The history of coffee tables dates back to the late 18th century during the Victorian Era. During this period, they were actually used for placing cups of tea-as that was the de rigueur drink of the time, at the height of fashion–every one drank tea. This led to an increasing demand for tea tables. This were generally taller than today’s low slung coffee tables; however, as time progressed and as the high backed settees that were so popular during the second half of the seventeenth century were replaced by low back sofas, what we now know as coffee tables were put into use. These tables were expressly designed to stand at the back of the sofa, and they were used to place books, candles and coffee or tea.

The very first tables to be called as such were designed in Britain. These were constructed out of wood. Again these were generally higher than our contemporary coffee tables. The low height may have come about with influence from the practically floor level Japanese tables in tandem with the Ottoman-styled table found in tea gardens. Coffee tables, then are a relatively new invention.

The coffee table developed with the increasing availability of materials and with the rise of mass production and thus affordability. As a result of the Industrial Revolution, wooden furniture making was eventually industrialized. During the Arts and Crafts movement in Britain, there was a desire to restore hand crafted furniture, in particular, the individual style of the craftsmen. During that time coffee tables were made, but examples are hard to find.

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Recently a popular trend in restaurant furniture and bar furniture has been to move away from regular dining height tables and chairs and towards attaining a more comfortable and informal look by using sofas accompanied with coffee tables. This has led to bar furniture suppliers sourcing and offering a wide variety of coffee tables to suit almost any situation.

Glass topped coffee tables with chrome frames have the advantage of being easy to clean and giving a thoroughly modern look and are particularly attractive when combined with leather or fabric sofas. The glass topped coffee tables can also be purchased with powder coated steel underframes in the same or contrasting colour to complement the decor of the room. Of course it is important to check that the top is made of tempered toughened glass that has been tested to meet the British standard requirement to test the strength of the glass (in the test a steel metal ball is dropped from height in the testing laboratory on to the glass top). Glass topped coffee tables look particularly effective when round, square and rectangular tops are mixed in the room with one, two and three seater sofas.

Wooden coffee tables are still very popular and are usually based on conventional dining tables but with the legs or pedestal base having a reduced height. These look most attractive in timbers when made from a timber with a distinctive grain, for example oak or ashwood when finished in a light stain will look very beautiful. Of course if darker stains are chosen the wood grain is still noticeable but not so important so cheaper timbers like rubberwood are acceptable. Stability is as much a concern with coffee tables as with regular bar or restaurant tables so a conventional table with four legs is a good choice and if a pedestal is used it is important to ensure that the base has a good wide footprint on the floor.

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