Short answer
As a starting point, the table should be about two thirds the length of the sofa, and sit 40 to 45 cm in front of it.
A 200 cm sofa therefore wants something around 130 cm of table along it, which can be one Anton Large (100 cm) plus space, or a nest pulled apart. A 160 cm two-seater is happier with Anton Medium (70 cm) or Leo Medium (80 cm round).
Leave 40 to 45 cm of walk space between sofa edge and table edge so knees clear. Less than 30 cm and you cannot come in from the side. More than 50 cm and the cup is a reach.
Use the two-thirds (2/3) rule: the table is about two thirds the length of the sofa, 40 to 45 cm in front of it, with the top level with the seat or a little lower. Then let the shape of the sofa pick the shape of the table.
Colour follows the sofa too: a grey sofa wants Grigio or Grafite, a beige one Sabbia. The black coffee table guide has the pairings, and coffee table shapes covers oval and square.
| Sofa | Coffee table | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Two-seater, about 160 cm | Anton Medium, 70 x 60 cm, or Leo Medium, ø80 cm | Room for knees; round if the walkway passes |
| Three-seater, about 200 cm | Anton Large, 100 x 75 cm | A nest pulled apart covers about 130 cm |
| Corner sofa | Anton Large, or the Anton Large set | A rectangle along the long side |
| Curved sofa or busy walkway | Leo Medium or Leo Large | No corners at shin height |
| Low lounge sofa | Anton Small or Leo Small, 41.5 or 42.5 cm high | Height follows the low seat |
Match the sofa seat, or sit 2 to 5 cm lower. The full table of our heights is in the coffee table height guide.
For a typical 40 to 45 cm sofa: Anton Small or Medium, or Leo Small. Leo Large at 52.5 cm is for a nest or a high seat, not the default.
Buy a nest if you need a second surface some days and a small footprint the rest. Buy one table if the second piece would live in a cupboard.
Anton nests fully: the smaller rectangle disappears under the larger. Leo overlaps by about 40 percent, so you always see both rounds. UK search for this is nest of tables; US search is nesting coffee table. Same furniture, different words. Details live on the nest page.
A nest is a purchase when guests, homework, or a second armchair appear weekly. It is wasted steel if the small table never comes out.
Round (Leo) if people walk around it and you want no corners in the path. Rectangular (Anton) if the sofa is long and you want a tray and a book to sit side by side.
Leo Large is 95 cm across, which is a wide round for a compact room. Anton Large is 100 x 75 cm, the one that reads as a proper coffee table in front of a three-seat sofa.
If the table takes hot mugs, plates, and keys every day, choose sintered stone. If you want grain and a quieter surface, Leo can be specified in oak on Design Your Own. Anton is stone.
Stone here is Dekton, a sintered surface, not marble. It does not need sealing. Oak is solid, lacquered, and does not like standing water. Colour of the frame (black, white, beige, taupe on DYO) is a separate choice from the top. In several markets colour search beats material search on this line; pick the frame you can live with, then the top you will actually use. Glass and metal are compared in the coffee table materials guide, marble in marble vs Dekton.
A welded frame that does not loosen, a top that matches how you live, and spare parts years later.
Bolted frames work loose. A glass top shows everything and chips at the edge. A marble-look film is not stone. We weld the frame in Sweden, finish it in our factory, and cover it for 10 years. That is the purchase, not a trend shape.
