Glass Top Coffee Table

This article today is all about the glass top coffee table. Glass top coffee tables are considered to be contemporary, modern and elegant and as such they’ll often be found in homes with similar decor that is modern and contemporary. So let’s explore the many options that are available to those of us who are thinking of buying a glass coffee table. We’ll talk about some of the benefits as well as some of the drawbacks in choosing a modern glass coffee table as your coffee table of choice.

Let’s get to it. In the interest of full disclosure I must confess to you that I prefer wooden coffee tables and in fact I have a wooden coffee table as my personal favorite coffee table. It is old and worn but has so much character and warmth. That’s what I love about wood. Mine is an oak coffee table though I would take a pine coffee table over a glass top coffee table or any wooden table over a glass table for that matter. My dining room table is made of wood to.

Now there is one glass coffee table that I have seen that I quite like, and I’ve written about it on my blog here. That is the Noguchi coffee table. It has a glass top in a sort of tear drop or slightly oval shape with some very neat looking contemporary designed legs. That is a glass top coffee table that I quite like.

Why choose a glass top coffee table?

So some of the benefits of owning and buying a glass top coffee table would be the ease of cleaning. All you need to do is just wipe it down every so often and that’s pretty much all. A wooden coffee table will often need a wipe down, a polish and occasionally stripping and refinishing.

The cost of a round glass coffee table are similar as wood or other coffee tables. You’ll pay more for brand names of particular designers of course but you can get a neat square coffee table or any shape really with a glass top at around a hundred or two dollars. Similar to a wooden table. As far as colors go, I’ve seen the black glass coffee table as well as a white coffee table with glass table top but not many other colors. Sure there are smoked glass or gray glass coffee tables but I think wooden coffee tables take the cup on this one. Just a couple of coats of paint of your choice and you can have pretty much any colored coffee table you want.

Drawbacks of a glass top coffee table

Though personally, I prefer the natural look of wood with just a simple varnish or some other clear coat protection for my wood table.

One of the drawbacks I can see with the glass top coffee table is stability. I’ve dropped some heavier objects on my oak coffee table and they’ve made their mark, but I’m pretty sure if I had dropped the same object on a glass top coffee table that it might have shattered or at the very least cracked. This concerns me, especially because glass is so sharp and brittle. One other smaller drawback is that I have not seen a lift top coffee table with a glass top. Not to say they aren’t out there, but you might have a harder time finding one if that’s what you’re after.

But I guess other than that, glass top coffee tables are really just a personal preference. And as with all types of furniture you should take your time thinking about the designer or design of the coffee table you want. Giving particular attention to the overall decor of your house. Seeing as how much I love coffee and most things Italian, I’d suggest you take a look at some of the Italian design firms for glass coffee tables. And if you’re looking for something more Zen and minimal, then of course the Japanese designers and their glass top coffee table come to mind.