apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

we bought a coffee table after not having one for so long because we thought every livingroom needed one. It seemed like a good idea in theory to have a large surface infront of us to set things but after a few days of having it in the center of our livingroom we ended up moving it out of the way to vacuum, and then never bothered to move it back. Although we haven't officially discussed it I have a feeling we both like it better open or one of us would have moved it back. We do have tables on either side of the couch, then a shelf behind the couch, a bookcase within reach, and an ottoman as well. So plenty of places to put things. I guess the coffee table was just overkill.

Thank You so much for this. Cause I'm moving in a apartment and a coffee table would make it look cluttered. So I got a side table, willl send a pic soon.

I don't have a coffee table. I have small asian style garden stools floating about to be used where they're needed. Currently, I have two with a goal of aquiring one more and grouping them in the center of the room when I need a coffee table. They're great little additions to the room and don't take up as much space.

Funny, never thought I was breaking the rules. I hate coffee tables. I have two small ottomans and an end table. More versatile

I have never liked coffee tables...they're always either too close to the sofa or too far away to put your feet up. And there's the additional problem that I always seem to run into them.
I have an ottoman and side tables, and that's all I need.

I don't have a coffee table either --It just wouldn't be right for my set up, though I am still looking for my perfect ottoman and side tables (I've been without a place to set my drink or prop my feet since last November).

I dont have a coffee table, I have two small leather ottomans that double as storage..and seating...

They all appear to be so awkward to me:

#1 has a stool that wants to be a coffee table but doesn't have enough space to grow into one.
#2 looks like a therapy room at the child-psychologist's office.
#4 is so painfully vast and Empty - Anyone want to sit and look at the underside of the piano tonite?
...and #5 looks like they're just waiting for the next sale at Crate and Barrel to get a new upholstered ottoman since the baby hurt herself on the old glass coffee table.

THANK GOD someone has as narrow a living space as I do. My layout is very similar to Brigits Clean & Current only I have a staircase to the left which make it even more narrow. Since I'm limited on room, I skipped the cofee table all together and have end tables w/ a couple of stools from target if needed for drinks, seats or legs. Even if my place was a little more w i d e r I think I would skip the coffee table.

When I did not have room for a coffee table I used my two Marcel Breuer Laccio small tables as my coffee table.

Then they became my bedside tables and now they are end tables for my sofa.

These two tables have been the most versatile piece if furniture I own they are around 19 years old and have never disappointed. A coffee table will most likely be a coffee table but these two side tables have been used and reused for many functions.

Picture #4 really needs a coffee table.

i have six black, equilateral triangular tables with wrought iron legs and some type of waterproof top that not only stack, they also can be made into a bigger *coffee table* if i need one. all i have to do is arrange the triangles!

they work great when i have friends over because i can perch one near each person for drinks or plates (or feet). turns out they can also double as stools if need be!

i was unaware that there were rules for this sort of thing...

I dunno... some of the "rules" are there becuase they're functional.

We truly live in our living room. I cannot imagine having no coffee table. It's where we put our dishes and glasses, our pens, our glasses, my laptop...

I've noticed over the last few years a trend against coffee tables. The side tables, no tables, and "coffee ottomans" are all very unfunctional situations, at least for my family's lifestyle.

My prediction of future design trends:
living rooms without sofas
kitchens without refrigerators
bedrooms without beds

We went years without a coffee table, just using side tables and ottomans and treasuring the open space, but then we found a handsome streamlined maple table whose top lifts to laptop/dining height and fell in love with the cleverness and utility of it. If we hadn't found that particular table, we probably still wouldn't have a coffee table. Particularly now that we have an old Deco couch and chair with wide, flat teak waterfall arms which are totally perfect for setting down a cup or a coaster.

I've got a round metal coffee table in my place and it works really well. My living room is small so it's in reach of most of the seating.

Can someone identify who makes the sofa in Bridget's living room? It has nice clean lines but looks comfortable too.

This may solve my very small, awkward living room, (or maybe my current coffee table is just too large), but I like the idea of multi-ottoman/garden stools scattered around. The larger spaces without coffee tables look unfinished, but the smaller ones don't seem to be lacking what they just can't fit

Picture 4 & 5 would be more inviting with a coffee table.

I don't have a coffee table either. I used to, but it just didn't work in the space and wasn't as flexible as I needed it to be. I gave it away and opted for a Chinese garden stool and a small stool/table from Room and board. I move them around all the time to suit what I happen to be doing in the room. I also have two small benches so that when I do need a coffee table I can put them together to make one. Overall, it gives me tons of options as the tables/benches can double as seating and everything is so easy to move.

does anyone know where you can get those tiny antlers on the black plaques in room 1?? i love.

No coffee table here either, although there are a few I'm looking for on craigslist. Am I the only who feels that room #1 is really claustrophobic - sitting on the sofa you're just waiting to be squeezed to death by the two walls?!?

...and #5 looks like they're just waiting for the next sale at Crate and Barrel to get a new upholstered ottoman since the baby hurt herself on the old glass coffee table.
posted by bepsf

LMAO, thank you that was funny and so true.

I did not give much thought to any of those pictures the only one that seems to be ok without a coffee table is #3.

Rooms without coffee tables always look like someone just can't afford to complete their furnishing IMO.

I agree that you don't always need a coffee table, but #4 just looks awkward with the rest of the furniture arranged around the rug.

I'd like to get rid of my coffee table because it's large and my apartment is small. However, it's heated, so when winter comes I throw a blanket on between the table legs and the removable top, wiggle underneath, and toast myself. I can't imagine surviving another Japanese winter without it. Hey, everyone. Buy a kotatsu. They're the best.

I'll admit I don't like any of these examples but don't agree that not having a coffee table makes a room look unfinished.

Instead of using a hefty coffee table, I used an Eileen Gray table in front of my living room sofa. Doesnt take up alot of space and can be pulled almost on top of you for reading/coffee etc.

how do you put your feet up? we have an ottoman/coffee table. i couldn't live without it simply because i want/need to put my feet up. with no coffee table i'd have to have an ottoman.

"Am I the only who feels that room #1 is really claustrophobic - sitting on the sofa you're just waiting to be squeezed to death by the two walls?!?"

You mean like the garbage compactor in Star Wars?
;-)

I dunno. Pic #4 it's so naked and non-functional looking. I secretly wonder if that rug is a cover for a bitchin' indoor living room jacuzzi. Maybe with a fold out mini bar with a built-in iPod sound system. Bubbles and mai tai's! And I see a long cement strip just purrfect for a slip 'n slide. Woohoo! Who's in? :-)

I'm all for breaking the rules if they're not working for you, but I'm with the others who said that none of these spaces seems to particular work either. Personally, I like coffee tables, both visually and functionally. But hey, to each his/her own!

what a timely post... i'm moving to a new space and strongly considering going "coffee table-less" ... we'll see how that works out - but glad to hear lots of people living out coffee tables.

When I was in college, I was too broke to afford a coffee table that I wanted, so I went without. I kind of miss not having one because I find that they just attract clutter and the bf's big, dirt feet!

we skipped the coffee table so that our dog could run around our living room more easily!

I made the coffee table my media center cause i don't need a coffee table years ago. Of course it's great for small spaces.

i think i need to stop reading ap comments. bepsf makes me crazy.

travelingrory, I'm right there in crazytown with you. I enjoy most comments but can always immediately identify bepsf's by the condescending tone. Maybe we could petition AT to put the commenter name first so we can skip ahead...

Also, I do not have a coffee table and feel no need to run out and get one just to avoid "looking awkward".

I hate coffee tables. They're such a waste of space, plus they just make the place look so cluttered.

I've got two Toto cubes from DWR which also provide soft light... Which is great for watching tv.

#4 would look so good with the Noguchi table in black.

I don't have a coffee table in my living room because the room is a conduit from the front door to the rest of the house and only a super-skinny table would not be totally in the way. (I have yet to find one, but I have been looking.) I don't have one in my family room because it would be too close to the wood stove and would prevent the dogs from lying by our feet while we watch TV. There are no "right" or "wrong" answers about how to decorate a space. Maybe in a cookie-cutter house where all the rooms are standard sizes and there are no weird openings or windows or anything that deviates from the "norm." But for those of us that live in more unusual or one-of-a-kind homes, there are compromises and choices we have to make to enable our homes to work for the way we live now.

I agree with apf.

I simply have never understood coffee tables

the smaller, lighter and more moveable the better, I say

unless they actually are the shape and height from which to serve tea or, well, coffee.

no coffee table here!! my living room is about the dimensions and distribution of apartment #1. also have a couple of small and short side tables i move around as needed.

I tend to be a little clumsy, due to severe near sightedness, so I look at little tables and start calculate how long it will take me to kick one across the room accidentally. Of course, guaranteed to have a glass of something that will stain on it at the time.

I do love the idea of questioning "The Rules", especially in a way that takes into account your specific situation. Bravo Courageous Coffee Table Eschewers!

We don't have a coffee table (our space is narrow, much like in #1) or side tables, because our couch sits right between the bathroom door and the stairs. Unfortunately, it's the only spot in the room where a couch will work.

Way, way back when we first bought the house and only had one child, the room was perfect with just a loveseat and some chairs and we used the main floor bedroom as a TV room. Now, we use the main floor bedroom as a bedroom and "the hallway" is our living room. It's one of those things I wish we'd thought of before we bought our house (of course, we didn't plan on staying here for nearly as long as we have either).

We've gone coffee table-less for years. We have a nice large living room area, plenty of space for one, but I've enjoyed having the room for our kid, his friends, and the dog to roll around. We use an ottoman (which is really ratty and needs to go), CB2 plexi nesting tables, and knockoff Aalto stacking stools. I love being able to drag the stools and tables around to use as needed. It's a great coffee table alternative for a small living room.

But I've been considering getting a coffee table for a while - we don't have much table/counter space overall, and I'm imagine doing craft projects or playing games on the coffee table. In reality, I'd likely be in a constant battle to keep the table clear of magazines, toys, cds, books... I also suspect the room would look more pulled together with the right coffee table.

I'd never heard of a kotatsu, what a brilliant idea! One way to get the family to spend time together. :)

We don't have a coffee table but two square ottomans we keep pushed together. We have slate trays we sit on the ottomans when we're eating at the couch. Mostly though, we needed a place to put our feet up! We aren't graced with multiple living rooms like a lot of these folks probably are, so our main living area actually had to be functional and useable as well as comfortable.