How to choose the right shape for your room

The shape of your coffee table should respond directly to the shape of the room and the sofa it sits in front of. This is the single most important decision in the whole process, and the one most people rush past when they're shopping online.

Round coffee tables

Round coffee tables work beautifully in smaller rooms, open-plan living spaces, and any room where flow and movement matter. They soften the geometry of the space, have no sharp corners to navigate around, and create a more relaxed, organic feel. A round table in front of a curved or L-shaped sofa creates a particularly cohesive vignette.

If your room is square or you want a genuine centrepiece, our Sierra Reclaimed Elm Round Coffee Table at 105cm diameter makes a bold, confident statement. For a cleaner, more contemporary round option, the Alani in smoked oak has a slim, modern silhouette that works in almost any setting.

Rectangular coffee tables

Rectangular tables are the classic choice and suit longer sofas and more formal living rooms. They echo the strong horizontal lines of the sofa and create a grounded, structured feel — ideal for rooms that want order and symmetry. Our Augustine Weathered Reclaimed Pine Coffee Table is one of our most loved pieces for exactly this reason: the balustrade legs bring real character without compromising on structure. The Antoine with its hand-turned limewashed oak legs is the more refined, artisan option for rooms that want something quieter and more considered.

Square coffee tables

Square tables work well in square rooms and with deeper, boxier sofas. The Oakridge Pine Coffee Table brings solid rustic structure with a pedestal base and handy lower display shelf — perfect for rooms that want presence without the length of a rectangular piece.

Getting the height right

Coffee table height is a detail that almost nobody talks about, but it makes an enormous difference to how comfortable and proportional a room feels. The standard guidance is that your coffee table should sit at roughly the same height as your sofa cushions, or within 2–4cm either way.

A table that is too low disappears — it looks like an afterthought and is awkward to reach when you're seated. A table that is too high dominates the room and disrupts the sightlines across it. When in doubt, go slightly lower rather than higher. Most sofas sit at 45–48cm seat height; all the tables in our coffee table collection are designed to sit comfortably within this range, so always check the product dimensions before buying.

Anchor everything with a tray

If you take one thing from this guide, make it this: use a tray. A tray is the single most useful tool in coffee table styling because it creates a defined zone — a contained visual unit — that makes a collection of objects look intentional rather than scattered. It is the difference between a styled table and a cluttered one.

The key is placement. Put your tray off-centre rather than exactly in the middle of the table. Then group two or three objects inside it: typically a candle, a small vase or vessel, and one organic element such as a stone, a small bowl, or a sculptural object. Outside the tray, let the rest of the surface breathe — place your books, a larger plant or a decorative piece at one end, and leave the other end relatively clear. The contrast between the defined tray zone and the more casual surrounding arrangement creates depth and draws the eye across the whole table.

When it comes to tray materials, natural is best. Our Handwoven Seagrass Tray with Scalloped Edge has the organic warmth and tactile quality that anchors a composition without competing with the objects inside it. For a rounder, more relaxed shape, the Bali Round Seagrass Tray is equally beautiful and works especially well on a round table. And if you want something with a more structured, rectangular form, the Isla Seagrass Tray Set comes as a pair in two sizes — ideal for a table that needs to do more visual work.

Stack books horizontally

Books on a coffee table should always be stacked horizontally, never upright. Two or three books, always lying flat. A horizontal stack creates height variation, gives you a useful elevated surface to place objects on top of, and signals to guests that this is a home with personality. Upright books, by contrast, look like a bookshelf that got lost.

Decorative storage boxes styled to look like books serve double duty — they give you the visual impact of a curated book stack while concealing the remote controls, coasters and everyday clutter that accumulate on any well-used coffee table. Our Decorative Book Style Storage Boxes — Set of Two have a linen-look finish that reads as a coffee table book from across the room, but opens to reveal a practical hidden interior. Place a small ceramic object or a candle on top of the stack to complete the composition.

Always work in three heights

The most common mistake in coffee table styling is placing everything at the same height. When every object sits at the same level, the arrangement looks flat — there is nothing for the eye to travel across, nothing to create rhythm or visual interest. The solution is simple: always create three distinct height levels within your arrangement.

Think of it as tall, medium, and low. Something tall — a faux calla lily arrangement in a glass vase or a viburnum stem placed in the Otway vase — adds organic height and draws the eye upward. Something medium — the vase itself, or a pillar candle on a glass candleholder — sits at a comfortable mid-height. Something low — a book stack, a flat tray, or an object placed directly on the surface — grounds the arrangement. The variation between the three creates movement and makes everything look considered.

A note on numbers: odd numbers always work better than even. Three objects, five objects, seven objects. Never two, never four. The asymmetry feels natural and uncontrived in a way that perfect pairs never quite manage.

Mix textures, not colours

The most beautiful coffee table arrangements share a tight, neutral colour palette — stone, cream, warm white, natural wood tones — but vary the textures dramatically. This is the principle that underpins the most considered interiors: restraint in colour, richness in texture.

Woven seagrass next to smooth ceramic. Rough linen next to polished glass. Natural rattan next to matte plaster. The contrast of textures within a neutral palette is what creates the layered, magazine-worthy look that so many people try and fail to replicate by adding more colour instead.

For greenery, faux botanicals are ideal on a coffee table — they bring the organic element and the natural colour without the maintenance or the weekly trip to the florist. A single stem in a beautiful vessel, or a small arrangement in a squat ceramic vase, adds life without tipping into fussy territory. Our Faux Pompom Viburnum Stem is particularly versatile — the clustered green pompom blooms add texture as well as colour and work beautifully in a neutral arrangement.