More often than not, we tend to ignore this important piece of furniture. The humble coffee table is also known as centre table. This piece of furniture serves many purposes – placing coffee on it is the least of them all. Coffee tables these days come in all sizes and shapes. And designs. If you want, you can even get the styles of bygone era, say a Lousi XIV or a Georgian. Then again with so many extraordinary designs, which can be thought provoking or just aesthetically pleasing, you need not look into the past for inspiration.

Traditionally, a coffee table is placed in front of a sofa. A smaller coffee table, or what some refer to as an end table, is usually located next to chairs or placed on sofa ends.But if you, given the plethora of innovative designs in the market, want to make your coffee table a standalone piece, we will not blame you.

In a way, a coffee table reflects the owner’s sense of style. The traditional coffee tables are made of wood. Some of these coffee tables have variations and some will include ornamentation either on the legs or the corners. Some coffee tables will have drawers for storing, while other coffee tables will have a shelf underneath the table to hold magazines, books, children’s toys or the television remote.

Ipsita Johri, founder of Aiza, Delhi-based interior design firm, points towards minimalist chic when it comes to latest trends in coffee tables. “The trick is to combine minimalism with utilitarian. These days coffee tables have space for books, flower pot and what not. I think wood furniture is also back in vogue. Even if it is not entirely wood, the trend is to paint it with ‘wood polish’ so that it looks natural. Contemporary and colonial designs are also huge these days. But very large pieces are out, as people are constantly battling with shrinking living spaces.”

Although, choosing your coffee table will depend on whether you are adding it to an already furnished room or if you are starting from scratch. Just remember if you are ‘adding’ a coffee table at a later stage, a misplaced coffee table will ruin the style of your room.

Truth to be told, you don’t really have to spend a fortune to get that perfect coffee table. If you are one those lucky ones with a creative vein running through you, just look around your house and you are sure to find a cheaper option. For instance, let’s assume you have a painting done on wooden base that you found on some sale and bought it in a moment of madness. On a closer look, this is not something that you would put up on your walls. Here’s your coffee table. Just get your carpenter to design a base to support the painting. Buy a glass measuring the exact size of the painting and place it on top. Voila.

But then if you are the kind who would rather buy a coffee table intact, head to your nearest store. You can purchase a coffee table in a set or alone. A coffee table set will have the traditional coffee table that sits in front of a sofa or couch and two end tables.

Whatever be your style, budget or taste, your local retailer or furniture store is certain to have a coffee table that meets your needs.

subhankarpaul@mydigitalfc.com