bond designs can be further brightened by swapping in clusters of differently colored tiles, either equidistantly balanced or unpredictably placed.
Hexagons - Who says tiles have to have four sides? You can make variations of most of the above styles with materials of any shape.
11. Shelf Tables
These simple, elegant furniture pieces function like the bureau models, except everything in the drawers or cubbies remains exposed to people in the room, making for easier access and more display possibilities. These make the most sense for storing and displaying relatively small or tidy collections of objects, like framed pictures or small statues. The simplest version of this design is a single, open shelf, mirroring the top of the table near the bottom of the legs.
12. Square Tables
Clean rectilinear shapes are unlikely to go permanently out of style, and squares have a special, balanced appeal. For variation, consider a modular approach—combining multiple small squares into one changeable table. For a rustic touch, highlight the points with metallic corner plates.
13. Curved Tables
Designs that draw inspiration from nature have been gaining steam for a few decades. For a soothing biological vibe, consider something asymmetrical with rounded contours. For added green points, create or find a table made from a single, large piece of wood.
