Coffee Tables

A coffee table takes a beating — drinks set down without coasters, feet propped up, the occasional bump from moving furniture around it — so we’re looking past the finish to the actual joinery and materials underneath. Solid wood and well-built rattan tend to hold up better than particleboard construction dressed up to look like something sturdier, and that difference matters more here than almost any other furniture category. We’re also checking table height and proportions relative to typical sofa seating, since a coffee table that’s the wrong height is a small but constant annoyance that’s easy to overlook until you’re living with it every day.