This article is going to talk about all the different options for a wooden coffee table. As you know, or as you will know after reading this next sentence, I love natural wooden coffee tables. In fact I have an oak coffee table that I’ve had for some time and I absolutely love.
There is something special about a wood coffee table. Especially if you have made one yourself or have had one made for you. I personally enjoy the more rustic hand made wooden coffee table. A coffee table that is not quite perfect. My coffee table is one like that. It has weathered the journey of time quite nicely. It has developed character, with the odd spill that has left a subtle stain and the odd nick and ding that has left its mark on its face.
My wooden coffee table
My wooden coffee table has been through a lot. When I was much younger I used it to adjust the coffee grind of my beans when I would use it as a solid surface for my burr grinder. In fact, if you look closely there are some ground coffee beans that can be found stuck in the grain of the wood. Now I don’t want to give you the impression that this coffee table is falling apart and has been neglected. Hardly, it just has been with me for a long time and like a trusted friend it is showing its age.
And with a wooden coffee table isn’t it the character that we are looking for? Or the durability? My oak coffee table has shown that it has withstood both tests. But let’s get to the types of coffee tables that are available in wood.
There is of course the small coffee table and this is something that I would consider to be used as a small side table rather than a large coffee table that you might use in front of your main couch. In fact there are three shapes of coffee tables that are the most popular. The oval coffee table is the first one, but probably the least popular of the three. There is also the round coffee table that I’d place second as being the most popular shape, and of course the most popular shape for a coffee table is the rectangular coffee table and/or the square coffee table.
Within this category you can find the popular lift top coffee table that is becoming more popular almost on a daily basis. This table as can be imagined from its name has the table top that is placed on hinges and can be raised and moved sometimes not only vertically but horizontally too, so you can bring the table top towards you almost like a dinner tray. Oftentimes, you’ll get storage areas under these tables which can be handy if you need extra storage space.
A contemporary choice of wooden coffee table
Another table in this vein, a very popular design and named after the Japanese-American designer who created it is the Noguchi coffee table. Definitely worth a look if you are looking for something elegant and modern in a dark wood with glass table top.
As for the types of wood used in these coffee tables, there are practically unlimited options depending on your budget. I like the lighter, warmer woods like oak and in that vein is the pine coffee table that has similar tones but slightly different grains. A beechwood coffee table would be another option if you’re looking for a lighter wood for your coffee table.
Moving into the darker woods there is the cherry coffee table and the walnut coffee table. Very elegant, these wooden coffee tables usually require more care if only because they are usually highly polished and varnished and therefore you’d get upset with any scratches and dings on them.
Also, some of these woods are also quite expensive because they have become more rare from folks having used them so extensively in the past. These woods would include oak, mahogany, cherry and rosewood amongst others.
If I can leave you with one last thought when looking to buy or have your wooden coffee table made for you. Choose a wood you really like the grain, color and texture of. But also, please give some thought the sustainability of the wood that you will use. Although wood is generally a renewable resource it can become threatened and certain species can become extinct. The African Blackwood, a beautiful wood is currently threatened and so should never be used. But you have so many other choices for your wooden coffee table, why would you even bother?