Cut a cardboard template of the shape and live with it for two days. If you clip a corner on the way to the window, the room has answered for you.
Which coffee table shape suits my room?
Follow the sofa first, then the walkway. A long straight sofa or a corner sofa wants a rectangle. A path past the table, a small square room or a curved sofa wants a round. Oval sits between the two: length without corners. Square works when seats surround the table on three or four sides.
Coffee table shapes compared
Length still follows the sofa: about two thirds of it, 40 to 45 cm in front. Height follows the seat; see the height guide.
| Shape | Best with | Watch out for | What we make |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rectangular | Long straight sofa, corner sofa | Corners in the walkway | Anton: 100 x 75, 70 x 60, 65 x 55 cm |
| Round | Small rooms, walkways, curved sofas | Less surface than a rectangle | Leo: ø70, ø80, ø95 cm |
| Oval | Long sofa with a busy walkway | Needs length to read as oval | Not made: see below |
| Square | Sofa plus armchairs around it | The middle is out of reach on a big one | Not made: see below |
Rectangular coffee table: the default for a long sofa
A rectangle gives the most surface for its footprint, so a tray and a book sit side by side. It lines up with a straight sofa and with the long side of a corner sofa.
Anton Large at 100 x 75 cm reads as a proper coffee table in front of a three-seater. Anton Medium at 70 x 60 cm suits most two-seaters. Anton nests fully, so the smaller table slides under the larger one and comes out when guests do. The nest of tables guide has the sets.
Oval coffee table: when is it worth it?
When the sofa is long and the walkway runs right past the table. An oval gives the length of a rectangle with no corner at shin height.
We do not make an oval. The honest alternatives: a Leo Medium set, ø80 and ø70 cm, pulled apart along the sofa covers about 150 cm with no corners. Or an Anton Large if the walkway is on the short side. A round plus a nest does what most people want from an oval.
Square coffee table: when does it work?
When people sit on three or four sides: a sofa with two armchairs, two sofas facing each other, or a deep corner sofa where the table sits in the angle. Everyone gets the same reach.
A large square is a big footprint and the middle ends up as a display shelf. We do not make a square coffee table. In front of a corner sofa a rectangle along the long side usually works better; with armchairs around a small room, a round Leo gives everyone the same reach without corners.
Round coffee table: for walkways and small rooms
No corners, centred styling, and easy to walk around. The cost is surface: an 80 cm round holds less than a 100 x 75 cm rectangle.
Leo comes in ø70, ø80 and ø95 cm, and its nest overlaps rather than disappearing. The round coffee table guide has sizes and heights.
Shape from the sofa, then the walkway
- Anton
- rectangle, up to 100 x 75 cm
- Leo
- round, ø70, ø80, ø95 cm
- Leo set apart
- about 150 cm, no corners
