Malmesbury Elm Coffee Table

The rule is two thirds of your sofa length. 140cm suits a sofa of 190cm to 220cm.

The height sits roughly level with most sofa seats, which is the comfortable range for reaching a cup without leaning down. Anything much lower and you are stooping.

Leave 40cm to 45cm between the sofa edge and the table. Closer and it is hard to get past, further and you cannot reach.

On a rug, the whole table should sit on it rather than half on and half off. At this size that usually means a rug of at least 200 x 300cm.

Mind the splay. An A-frame base is wider at the floor than at the top, so the footprint is a little larger than the 60cm width suggests. Worth knowing if it is going in a tight space between a sofa and a chair.

A trestle base on a coffee table is unusual, and it solves a real problem.

Four corner legs are what everyone catches a shin on, and they are what stops you pulling a chair or an ottoman in close. An A-frame at each end moves the supports inboard, so the ends of the table are clear and the piece can be approached from any angle.

The crossbar between the two frames is structural, tying the base together across the span so the top does not rack. It is also the detail that makes the underside worth looking at, which matters on a piece seen from every side at knee height.

The splayed legs give the base a stance rather than a stance-free box, and it is what makes the table read as farmhouse craftsmanship rather than a rectangle on posts.

Solid elm is a hardwood with a wandering, interlocking grain, which gives it both a distinctive appearance and a natural resistance to splitting. It has warmer undertones than oak and considerably more variation board to board, so no two are identical and yours will not match the photograph exactly.

• A-frame trestle base, so nothing catches a shin at the corners
• Full-length crossbar, structural and worth looking at
• Solid elm with a wandering grain and warmer tones than oak
• Level with most sofa seats, which is where a coffee table should sit
• 140cm, the right proportion for a two or three seater
• 60cm deep, a genuinely usable surface rather than a narrow ledge
• Approachable from any angle, with no corner posts in the way
• No two alike, since the grain varies board to board

Work in three loose clusters with clear space between them. A stack of books with a small object on top, a tray with a candle, and something with foliage at the far end. Leave the middle relatively clear so the table still functions.

The single most useful thing on a coffee table. It corrals remotes and coasters and makes a styled surface look intentional rather than arranged.

Something tall, something low, something flat. Books laid flat give you a plinth to raise a small object onto, which is the trick that makes a coffee table look considered.

The trestle is the reason to buy it, so keep anything underneath sparse. A single basket tucked at one end, or nothing at all.

Warm elm wants warm neutrals. Off white, oatmeal, clay and mushroom. Dark glazed stoneware from pots and vases anchors all that timber, and cool grey drains the warmth out of it.

Use coasters. The care advice that genuinely matters on a coffee table, since this is the surface that takes mugs and glasses daily.

Dust along the grain with a soft dry cloth and wipe spills promptly rather than letting them sit.

Refresh with a clear furniture wax once or twice a year to nourish the timber and deepen the tone. Avoid silicone polishes and all-purpose sprays, which build up and dull the surface.

Keep it clear of a radiator where you can, and out of prolonged direct sun, which lightens timber unevenly if only one end sits in it.

What to expect. Elm varies considerably in grain, figure and tone from board to board, so yours will not match the photographs exactly. That variation is the timber working as intended.

Your table travels with our specialist furniture courier, who will call ahead to arrange a time. Current timescales and charges are set out on our delivery page.

Send us the length of your sofa and we will tell you honestly whether 140cm is the right proportion. Reach us via our contact page or live chat.

If it is not right once it is in the room, our returns process is straightforward, and everything is covered by our guarantees and warranties.

0% interest-free finance is available at checkout, and our price match promise stands if you find the same piece for less elsewhere. Furnishing a holiday let? Ask about trade accounts.