The one piece of furniture in your home working from dusk til dawn? Well, that would be the coffee table (also known as the cocktail table après 5 PM). While routinely used to anchor a sofa, we like to think of a vintage coffee or cocktail table as the sun around which the other pieces in a room orbit. Meaning? Ensure your table’s sun-worthy. Have a regal room with palace vibes? Try a brass-and-glass La Barge piece. Style a bit more Mod? We personally fall hard for Waterfall tables.

HOW TO PICK THE PERFECT VINTAGE COFFEE TABLE

Whether you consider yourself a caffeine fiend or not, the coffee table has become a non-negotiable in the modern home. So much more than a simple sofa anchor, it has evolved into the heart of a living room’s conversation pit. It’s a place for drinks to rest post-clinks, and cheese boards and game boards to temporarily call home. Give it fitting acclaim by opting for a vintage coffee table that pairs famously with your other furniture. Not exactly sure what that consists of? Read on for our no-fail coffee table guide.

YOUR STYLE IS...

Glam

For those that shun the notion that metallic be reserved for New Year’s Eve, there’s no better choice than a Regency coffee table. Clad in sparkling Lucite, brass, or chrome, these regal vintage coffee tables (or should we say cocktail tables) are an ode to an era of by-gone glamour. Among the most classic Hollywood Regency motifs are the wheat sheaf, the swan, and the ram (or ibex). Look for these motifs to be integrated into brass table bases and play up their shimmer by pairing with glass tops, demure rugs, and low-slung furniture (preferably upholstered in some kind of eye-popping velvet like chartreuse or cheetah).

Retro

If the amoebic nature of L.A. swimming pools speaks to you, consider something retro. From the cool-looking kidney bean shape to the biomorphic blob, vintage Mid-Century Modern coffee tables offer up a clean, unfussy look that perfectly complements straight-lined furniture. For something a little less daring, look for Danish Modern designs (which are typically rectangular in shape), or used coffee tables from Scandinavian makers. A favored Scandinavian design showcases an oblong top raised on splayed pencil legs—it’s simplistic perfection.

Rustic & Worldly

Does a pouf and pillow-filled, floor-level dining experience fill your heart with a sense of unbridled glee? If so, we deem you a contender for used coffee table of the rustic and worldly variety. These are the tables crafted of reclaimed woods, knotty pines, and paint-washed boards. Surface area is expansive, inviting guests to sink down to table level and divulge in game playing and eat-with-your-hands-style dining. Nothing too precious here, which is exactly what a laid-back household with bohemian, farmhouse, or coastal vibes requires.

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