If there is one piece of furniture you shouldn’t skimp on the old faithful coffee table has to be it. The centrepiece of your living room and a furniture item that will get a fair bit of stick over the years. It just doesn’t make sense to buy cheap.
Of course, you can buy tables with a wood effect finish for about £30, if you’re on a budget, but you can’t beat solid oak. Obviously you’ll need to spend a bit fair more, maybe £500, but it will be worth it in the long run.
Tables made with a combination of solid oak and oak veneers are not a bad compromise though. An untrained eye may not even spot the difference. You can find quite a few decent examples in the £100 – £200 price range too.
Here are few of the best deals on traditional and modern coffee tables, as well as a few options with storage drawers.
Aston Oak Coffee Table – Baumhaus square section table with a solid oak frame and oak veneer top. Comes in two sizes: W90 x D60 x H46 cm and W100 x D75 x H46 cm. £229 from amazon.co.uk
Oakland 2-drawer Coffee Table – a rustic style table made with a combination of solid oak and oak veneers. W100 x D60 x H45 cm. £249 from very.co.uk
Roka Coffe Table – a contemporary style table in solid oak with tapered round legs and smooth edges. W105 x D48 x H41 cm. £279 from johnlewis.com
Anton Coffee Table – a sleek rectangular table with rounded corners and splayed legs. Made with birch plywood with an oak veneer surface. W120 x D60 x H45 cm. £129 from johnlewis.com. The Anton range includes occasional tables which fit neatly underneath (sold separately).
Oakleigh Natural Oak 3 Drawer Coffee Table – a practical storage coffee table in oak veneer at a budget price. W104 x D59 x H42 cm. £108.34 from amazon.co.uk
Winsford Solid Oak Coffee Table – a smart, oak veneer table with a pair of drawers featuring modern cut-out handles. W90 x D55 x H47 cm. £229 from very.co.uk
Sheesham furniture is an ideal value for money alternative to traditional hardwoods and is usually 100% solid wood. It looks great, is very durable and easy to maintain. Which makes it an ideal material for items such as coffee tables that take a lot of knocks over the years.
Traditional Thakat tables with decorative black iron fixings are the most popular and widely available but there are a few contemporary styles too.
Jasmeen Coffee Table – a contemporary style table made from solid sheesham featuring an intricately carved lower shelf. W88 x D50 x H40 cm. £229 from myakka.co.uk
Mallani Drawer And Store Coffee Table – a contemporary style coffee table complete with 2 drawers and a slatted shelf. W110 x D60 x H45 cm. £369 from myakka.co.uk
Sheesham Thakat Coffee Table – a traditional style sheesham coffee table with turned legs and black iron corner brackets. W110 x D60 x H40 cm. £175 from amazon.co.uk
Maharani Coffee Table – another Thakat style table crafted from the finest grade Indian sheesham, complete with corner brackets and studs. W115 x D60 x H40 cm. £229 from johnlewis.com
Thakat Coffee Table – these traditional style tables have a hand waxed finish and come in 3 sizes (all 40cm high) : 45 x 45 cm, 90 x 60 cm and 110 x 60 cm. Priced from £89 – £129 from myakka.co.uk
Thacket 2 Drawer Storage Coffee Table – a storage chest style coffee table with a hinged lid and 2 drawers. W88 x D46 x H46 cm. £229 from amazon.co.uk