When you’re in a furniture store, selecting a coffee table might seem easy, simply pick your favourite and get it home right? Sadly, that’s not the case!
That isn’t to say you can’t have the coffee table of your dreams but after hours of deliberating on sofa fabrics, wall colours, curtain and couch design, don’t fall at the final décor hurdle. You want your coffee table to be the last piece of a perfect design puzzle, that will simply slot seamlessly into interior harmony.
What colour table goes with…?
Ultimately, this is your living space that you’ll want to enjoy and feel comfortable in so there aren’t any specific colour code rules which you must follow, however, living room furniture such as couches and coffee tables are an investment and you don’t want to live with regret. There are three options when it comes to matching the colour of your coffee table to your sofa:
- Match the colours
- Use a contrasting pop of colour
- Pick similar but not identical shades
It’s important to note, that even if you want a contrast, or pop of colour, from your coffee table, it needs to make sense with the overall look and feel of the room. You wouldn’t, for example, place a traditional wood coffee table in an ultra-modern, minimalist room as this would draw attention to the table for all the wrong reasons- the colours just wouldn’t gel.
Generally speaking you wouldn’t want to match the colour of your coffee table and your couch as it can be a bit dated however, in some instances, such as a black sofa and table combination, it works well and gives a contemporary edge.
If you have fabrics on your coffee table and your couch, be sure that they are either the same or a sharp contrast to ensure it doesn’t look like you’ve simply made a mistake when matching them.
So, without further ado, here is a breakdown of how to choose what colour matches your sofa/couch…
Brown Sofa
Brown is very much a “Marmite” shade in that people either love it or hate it, but it is actually a very versatile colour that is perfect to introduce into interior design as something different to the other staple colour palettes of black, white and grey. Being a warm, neutral tone makes it the ideal sofa colour very inviting and easy to fit in with most designs.
Modern rooms with a brown couch will suit a blue coffee table, the cooler hues of the blue, offset the warm brown shade and create a perfect blend.
Yellow is also a great shade to provide a pop of colour to a room with a brown sofa. If you have a brown leather sofa, consider a yellow velvet ottoman style coffee table that will not only inject colour and elegance but it will also offers multi-functionality as it doubles up as extra seating too.
Velvet provides an excellent contrast to leather as you don’t want to double up on fabrics that don’t quite sit right together!
If you have a dark brown couch, pair it with a crisp white which will enhance darker brown tones perfectly. This pairing creates a clean and elegant feel to a room that is both inviting and chic- ideal for more traditional looking environments.
“Modern rooms with a brown couch will suit a blue coffee table”
“Yellow is also a great shade to provide a pop of colour to a room with a brown sofa”
Blue Sofa
Natural wood is a blue sofa’s perfect partner. The warmth that the wood brings creates an inviting and tranquil space to relax in. For a more dramatic and formal living room, switch to dark wood.
If it’s a style statement you are looking to make, then opt for a matching or contrasting shade of blue. This will really accentuate the colour but it’s not for the faint hearted so opt for an alternative if you don’t want a bold style!
Navy blue couches work well with a bright and clean white shade, which is always a timeless colour combo but for those who don’t like such classic pairings, opt for a jewel-toned emerald green.
Finally, more elegant living rooms with darker blue couches would look great paired with a marble coffee table. Gold accessories always work well with blue as the warmth from the cold compliments that of the cool blue.
“Natural wood is a blue sofa’s perfect partner.”
“Elegant living rooms with darker blue couches would look great paired with a marble coffee table.”
Grey Sofa
A grey sofa is the perfect base for a neutral toned room and works well with white, black, beige or wood tone. Lighter woods in particular work well to balance out grey couches without disrupting the overall balance of the room.
Modern grey living room settings often work well with mirrored coffee tables or even think about choosing an all over metal option. Hammered metal in silver hues would tie in the colour of the sofa well, whilst providing some much-needed texture for added dimension. However, If you are after a bolder, more contrasted look consider introducing a coffee table with a black metal frame to provide some depth and break up the neutral-grey shades of the room.
If your sofa is a particularly dark shade of grey, think about keeping your coffee table light. White marble with silver legs, glass or clear acrylic tables will bring a modern elegance to your space whilst blending seamlessly together.
Black Sofa
Whilst, typically, it isn’t recommended to match furniture exactly, a black coffee table and sofa colour combo is an exception. Of course, you can always add colour through coffee table accessories to create more depth and dimension.
If you don’t like the idea of a matching black coffee table and couch, other colours that work well include white, light woods, grey and clear glass.
Black and white is a truly timeless colour combination but being a classic colour scheme is not the only advantage of this duo. As black can sometimes create the illusion that items are smaller than they are, putting a white coffee table in front of your black sofa is a great way to balance the proportions.
“Whilst, typically, it isn’t recommended to match furniture exactly, a black coffee table and sofa colour combo is an exception”
White Sofa
Beige or sandy toned coffee tables are great paired with a white sofa. For those with a Scandinavian styled front room, consider coupling up your white couch with a light wood coffee table.
Whilst neutral shades provide a light, airy and relaxed feel to a living space with a white couch, you could also choose to embrace a colour injection and choose a more vibrant shade. Blue, for example, is great paired with white but can sometimes be reminiscent of nautical vibes. It remains a great choice though for those wanting a bolder finish to a room, without being too overpowering.
Opting for a matching white table, perhaps even in a marble material, will give your living space a very premium, luxurious feel. Similarly, a black coffee table will also bring a more understated glamorous look to a room with a white sofa.
If you like the idea of a metal coffee table, then opt for a gold shade which perfectly compliments a white couch.
“Beige or sandy toned coffee tables are great paired with a white sofa” Credit for image – Isabella Duder
“Perhaps even in a marble material, will give your living space a very premium, luxurious feel.”
Red Sofa
Choosing a red couch is a real statement piece in a living room and you’ll want other items in the room to compliment it, creating harmonious flow throughout.
Minimalist, discreet designed coffee tables tend to work best with a red sofa. Choosing a white coffee table to sit in front of your red couch will provide a sharp but sleek contrast avoiding a disjointed feel to the room. You can then pull in other colours, adding depth, through your use of accessories.
To capitalise on the warmth that red tones bring to a room, add a natural wood coffee to the setting. Combined with a beige coloured rug, a red couch and natural wood table combination will create a warm and inviting environment with just the right balance of contrast.
“Choosing a white coffee table to sit in front of your red couch will provide a sharp but sleek contrast.”
Yellow Sofa
Yellow and grey are a modern classic when it comes to colour pairings so if you have a yellow couch, consider introducing a grey coffee table to your living space to provide the perfect ambience. Grey helps to calm down the yellow and strikes a balance in the room so that the strong yellow isn’t overwhelming.
Earthy tones (any colour that can be found outside) such as blue and green also work well with yellow and can help to create a striking, more eclectic style of living space. It is certainly not a look for the faint hearted if you intend to combine the shades throughout so be sure that you can handle the bold colours. For a more subtle take, introduce a blue or green coffee table to create a point of difference.
For a more traditional look with a modern twist, pair a yellow sofa with a wood coffee table. Traditional rooms looking to inject colour via the yellow seating would benefit from a darker wood coffee table to maintain a more formal, conservative setting. For a more modern twist, opt for a natural or even distressed wood, with black metal work to add a striking contrast to the sunny yellow shade.
“Yellow and grey are a modern classic when it comes to colour pairings“
Green Sofa
When choosing a coffee table to match a green sofa, you will really need to consider the tone of the green. For example, a mint green tends to work best with a warmer, darker wood such as mahogany.
Warm, earthy tones tend to suit moss or olive shades of green but if you have used those for accessories and rugs, then tone things down with a calming light or natural wood.
A gold, metal framed coffee table would work well with deeper, emerald toned sofas particularly if your aim is to create a more opulent looking living room.
Pick a dark wood or black coffee table if you have chosen a lime green sofa. Darker accents can help to tone down zestier greens, creating both contrast and visual calm.
“Mint green tends to work best with a warmer, darker wood such as mahogany.”
Other non colour based factors to consider
How to choose a coffee table material to match my couch?
The material you choose for your coffee table is just as important as the colour you select. Not only can the texture and shape of your table help to compliment the colour, fabric, and overall style of your couch but you also want to consider the functional elements.
For instance, do you have kids or pets? If so, you may want to consider something wipe clean for all those mucky fingers or paws! You also won’t want to combine any kid’s rogue drawing with an expensive, easy to stain marble top. Glass, although you can wipe clean, is another high maintenance choice, as it attracts fingerprints and dust as easily as a magnet to metal, not to mention, the smashable element! Another stainable choice to avoid is an ottoman coffee table, it’s always much harder to get marks out of porous fabrics than a hard surface.
If you are kid and pet free and love nothing more than wandering around with a fluffy duster, then you will want to consider the overall aesthetic of the room to ensure the coffee table you select sits in harmony with its surroundings.
It is a common misconception that furniture needs to match. So, if you are wondering what coffee table goes with your black TV stand– fear not! A variety of materials, colours and finishes that complement each other help to blend a room seamlessly without the rigidity and twee matchy-matchy look.
Choosing coffee table shapes to match a couch
Shape is another important factor when it comes to matching a coffee table to a sofa. Think about the space you have in front of your sofa as well as its height. Here are some different types of coffee tables to consider when:
Round– parents and pet owners might want to consider a round coffee table. With its smooth edges, forgoing all sharp corners, will help to avoid unnecessary accidents. Round tables work well in a smaller space, but the lack of corners does make them more challenging to fit into small areas.
Square– Square tables tend to work better with a smaller sofa as longer, large styles tend to have a shrinking effect on these styles of table, diminishing impact instantly.
Rectangular– rectangle shaped coffee tables will help to break up soft lines in a room. Perfect for those that love the shape of square coffee tables but have a large sofa.
Oval– a modern alternative to a circular table that will also work well with longer sofas and bigger rooms.
Hexagonal– perfect to offset softness in a room and a quirkier alternative to round tables. A hexagonal coffee table tends to have a good-sized tabletop making it both stylish and functional.
Triangular– a versatile shape with plenty of durability, opt for this shape to complement a corner sofa.
Abstract– when the style of your space calls for something more unique, there are plenty of abstract designs available these days. A popular trend for 2022 is the cloud shaped top and, with softer lines, it can help to break up harsh shapes in a room whilst making something of a statement at the same time.
Size up your space
Measuring the available space you have for your table is essential as you don’t want to invest in a table only to discover it doesn’t fit in the gap. Ideally you don’t want the height of your coffee table to sit more than 1-2 inches lower than your sofa seat cushions.
In a larger space a wide coffee table that sits low to the floor can add a really chic edge to a room, particularly when accessorised with coffee table books and maybe even a tall flower arrangement to play with height but this is the only instance where you would want a low coffee table.
If a low coffee table doesn’t work for you and your larger space, then consider a nest of tables. You get the added bonus of more table for your money but also the size you need to fill bigger rooms.
Also, stick to the “two thirds” rule to find your ideal coffee table length. This means that the length of your table should be around two thirds of the length of your sofa. Not only will this help to keep everything in proportion, but it also means you should have enough space to walk around it.
How to match an ottoman coffee table to your couch?
Ottoman coffee tables are a popular addition to living spaces; not only do they provide an extra seating space but, quite often, they have hidden storage too. One problem many encounter though is how to match the fabric of an ottoman coffee table to their couch. To ensure this look is perfected, either match the fabric of both the table and sofa exactly or go for something completely opposite. If you choose a close but not identical fabric, it will simply look like you’ve bought the wrong ottoman.
To conclude
With everything covered in this article from shape, size, colour and material, there is no stopping you from finding the perfect coffee table to match your sofa. Just remember, there are no rules to adhere to- just some handy guidelines!
Our Designer
Beste Yazici - Bx Design Studio Ltd
This blog was written in collaboration with Beste. She is a master interior architect and the owner of Bx Design Studio Ltd. Right now, she's giving interior design lectures at HDI Paris, and running her interior architecture and graphic design company, working on various international design projects.
