My coffee table may hold books, papers, throw pillows, meals, or glasses intermittently as needed for various activities during the day. I clear it each night for the next day. It's too convenient a surface to be lost to bric a brac. Besides, the curvy solid teak old Asian altar table is striking on its own.

we have a very small but lovely 2-tiered vintage maple coffee table, but you'd never know because my husband insists on keeping the damn laptop and external drive on it. Along with the 3 remotes and his PS3 controller. Seriously you can barely see the surface.

What can I say, I love him for his mind...NOT his style.

I know what you mean. My husband's laptop is always on the high side table by his seat so he can use it without shifting it while watching TV.

We have no coffee table -- instead, we have twin toddlers. A lime green cube ottoman fills in when needed.

Currently, the TV, because I sold the last item standing in as the media console before the one I want has popped up on craigslist at a price I can stomach... but eventually, ideally, candles (to be ultimately succeeded by an oil lamp, and possibly one of those lampe berger catalytic burners) and... that might be it. It's a glass-topped display table so I want the things stored inside to actually be visible.

Nothing! I have a very grabby 19-month-old. When he's older, I'll be able to put back the books, flowers, remotes, food...sigh.

2 large labs at my house means the coffee table has pretty much nothing on it. Oh well, I love my dogs more than I love a decorated coffee table! Fortunately I have one that lifts up to work as a table you can also eat from!

Good for you. I shopped for a long time years ago without finding one. My parents' convertible coffee table that opened to a big square dining table was very useful.

When I'm expecting company I order everyone to get their "stuff" (insert another word here) off the coffee table. When and if they do so, the table holds one large tile mosaic plate/bowl that a dear friend created for me and a few magazines or books. Right now, it is covered with jewellery making supplies. My daughter is busy making pieces that she sells at the local farmer's market. I really can't complain because she is being creative and productive.

We have two black storage cubes from Pottery Barn as our coffee table. This allows us to move them around to suit either ends of the seating space and store items needed there like blankets and lap desks.

We have cats and I hate to dust, so we keep them pretty clear (they're small-ish anyways). One has a Waterford bowl and the other has coasters. That's it, unless it's an item in immediate use such as a remote or glass. But those things are only temporary and are put away when we get up.

Current magazines, a couple of books we are currently reading, a few coasters. We generally like to keep it pretty clear and tidy. Horizontal surfaces with lots of stuff make me tired.

My coffee table is of the same ilk as the #12 pic - I refurbished an old table with two glass panels by sanding and repainting it an espresso brown and had some thick plastic cut to fill in where the old glass had been broken. I covered the bottom in a double layer of tulle, and filled the space between the glass and the tulle with tickets. I've been keeping ticket stubs my entire life - from movies and theater and fairs - and now they're a showcase in my living room!
I keep the top more or less clear due to living with a toddler, but I've got some coffee table books waiting in the wings.

We have a 2 tier rectangular glass coffee table. Right now, the top tier has a silver tray with a mercury vase filled tulips and large candle on it. The bottom tier has a wooden tray for our remotes, keys, random things that we clear out and organize every now and again and can easily pick up and put elsewhere when company comes.

Usually the glass of water I'm drinking, plus a mirrored box for the remotes and a mercury glass trinket box containing kitty treats.

Plus whatever crap accumulates during the day.

We have a 2 tier wood table from C&B, which is usually filled with miscellaneous books or magazines we've been reading, a basket for remotes and electronics, and the inevitable laptop that never makes it back to where it should be in the office. I would love for it to look like something out of one of these photos, but I'm not sure how practical that would be for the day to day.

my boyfriend and i have an antique chest for a coffee table. the bottom is full of his unsightly video games and accessories, and to make access easier, we keep a birchwood tea tray on top. coasters, the remotes (3+ a ps3 controller), and vase of flowers are the staples on the tray. everything else that makes its way to the table (glasses, plates, mail, cellphones, lint roller, my jewelry) gets rehomed every couple of days. i keep it tidier when we do have fresh cut flowers, as it looks cluttered quicker and i like to keep cute vignettes.

My coffee table is covered in Legos and my son's various creations.

First, my coffee table is a chest my great grandfather the architect made in the nineteenth century for my grandmother. He somehow embedded a large, black cursive D in the top for their last name, Durham.

To the left of the D is a pair of Met Lions bookends, and to the right is a tray and vase I bought my mother for Christmas. As she died on December 20, 1990, I still have it and keep it on my coffee table. And finally I have an angel that belonged to my Godmother.

My coffee table is emblematic of my home. Almost everything in it was my mother's or my aunt's (the Godmother), or my mother was with me when I bought it, or it was handed down to me from my grandparents.

I have a mid century surfboard coffee table. In the center I place a set of vintage clear glass grapes (like these except clear, hate the colored ones), a pair of metal coasters a friend brought back from Mexico, and a couple Dwell magazines.

I have a cedar chest I use as a coffee table, and it generally has on it stacks of books and heaps of catalogs, and occasionally a lizard.

thanks for remembering my coffee table, the arrangements are always changing so you won't see that one again. It's a good one, even if I must say so myself hahaha. Thanks, Bethany - always bringing inspiration for action.

Tootsies.

I'm with those that have kids, so nothing fancy on my coffee table. My kids would clear it off in one sweep to play barbies or draw.

Go board and candle in a wine glass!

What coffee table? In my small space, it was deemed unnecessary. I use a tray on top of the ottoman or directly on the sectional when a surface is needed.

My place is to small for a dinning table, so the coffee table is also the dinning table. I made it from a very narrow piece of wood and added slightly below dinning table height legs. Seating on the sofa and eating is so much more comfortable now, instead of bending over to eat on a low table.

You know you are truly an AT addict when you find yourself reading a post about coffee tables, then...oh yeah, I don't have one! I have side tables though, so I guess that's close.

2 tiered coffee table, usually:

On the bottom: all kinds of game boards, a box of Hokusai's The Great Wave stationery and a small photo book.

On the top: a small bamboo tray with a candle, coasters, a seashell, half a crab claw and the remote control. and to the side, a small scale ship-in-the-middle type of ship (minus the bottle).

Presently, because my home is a mess and I'm in the middle of organizing, a whole bunch of CDs are spread out everywhere on it too. Urgh!

I use to keep some art books, a candle and small vase with flowers right now I have nothing and I rather like it clear and clean. I've had lots of people over this summer so its been the spot for snacks and drinks.

No coffee table here either. Every chair has a table next to it, and there are an assortment of vases, photos, mags and lamps on each of them. Not one for weird knick-knacks like shells etc, especially not on coffee/side tables.