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How do I Choose the Best Metal Coffee Table?

Sheri Cyprus
Sheri Cyprus

When choosing the best metal coffee table, it's a good idea to look at many different options in your price range. Doing this can help you better define your style preferences. The metal coffee table you choose should fit in well with your living area in terms of size, style, color and function.

For example, an all metal table rather than one with glass is usually the best choice for a family room or other living space where children play. Glass-topped coffee tables that don't have safety, or tempered, glass tend to shatter into sharp, dangerous shards if broken. Choosing a metal table with a tempered glass top is a much safer alternative. You should also think of the maintenance required to keep a glass-topped table looking its best, as they tend to easily show dirt smudges and fingerprints.

Woman holding a book
Woman holding a book

A more rugged option to a metal coffee table with a glass top is an all-metal one; steel can be a durable, long-lasting option. Some all-metal coffee table designs feature a grate or mesh top; this texture can add interest to interior decor. Metal coffee tables that combine different colors are another way to create an interesting look. Black and silver-colored metal coffee tables can look especially modern and stunning. For instance, a black metal top with thick sides and chrome legs can make a dramatic coffee table.

Wrought iron coffee tables offer a timeless, elegant, yet sturdy option. Their openwork design and curved metal scrolls can liven up a classic living room or add dramatic appeal to a romantic one. If you're looking for a more unique type of metal coffee table, copper can be a good choice. Its warm color tends to work best with warmer colors that have an orange or golden undertone.

As a general guideline, the larger your living room furniture, the bigger your metal coffee table should be. A small metal table is likely going to look lost next to a long, large sofa. In smaller spaces in which there is only room for a two-seat sofa, a small coffee table that leaves the sofa's ends visible can make the space appear larger. Glass-topped metal coffee tables can also make smaller rooms seem larger as they reflect light.

If you choose a table with a shelf, you'll have extra storage space to display collectibles or store magazines. Typically, metal coffee table styles don't tend to have storage drawers or closed shelving. If you want to store a lot of items in a coffee table, a wood one is probably a better choice than metal.

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      Woman holding a book