10 Of The Best Modern Designer Coffee Tables
Designer Coffee Tables
Like many of our most used daily products, a coffee table is something that you never miss... until you don't have one. The right coffee table design should be perfectly sized to fit your space, offer storage for your everyday items (think TV remote control, magazines, etc) and help complete the overall look of your room. We're big fans of modern designer coffee tables whose design offers a light expression that isn't going to be overbearing like some boxier, chest-like coffee tables.
Luckily we're blessed with a huge selection of contemporary coffee tables that offer just these qualities. Here's a selection of 10 of our favourite designer coffee tables from across the Utility collection.
Muuto Airy Collection
Image Credit : Muuto
Designed by Cecilie Manz fo Muuto, Airy as a collection of tables that feature modern and light expression, appearing to hover in the air. Available in a range of sizes they are versatile enough to make excellent bedside table, side tables and in this case, coffee tables. The half size Airy Coffee Table for example is a wonderfully designed table that can be used as a coffee table in a smaller space. We love the idea that the table can be easily positioned next to the sofa as a side table when not in use as a coffee table.
Shop the Airy Coffee Half Size Table
Fritz Hansen Planner Tables
Image Credit : Republic of Fritz Hansen
A classic piece of mid-century American design, the Planner’s slender lines and clean marble top are suitable for any modern home that values simplicity in contemporary design. Structured yet minimal, Planner is available in a square, round or rectangular version, all featuring exquisite marble surfaces on a powder-coated steel base. This genuine 1953 design strips away the unnecessary and lends itself to a host of applications within your home. Pair with the Fritz Hansen Pot Chair in an informal home setting or place it in front of a Favn Sofa for a lounge setting with sublime aesthetic harmony.
Hay Bella Coffee Table
Image Credit : Hay DK
Bella is from a series of round, understated tables of classic proportions and values. The gentle angled legs reveal themselves from under the solid oak tabletop, creating a subtle and charming design. The coloured stain retains the depth of the oak, allowing the natural grain of the timber to be visible - emphasising its beauty. An elegant designer coffee table that is available in a range of sizes, Bella works well within any space, complementing furniture within close proximity.
Shop the Hay Bella Coffee Table
Knoll Saarinen Tulip Collection
The Tulip round coffee table is an elegant and modern, an achievement given that it was designed by Eero Saarinen in the 1950's. The pedestal base was Saarinen' solution to the eliminate what he referred to as the "the slum of legs" - the clutter caused by the cluttering of table & chair legs. It took 5 years of perfecting and cooperation with Knoll's technical team to come up with the perfect curve and a table that could go into production. A design classic in its own right, this designer coffee table goes to show that great design is truly timeless. Available in two size options and with a wide selection of table top finishes (our favourite is the Arabescato marble) this particular table is perfect for adding a touch of understated class to a space.
Shop the Knoll Saarinen Coffee Table
Vitra Nelson Bench
Image credit : Fredrik Risvik
The George Nelson Bench, designed in 1946 isn't a conventional coffee table. In fact, as the name suggests it is actually considered an instrument for sitting. That said, we've seen the Nelson used as a coffee table with increasing regularity and we're big fans - just look at it in the home of menswear & lifestyle blogger Fredrik Risvik (pictured above). With unison of beauty and function the Nelson bench is seen as a visual representation of the modernist ideals and regular readers of the Utility Blog will recognise it from our recent article "15 Iconic Pieces Of Furniture For Design Lovers".
Shop the Vitra Nelson Bench
Isamu Noguchi Table
Image Credit : Hermann Miller
Modernist designer Isamu Noguchi himself describes the Vitra Noguchi Coffee Table as "scultpure-for-use" stating that the table is his best piece of furniture design. First produced in the mid 20th century, the Noguchi Coffee Table features a heavy glass tabletop that rests on two interlocking identical organically shaped base elements, thus creating a harmonious furniture sculpture.T he glass itself is signed with the Isamu Noguchi signature to authenticate this classic coffee table as an original. A truly striking design, the Noguchi coffee table is sure to enhance any interior.
Shop the Vitra Noguchi Coffee Table
Fredericia Pon Coffee Table
Image Credit : Fredericia
Our living spaces increasingly have to accommodate a wide range of activities – from relaxing with a book or newspaper and working on your laptop or watching films on a tablet to social gatherings of all kinds where food and drinks are served. The Pon is a table for modern life, modest enough in size that it's perfect for use in front of a sofa or alongside a low chair. Made from solid oak, the strong focus on the material is enhanced by the fact that Pon lacks the usual distinction between table top and underframe. Instead, the table top, column and foot form an integrated whole. The Pon tables stand as distinct yet unpresuming sculptures in any room, in addition to which the solid wood will develop a beautifully unique patina over time.
Shop the Fredericia Pon Coffee Table
Muuto Around Coffee Table
Image Credit : Muuto
Around is both a simple and vibrant table series designed by Thomas Bentzen for Scandinavian brand Muuto. Available in multiple sizes and finish options the Around Coffee Table has a unique personality that makes it in instant classic for any home or professional space. It's a fun and practical solution for your home whether it is used as a standalone coffee table or arranged in clusters (of different sizes).
Fredericia Piloti Coffee Table
Image Credit : Fredericia
At first glance the Piloti Coffee Table may look extremely simple but as with all great designs, the design is in the details. Run your hand across the solid oak surface and you'll notice how the integrated transition between tabletop and round table legs creates an extra sleek surface. The simple nature of the Piloti design makes these tables (which are available in a range of heights and lengths) versatile enough to be used as side tables, bedside tables or coffee tables. Moreover, the stable, solid oak construction ensures the tables are robust enough and suitable for public spaces such as hotel lobbies and corporate headquarters.
Shop the Fredericia Piloti Coffee Table
Knoll Platner Coffee Table
Image Credit : Knoll International
In 1966, the Platner Coffee table (and wider Platner collection of tables) captured the “decorative, gentle, graceful” shapes that were beginning to infiltrate the modern vocabulary. The table is created by welding hundreds of curved steel rods to circular frames, simultaneously serving as structure and ornament. A genuine design icon, the Platner coffee table's design went on to become the designers signature style. Blending practicality with supreme style, the Platner coffee table is available in a number of sizes and finish options so you'll always find the right table for your space.
Shop Knoll Platner Coffee Table
These 10 designer coffee tables have been selected to show the wealth of design options you've got at your interior design disposal but there are so many other great designs available here at Utilitydesign.co.uk
Make sure to check out our full selection of contemporary designer coffee tables here today.
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Header Image Credit : Fredrik Risvik