How high and how big should a coffee table be?

Start with your sofa

The height of a coffee table follows your sofa, not the table itself. Most sofa seats sit between 40 and 45 cm. A coffee table at about the same height, or a few centimetres lower, feels the most natural: you put down a cup without stretching and you look over it easily.

Measure from the floor to the top of the seat cushion, without sitting on it. A deep, low lounge sofa needs a lower table than an upright sofa with a firm seat.

Lower or higher: what changes?

A low coffee table of 30 to 35 cm looks calm and open. The room feels bigger, because your eye slides over the table. A higher one of 42 to 45 cm is more practical if you eat on the sofa, put down a book or work on a laptop.

Torn between the two? A pair is a lovely answer: a high and a low coffee table side by side, as in the photo above. Together they form one soft whole, and you can move them apart when you need more room.

Our standard height is 40 cm. We make your coffee table at the height you choose, from 30 to 45 cm.

How big: two thirds of your sofa

For size there is a simple rule of thumb. An oval or organic coffee table is about two thirds of the length of your sofa. A round coffee table has a diameter of about half the sofa length: within reach from every seat without filling the whole seating area. Smaller and the table disappears in the room, larger and it gets in the way.

A round coffee table suits a corner sofa or a square seating area, an oval one a long sofa or a narrow living room. More in Which coffee table suits your sofa?

Leave enough space

Between the sofa and the coffee table, 40 to 50 cm works best. Your legs have room and you stand up easily, yet you still reach your glass without effort. Where you walk past the table, a little over 60 cm feels comfortable.

A coffee table on a pedestal or a tapered central leg keeps the floor around it clear. No four legs in the way, and a rug or a pouf slides in next to it easily.

What does a made-to-measure coffee table cost?

A round Mortex coffee table of Ø 80 cm has a guide price of €1,049, Ø 100 cm €1,199 and Ø 120 cm €1,399. An oval coffee table of 120 x 70 cm or 140 x 80 cm costs €1,399, as does an organic one of 120 x 80 cm. All prices include VAT. The height, the base and the colour do not change the price.

Any size is possible: round from Ø 50 to Ø 130 cm, oval and organic from 60 to 240 cm long. See the shapes on made-to-measure coffee tables. Looking for the right height for your dining table too? Read How high is a dining table?