Square Coffee Table Wavy Leg
Antique Late 19th Century European Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Wood
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2010s American Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Suede, Walnut
20th Century Chinese Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Wood
Vintage 1980s American Post-Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Glass
20th Century Spanish Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Gold Leaf, Metal, Wrought Iron, Iron
20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Metal, Gold Leaf, Wrought Iron, Iron
Vintage 1980s American Post-Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Oak, Walnut
Antique Late 19th Century European Game Tables
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Chinese Export Coffee and Cockt...
Wood
2010s Polish Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Other
2010s Portuguese Post-Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Brass
20th Century Unknown Post-Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Brass, Steel
2010s Polish Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Other
2010s Brazilian Post-Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Granite, Steel, Stainless Steel
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Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary European Renaissance Coffee and Cocktail T...
Brass
Vintage 1950s Italian Sofa Tables
Glass, Walnut
Finding the Right coffee-tables-cocktail-tables for You
As a practical focal point in your living area, antique and vintage coffee tables and cocktail tables are an invaluable addition to any interior.
Low tables that were initially used as tea tables or coffee tables have been around since at least the mid- to late-1800s. Early coffee tables surfaced in Victorian-era England, likely influenced by the use of tea tables in Japanese tea gardens. In the United States, furniture makers worked to introduce low, long tables into their offerings as the popularity of coffee and “coffee breaks” took hold during the late 19th century and early 20th century.
It didn’t take long for coffee tables and cocktail tables to become a design staple and for consumers to recognize their role in entertaining no matter what beverages were being served. Originally, these tables were as simple as they are practical — as high as your sofa and made primarily of wood. In recent years, however, metal, glass and plastics have become popular in coffee tables and cocktail tables, and design hasn’t been restricted to the conventional low profile, either.
Visionary craftspeople such as Paul Evans introduced bold, geometric designs that challenge the traditional idea of what a coffee table can be. The elongated rectangles and wide boxy forms of Evans’s desirable Cityscape coffee table, for example, will meet your needs but undoubtedly prove imposing in your living space.
If you’re shopping for an older coffee table to bring into your home — be it an antique Georgian-style coffee table made of mahogany or walnut with decorative inlays or a classic square mid-century modern piece comprised of rosewood designed by the likes of Ettore Sottsass — there are a few things you should keep in mind.
Both the table itself and what you put on it should align with the overall design of the room, not just by what you think looks fashionable in isolation. According to interior designer Tamara Eaton, the material of your vintage coffee table is something you need to consider. “With a glass coffee table, you also have to think about the surface underneath, like the rug or floor,” she says. “With wood and stone tables, you think about what’s on top.”
Find the perfect centerpiece for any room, no matter what your personal furniture style on 1stDibs. Browse a vast selection of antique, new and vintage coffee table and cocktail tables today.
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