Today’s topic is the marble coffee table, but first a side note. You and I, we have something very special together. We love coffee. If it weren’t so, you wouldn’t be here visiting my blog and reading about coffee things and enjoying coffee klatch. But the question we so often don’t ask ourselves is where do we place our coffee cup? We take it for granted all those tables and coffee tables that we have around us. But today I want to talk about the marble coffee table, elevate our options for what we take for granted in propping up our legs or placing our coffee cup on.
I’m a big fan of natural products and treading lightly on the earth. So it should be no surprise that I love marble coffee tables then. I don’t own one, my favorite coffee table at the moment is my trusty old friend, the oak coffee table. But I have friends who swear by their pine coffee table. But that’s beside the point. I want to share with you today my rambling thoughts on the modern coffee table with particular emphasis on the marble coffee table. That is, if you’ll let me bend your ear.
The rock behind your marble coffee table
Marble in case you were wondering is a metamorphism of sedimentary carbonate rock most commonly limestone or dolomite. This metamorphism leads to recrystallization of the carbonate mineral grains leading to the smooth texture that can be seen from cut and polished marble. Not that we really care or need to know about that.
Marble is naturally a rare rock and this is one of the reasons it is so expensive. Additionally, marble is really an umbrella term for many different types of marble from different areas of the world most notably Europe and the Mediterranean as well as the United States. These dispersed varieties give rise to the different shades and colors of the marble we enjoy.
Something to be aware of when bringing marble into your home to enjoy is that marble is a porous rock and as such needs a finish in order to prevent it from absorbing any spills which can not only damage the rock but discolor it as well.
Popular shapes in the marble coffee table
Two of the most popular shapes that you’ll find in a marble coffee table is the oval coffee table and the round marble coffee table. I should add of course that the square coffee table and rectangular coffee table are also quite common.
A genuine marble coffee table is likely to be amongst the most expensive types of coffee tables you can buy, especially if you’re looking for a modern table. For just your average sized rectangular marble coffee table, you should expect to pay at least a thousand dollars and heading north from there very quickly depending on the size, type of marble and manufacturing house or design firm that makes it. For example, a glass top coffee table will be substantially cheaper than a marble coffee table as would wooden coffee tables too.
A white coffee table with marble top is very elegant and classic, but my best recommendation would be to get a marble coffee table that has a variety of colors so that the odd smudge, nick, scratch and stain is not noticeable. White marble is best in my opinion for sculpture.
A wooden coffee table with a marble top are the most common types of marble coffee tables that you’ll find. And I personally quite like the mixing of rock or marble with the natural warmth of wood. Though of course another common option is the iron coffee table with marble top. The meeting of natural products seems to always produce a very friendly visual result. Such that wood and iron, or wood and marble, or iron and marble seem to be natural allies in creating great home decor results in your furniture.
I would be remiss in closing this article if I did not make mention of the fact that you can buy marble finished coffee tables. These basically have a wooden table top that is finished with a marble like effect. This gives you the look of marble at a similar price point of your average coffee table of around just a couple of hundred dollars or more. Personally, I don’t like such tables as I’m more of a purist. If you want a marble table, buy a real marble coffee table. If you want a black glass coffee table, then buy that. If you want a wooden coffee table then buy that and if you want a Noguchi coffee table or a lift top coffee table buy a real one.
Besides which, most of these marble like “effects” aren’t going to be long lasting or full anyone except the most casual observer. If you want some sort of “effect” on your coffee table then have a nice print of some sort added to your coffee table. This can be very charming, but in my humble opinion, putting lipstick on a pig, well you’re still looking at a pig. If you want a marble coffee table, might as well save up and buy a real one.