Lift Top Coffee Tables

Lift top coffee tables are becoming more and more common in many homes nowadays. And probably for quite a few reasons. Let’s take a walk through the furniture isle today and talk about the lift top coffee table. I personally don’t have one, though I can see why they are becoming popular and why many folks are brining them into their homes.

Hopefully with the content you’ll find in this article you’ll be able to make an educated decision on whether the lift top coffee table will fit your needs and some of the things to look out for when buying lift top coffee tables.

Okay, just before we get into the meat of the matter let’s quickly go over what a lift top coffee table is. The name itself should be fairly self explanatory. The table top is on hinges or metal brackets that allow the table top to rise vertically. Some of them also allow for movement on the horizontal plane as well. So you can bring the table top towards you as you sit on the couch without having to move the whole table towards you. Practically all lift top coffee tables that I’ve seen are wooden coffee tables, and of course the brackets or hinges are metal.

Wooden lift top coffee tables

I’m not sure why most lift top coffee tables are wooden, but it seems to me that it could either be safety or weight. Perhaps glass top coffee tables are just too heavy for the hinges or too dangerous. Nevertheless, it doesn’t really matter, as I’m a huge fan of the wooden coffee table anyway, especially my oak coffee table.

You might also see these tables called lift top cocktail tables, although for all intents and purposes they are practically the same. Same idea and roughly the same size. Most of these tables are rectangular coffee table, with dimensions of around 18″ height x 24″ width x 48″ length. It is unusual to find a square coffee table as a lift top coffee table.

Many of these lift top coffee tables are considered modern coffee tables with their clear cut edges and styles and simple aesthetics. Also, you’ll find that many of these lift top coffee tables are more expensive than just a plain old wood coffee table and that makes sense when you think about it. You are after all paying for an extra piece in the bracket or hinge set up so that the table can lift.

What to look for in lift top coffee tables

And bearing this in mind, here are a few areas I’d pay close attention to when looking at lift top coffee tables. Perhaps the first thing to be concerned about it the quality of the hinge or moving arm that lifts the table top. You want to make sure that this is secure, well attached to the frame of the coffee table and that it is a solid piece of mechanical metal. Not that you would expect the table top to act as a chair lift, but you could be surprised by the weight of a few trinkets, candles, coffee cups bearing down on the table top. I’d hope that it could at least bear the weight of 20 or so pounds.

The other thing to look at, and this is not a necessity, but it sure is handy, is the storage area available on the lift top coffee tables that you are looking at. Many of the better ones use the space underneath the table top itself as a shelf for you to keep magazines, books and other items. This is a great use of space. Additionally, many lift top tables will have a shelf at the bottom of the frame, mirroring the table top for you to place items, and some even go so far as giving you shelved in that bottom quarter of the table for added privacy and security for any items you’d like to store away.

So I hope this has been helpful. Lift top coffee tables are invaluable if you need extra storage space or you like the idea of the table having an adjustable height, especially if you or your guests and mobility impaired. As with all things to do with coffee and your home, take the time to research and understand what you are buying, and then you will have years of enjoyment from these lift top coffee tables.