Positioning a Table
David Artsmith - A coffee table is generally a low surface piece, used to accompany couch and love seat arrangements in a living room. It is often the central accessory in these spaces, and is kind of a focal point, diverting the gaze of various occupants towards one another, over its smooth flat surface.
There are a variety of coffee tables that can be chosen, depending on the space. Considerations include sizing, style, colors, materials, and shape. As far as size and shape there are virtually an endless number of combinations that can be found, or customized. When it comes to material, popular styles include slate, marble, hardwood, stainless steal, and glass. Color is of course dependent on material, and or tonal additives.
The size of the room is going to be one of the biggest determining factors when choosing a coffee table. You want there to be a minimum of 2 feet of space around every edge of the table. The point of this is to allow people to move easily in and out of the space, creating a feeling of freedom in the atmosphere. In some cases you may want to butt the table into a corner, or against a wall. In these instances you should simply leave adequate space around all exposed edges.
In general a round coffee table takes up less space than a square one, because it doesn’t have the corners. Square or rectangular tables can also be dangerous, with the corners jutting out into a space, just asking for someone to bump into them as they walk by.
However if you do have a spare corner, or a geometrically straight wall that you want to push the table against, a square or rectangular piece will be more efficient, butting right up into the wall.
The other consideration will be style. The coffee table will probably be a dominant piece in the room. You want it to flow naturally with the style of the space. Otherwise you will end up with a room that is disjointed and incongruous. That can leave the space feeling strange, and destroy any flow or style you are trying to achieve.
