The Collection

Modern Coffee Tables

These ten modern coffee tables run from 35⅜-inch squares to the 55⅛-inch Hadley, in black lacquered wood, metal, sintered stone and walnut. Sizing for the living room Aim for a...

About Modern Coffee Tables

These ten modern coffee tables run from 35⅜-inch squares to the 55⅛-inch Hadley, in black lacquered wood, metal, sintered stone and walnut.

Sizing for the living room

Aim for a table about two-thirds the length of the sofa: the 47¼-inch Madison and Monterey suit a sofa of about 70 inches, the 55⅛-inch Hadley one of 80 inches or more, and the 35⅜-inch Hanley and Auden squares a loveseat. Keep 16 to 18 inches clear between table and seat. Heights run from 11¾ inches (Hadley) to 15¾ inches (Monterey, Ridgefield); with a standard 17- to 19-inch seat, the taller tables are the easier reach.

With an L-shaped sectional, a square top can be reached from both runs of seating: the Ramsay Coffee Table is 39⅜ inches square. For storage, the Hanley Walnut Coffee Table has drawers on opposite sides, and the Madison has a lift-out tray and an open cubby.

Lacquer and polished metal show fingerprints and fine scratches more readily than matte finishes, so a soft, dry cloth is the best routine; the sintered stone on the Parker and Hadley resists heat and stains well. See material care, compare square coffee tables and round and oval coffee tables, add modern floor and table lamps, or return to the modern collection.