How Tall Should A Coffee Table Be
When it comes to coffee tables, there is no one-size-fits-all answer. The ideal height for a coffee table depends on a number of factors, including the height of the sofa or chairs that will be surrounding it, the size of the room, and the overall style of the furniture.
Generally speaking, the average coffee table is between 16 and 18 inches tall. However, if you are working with a small space, you may want to opt for a shorter coffee table. Conversely, if you have a large living room or family room, you may want to choose a taller coffee table.
Keep reading to learn more about coffee table height options, important considerations, and more.
What Size Coffee Table Should I Buy
Coffee table dimensions can sometimes be tricky to get right. There are a few things to consider when looking at coffee table sizes, but luckily, its easy to get started. First, youll need a measuring tape. To measure for height, measure from the floor to your sofas top cushion. Write that number down and save it. This will give you an idea of where people will sit when they use your new coffee table.
Use the image of someone reaching for a bowl of candy while seated to help you visualize the right height for your new coffee table. The perfect coffee table height is about the same as the height of your sofas seat. The average coffee table height is 16-18.
Next, to measure for coffee table length, measure your sofa or main furniture piece lengthwise. Ideally, you want a coffee table that is 2/3 the length of your sofa, that way your living space is filled, but not overwhelmed with table. A too-small table will just feel like something to trip over. If your sofa is 6 feet long, look for a coffee table that is 4 feet long. The average coffee table size is about 16 tall, 36-48 long, and 18-24 in width.
While this is a rule of thumb, its flexible. Its your home and you get to decide how long or wide you want your coffee table to be. Above all, you want a functional, beautiful living space, and if that means a long coffee table and a small sofa, thats awesome!
How Far From Your Couch Should A Coffee Table Be
The distance between the coffee table and the adjacent seating should be between 12 and 18 inches. You want the coffee table to be close enough to the sofa for people to use it, but you also want to leave enough room so that people can move around the furniture without running into anything. Are you prepared to put this size guide for coffee tables to use? Youre covered by Star Furniture!
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If You Have A Small Child:
A toddler requires constant attention and care. If you have a toddler in your house, it would be a wise idea to buy a tall coffee table.Kids often like to climb on top of anything they see. Coffee tables are no exception. Sometimes, they can end up crawling on top of coffee tables and get into the danger of injuring themselves. If you are not careful, your child may fall from the coffee table and get badly injured.
Strike The Right Balance
Another handy rule to follow when choosing a coffee table is its “weightiness.” In other words, it should complement the other furniture in the room to make the space feel proportional and balanced. What does this all mean? If your sofa has high skinny legs, consider a table that’s solid all the way to the ground or has shorter chunkier legs. On the other hand, if your sofa has no visible legs, choose a coffee table that has higher skinnier legs. An interior designer once told me that when a room feels too “leggy,” it doesn’t feel as groundedand it’s something that’s never left me.
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For Being More Practical:
A short coffee table definitely provides more practical uses than a long table does. Apart from being used to put on decorative stuff, coffee tables serve the purpose of keeping down and picking up drinks.A coffee table that is taller than the couch will make this job a lot harder. It will be much difficult to put down and pick up drinks if the table sits higher than the couch. Moreover, the chances of spilling beverages on the coffee table will also be much higher.
Can A Coffee Table Be Too High
When looking for the perfect coffee table to fit your living or TV room, it can be difficult to figure out the right sizes and dimensions. Perhaps youre out in a store and considering a particular coffee table, but without having it inside your house and beside your couches, how can you know if its too high?
Can a coffee table even be too high? If youre not sure about this, weve created a short exploration to help explain to you what you need to keep in mind when considering if the dimensions of a coffee table.
So lets answer the question as simply as we can yes, a coffee table can be too high. One look on the market or in stores will show you a variety of different coffee tables, and whether one is too high or not depends entirely on the set-up of your living room mostly the heights of your sofas and chairs.
Coffee tables are lower than sofas because of their original design. Coffee tables originate from the Victorian England where sitting and drawing rooms became popular places to entertain guests often coffee tables were placed around these rooms as a place for beverages whilst conversation flowed.
Coffee tables are sometimes the centerpiece of a room, so for this reason they must be shorter than the furniture around them.
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How Big Is A 2 In 1 Sofa
This 2-in-1 sofa includes a built-in bed under the seat cushions, making it ideal for small apartments where a spare bedroom isnt available. Here are the standard sizes for this type of sofa: The queen-size sleeper sofas standard dimensions come to 92 inches in width, 39 inches in height, and 40 inches in depth.
Coffee Table Size Guide: What You Need To Know Star Furniture
- starfurniture.com
- Summary: The standard height of a coffee table is between 12 to 24 inches tall . This variation accommodates standard height sofas, as well as most tall and low-profile sofas
- Matching search results: When picking out furniture, its important to not only ensure that the styles match, but also that everything goes well together height-wise. Although coffee tables are nearly always lower than the couch, if you have a short sofa, you may be
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Finding The Perfect Coffee Table
Once you’ve done the math to select the right size coffee table for your room, the fun part begins. Look for interesting coffee tables you may want to explore antique stores and estate sales, in addition to design houses. One nice aspect of shopping for a coffee table is that it’s not such a large piece that it’s difficult to ship.
When you know the right parameters, you’ll be able to find a beautiful coffee table that complements the flow of your living room, fits the dimensions, and functions for your needs. A coffee table can really be a fantastic investment and a great functional anchor to your space.
Are you partial to one coffee table shape over another? Id love to hear about it in the comments!
X Lauren
Coffee Table Height Vs Sofa Height
The height of both your coffee table and sofa should work in sync with each other. For a sofa height of 20 inches, a coffee table height of 16 to 18 would be ideal.
This is in keeping with the rule of thumb that the coffee table shouldnt be more than 1-2 inches lower than the seat cushion. In other words, if your seat cushion is 18 tall, then the ideal height for your coffee table would be between 16-17 inches, and if your seat cushion is 20 tall, then you would choose a table that is 18-19 inches tall, etc.
Nevertheless, its not unusual to have a coffee table thats higher than your sofa. The coffee table is likely to be higher than your seating area if you have a shorter sofa, you have small pets that like to climb on top of furniture, want storage underneath your table, or own a ground sofa.
Higher coffee tables with a height between 19-21 inches are often preferred for a sofa that is lower than 17 . If you have a ground sofa or a low-profile sofa such as a futon then even a low level coffee table will appear taller.
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Tools You’ll Need To Decide On Your Coffee Table Size
‘Your coffee table should be proportional to the couch it’s paired with and the size of the room it’s in. Usually, coffee tables are purchased after seating and other furniture, so if you have a tape measure and a calculator, it’s easy to figure out the exact size you’ll need your table to be.’ says Amber Dunford , lead stylist at Overstock.com .
Average Height For A Coffee Table
How tall your coffee table is directly determines how you feel about using it because most of the time you use it is when you are seated.
It is designed to bring you convenience and keep you comfortable. But if your coffee table is too high, you will need to lift your arm to take what you want. If too low, you will even have to bend over.
In most households, the coffee table is used before a sofa or a couch. Reality has shown that the top of a coffee table should be the same height or one to two inches lower than the top of seat cushions of your sofa. As most today’s couches are about 17 to 19 inches tall, the standard coffee tables are supposed to have a seat height of about 16 to 18 inches.
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Choose The Right Shape Coffee Table For Your Space
‘Consider shape when choosing a new coffee table. Instead of defaulting to a classic rectangular coffee table, think about how a square coffee table, round coffee table, or oblong coffee table might better complement your space.’ says Nadia McCowan-Hill, resident stylist at Wayfair
‘Rectangular tables pair well with longer couches. If your room has a lot of soft lines, consider breaking them up with a rectangular coffee table. A round shape works with shorter sofas and more condensed seating arrangements since long sofas tend to make round coffee tables look small. They are a good option if you have small children or pets as there are no sharp corners to bump into.’
‘If conventional isnt your style, free-form coffee tables are for you. Geometric styles, like triangular, hexagonal, and half-circle modern coffee tables would look good in a funky yet casual setting. If you choose a more abstract shape, your everyday coffee table can fit in your space like a sculpture or a work of art. We recommend a free-form style if your living area has a modern, sophisticated look.’
What To Consider Before Buying A Coffee Table
Before you start looking for your dream coffee table there are a few things that youll need to consider.
1. Location and measurements
Where are you planning on placing your coffee table? Is your living room big enough for the table you want? Measure out your current space and all the existing furniture that you have. This will give you an idea of the length and width dimensions that will work for your space.
2. Length
We recommend that you follow the two thirds rule to determine the ideal length of your coffee table. This means that the length of your table should be about two-thirds of the length of your sofa. This will help to ensure that your coffee table looks proportionate to the seating area around it.
3. The coffee tables purpose
If youre planning on using it as a place for everyone in your family and/or guests, chances are that it will need to be taller than those who wont regularly use itfor example, if you have young children or people with disabilities. As they will want to play board games on it or use it for a place to rest their drinks or accessories.
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What Size Is The Best Coffee Table
One guaranteed way to ensure you get the perfect size coffee table for your space is to create a DIY coffee table. By building your furniture from scratch with a do-it-yourself approach, you can pick out correctly-sized components to ensure they won’t swamp your sitting room.
But, if you aren’t a dab hand at DIY, or simply don’t have the time for a weekend project, it’s good to manage your expectations so that you know what’s available ‘off the shelf’. Put simply, how small is ‘small’, and what do retailers classify as ‘large’?
‘When investing in a new coffee table, look for a piece thats large enough to give you plenty of useful space but small enough that it doesnt dominate your seating area,’ says Shante Lee, head of design, Castlery .
‘Small coffee tables vary in size from as little as 19″ in width to as much as 44″. As small coffee tables come in a range of shapes, it should be easy to find a piece that suits your living room perfectly.’
A large coffee table can be the anchor that your living room needs, providing a focal point as well as serving a number of practical purposes. If you have a large living area to fill, a table that is too small will look dwarfed and out of place. So, choose measurements that reflect your living area.’
How Tall Should A Coffee Table Be Faq
How tall should your coffee table be compared to your couch?
As a general rule, you want your coffee table to be no more than 1-2 inches shorter than the seat of your couch. This will make it easy to reach items on the table and also prevents items on the table from blocking your view when youre sitting down.
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How Big Should A Coffee Table Be
‘Weve all been there. You just bought a great sofa, and now its time to choose the best coffee table to match it and best maximize your space. How do you decide what size coffee table to buy? This can be a difficult task, especially if youre working with a small space,’ says resident designer Kyle Schuneman, APT2B
‘If you choose one thats too big, youll overwhelm your space. If you choose one thats too small especially in relation to your sofa your room will look unbalanced.’
What Is A Comfortable Depth For A Sofa
Go for a depth thats at least 23 inches, and feel free to go even deeper. Consider how tall those who will use the sofa are. A 6-foot man is likely to be uncomfortable on a sofa narrower than 23 inches, while a petite person might not enjoy sitting on a 24-inch deep cushion.
How deep should a couch be to be comfortable?
An average sofas seat depth ranges from 21 to 24 inches, but you can find many options outside of that range. If you like to sit upright in your sofa, choose a shorter seat depth. The exact number will vary depending on your height, but 20 to 22 inches tends to be a good range for most people to sit up comfortably.
How deep is a comfortable sofa?
How tall is a sofa?
The average sofa height measures 17 to 18 from the floor to the top of the cushion. When thinking about this measurement, also consider how much youll sink into the couch once you sit. Additionally, a great rule to keep in mind is that the deeper the seat depth, the lower the seat height needs to be.
What is sofa seat height?
Seat height is the distance from the floor to the top of the seat cushion. While seat height has the most impact on seating comfort, inside height and outside height can determine how well a sofa fits into your room. An average outside measurement is 36 inches and inside ranges anywhere from 19 to 21 inches.
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Coffee Table Buyers Guide
Height is an important, but not the only factor that makes your preferred coffee table perfect. There are multiple aspects that should be considered before taking that final call. And now that you have a fair idea about deciding on the ideal height, lets have a look at some of the other points to take into account.
Length
Homeowners generally follow the two-thirds rule while determining the length of the coffee table. In that sense, the tables length should be about two-thirds the length of the sofa. So, for an average three-seat sofa thats 84-inch long, the length of the coffee table should be at least 54-inch.
This guideline ensures that the coffee table is in proportion to the seating around it and doesnt look disproportionately big or small. While long coffee tables can hinder movement, small tables dont provide adequate access to everyone sitting on the sofa.
This brings us to another crucial aspect-the placement. Make sure that you leave a minimum of 12 to 18-inch space between the coffee table and the surrounding seating. By doing so, you allow an averagely tall person to effortlessly get on and off the sofa.
Additionally, this gives him sufficient room to stretch the legs fully. And there are fewer risks of people bumping into the table while walking around.
Shape
Coffee tables come in various shapes, and each one has a role to play in enhancing the overall setup.
Color