We've only just decided on which direction to go with our living room and are trying to figure out the coffee table right now. We found a great piece of vintage formica at the Habitat store yesterday and are now looking for the right table to alter. At one point we were thinking about a vintage diner-type dinging table and cutting down the legs, but most have leaves so we figured we'd make something ourselves instead.

Best choice we ever made was to buy a coffee table with storage. Perfect for clearing away clutter quickly. If you are someone who likes to buy "for keeps," and you plan on having children in the future, a coffee table with hidden storage plus rounded edges really keeps the clutter and the stress level down. We have several friends who have 1) given up their sharp-cornered/glass coffee tables after an trip to the pediatric ER for stitches, 2) covered the edges of said table with hideous putty-colored elastic padding, 3) make do without the coffee table. Those can be avoided if you think about your future needs now.

@Dcirene: What coffee table do you have with storage & rounded edges? We have two small children and are looking for exactly that, but all of the strage tables I've found are square or rectangular.

Good point DCIRENE. Maybe it's me, but even as an adult there's something about a sharp cornered glass, or marble coffee table that makes me uneasy.

I took a rattan coffee table off my parents' hands, assuming it would be a temporary piece, but it's worked out great, specifically because it has a glass top. Somehow that transparency keeps the piece from weighing down the area it's in. I made one of the end tables in the same room a glass-topped one, too, and the whole room seems lighter and brighter than if solid furniture was in those spots.

@mindela, we found ours at an thrift shop. The table doesn't have a label, but I believe that it is a Drexel Heritage from the 1960s. I've seen on craigslist several mid-century "surfboard" style coffee tables with rounded edges that have one or two drawers. Round coffee tables with drawers are harder to find, but they do exist. You might also try a round storage ottoman to double as a coffee table, as these are easier to find and you can customize the fabric.

Open/display storage also can be nice in a coffee table, as can casters or the ability to convert to a dining table.

P.S. Those storage ottomans with the flip lids that are padded for seating on one side with a wooden tray on the other side look useful, too.

I'm surprised that this article didn't feature (and none of the commenters mentioned) convertible coffee tables. There are a number of styles, from tables that lift on their legs to tables with hinged tops. AT even covered a few options at one point. I've had one for years and I like the fact that it makes working on a laptop or having a quick bite easier because the top is at table height, plus it adds storage options under the surface.

I have had rectangular, square and octogonal tables. None of them fit. I finally found my love : round is the one for me. Makes everybody feel welcome, is easy to park anywhere, always in the right angle... Toddlers are safe and so are my shins thank you very much.

Jennifer, thanks for the post -- I really love the round metal marble-topped coffee table on that stunning rug that you featured (image #5). However, when I go to the link for Kathleen and Maurizio's Imported Italian Home, it doesn't seem to be the same home (I also looked at all 46 pictures). Am I missing something, or is it the wrong link?

Anique-- You are so right. That was actually a last minute switch that was mis-credited. My apologies.

The actual house is http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/danielles-small-modern-cottage-149241. Also, because I love it too, I know that table is from CB2!

A table with rounded corners that you can stand on has worked for us ;-)

Agreed...the pentiful choices can be paralyzing. I test drove half a dozen in various shapes, sizes, materials and heights - some new, some old, some diy'ed. None were granted permission to take up permanent residence. I wanted the best of them all combined. I'd about given up the search when I walked into the CS one day and it was love at first sight. Sadly, the glass top was missing & the price was prohibitive considering the amount of labor + material I'd have to invest. I left empty handed, mentally kicking myself, sure it would be snatched up the second the door closed behind me...

Returned the next weekend & there she sat on major clearance. Took her home, replaced the missing glass top, cleaned her up. Decided I liked the natural stone color that turned out to be void of a single scratch or dent beneath the grime. She's a bit taller than the average coffee table (comfort height for dinner in front of the tv) large surface with a 6" wood surround for the glass insert. Rounded corners, with an ironwork crosspiece below, useful for storat. Basically master piece of wood, glass & iron that weighs almost as much as I do but still *appears* light & airy. The best of them all.

Moral of this story: KEEP LOOKING and don't settle for less than [your] ideal.

*plentiful" pls overlook the typos

I think my coffee table is PERFECT (at least for us.)

Since our sofa is an L-shaped sectional (due to a chaise lounge section), we chose a Mission style rectangular table that fits into the L. Anyone on the sofa can reach it for drinks or to use as a footstool. (Perfectly OK with us.) PLUS it has four drawers, two on each of the long sides, perfect for remotes, cat grooming combs, miscellaneous equipment manuals, and so on. AND it has a long shelf beneath the drawers for a basket of cat toys and a hiding place for the animals. Although I know most people here will scoff at the "matchy-matchy" we got the matching end tables, as well, and use them constantly. We keep the coffee table surface empty except for a few coasters. The end tables hold a reading lamp, a tray for mail...

These came from Jordan's I think -- big chain.

One of the sitting areas in my home is quite tight, and I wanted a 30" round coffee table for it so we wouldn't bump our knees on the corners. I found the Toby table from Winsome Wood to be perfect. They also have a Concord table that's 30" round with a storage drawer.

WHere did the yarn deer come from?

After the kids were grown & gone, I happened upon an Adrian Pearsall table as it was coming into the Goodwill to be donated. I didn't know what it was; just that it had a total midcentury profile.

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/affordable-alte-131852

The wood needed some oiling, and the glass some cleaning... But fir $14.99, I was happy to do this! It's a sweet, simple coffee table.