Interior Redesign Stats 101 - Coffee Tables

How many times have you been someone's home and had either your knees all scratched up by the coffee table which is too close to the sofa, or the opposite, the coffee table was out in the center of the room and there was no possible way to put your drink down to take something offered to you by the hostess?

Coffee tables are meant to be functional. You should be able to negotiate the space between the table and the sofa to sit down and, once you are seated, you should be able to lean forward and place something on it. A good rule of thumb is that you should have at least 12-14" of clearance.

Other dimensions? I like to have the the height be about 16-18", which is about the average height of a sofa seat. As far as length, it depends on the width of the sofa or loveseat. A good size for a love seat is 24" x 36". For a sofa, take the inside measurement, between the insides of the arms, and subtract 12". That is about the right length to shoot for.

These are the basics, but when decorating your home you need to think like a redesigner! Your coffee table needs to look like it goes in the room. Redesign basics of scale and proportion are equally important as size. Consider this: do you choose a dainty thin-legged, thin-topped table when you have big clunky furniture with wide arms and chunky cushions? No, they would look awkward together!

If you need help, you can always call on Done in a Day Decorating!