I am just experiencing the magic of coffee tables, and specifically, round coffee tables. In my previous house, we did not have any. Initially, it was because the kids were little and I wanted to preserve the carpet space for them but they are 16 and 21 so we passed that stage long ago. Because there was nowhere to put a drink, everyone always sat on the two ends of the very large sectional we had – I bet in 15 years the middle two cushions had less than 5 hours sitting time each.
Our new house has an even longer sectional and the round coffee table is the perfect solution. Round means no sharp corners for little ones to hit their head and the dog thinks he is so clever running round and round. More importantly, there is somewhere to put your drink and, more often than I would like to admit, your dinner plate after finishing dinner. The round table also helps to break up most of the other rectangular shapes in family rooms.
As with all furniture pieces, get out your tape measure first. In general, the table should be about ½ to 2/3 the length of the horizontal seat. This means if you have an L shape sectional as I do, you should only measure the open section up to the chaise since that is the space that the coffee table is going to fill. I was very lucky this one fit because I originally was going to put it in between 4 swivel chairs in The One that Got Away.
If you have end tables, it is a good idea to vary the finish of the coffee table so that they look collected rather than just having an entire matchy-matchy set – same logic as not buying a full bedroom set. I splurged on this one and waited a few months for delivery but it was worth it. You can often find similar tables that have the look for less so definitely shop around if you find a look you like. That third one below that is only $399 would make a great look-for-less substitute for mine! The one with the ribbed legs reminds me of something that Kelly Werstler would design but her lamps cost waaaaay more than that table.
Here are some of my other current favorites in order from least to most expensive. Click away if you see something you like for more info!
Under $1000
Over $1000