More than just somewhere to pop your cup of coffee, or prop up your feet, the coffee table has become a calling card for our decorating schemes. Whether it's the design of the coffee table itself, or how you decorate it, they're little microcosms of our homes, and what we want to say about ourselves. The coffee table is your home's most public gallery; a ready-made conversation starter for guests who gather around your living room sofa. The hub of cocktail nights with friends and movie nights with family, this piece of furniture also wears a lot of hats.
Yours might be pared-back and minimalist, it might be over-the-top and filled with decor, but no matter how personal a coffee table is, there are coffee table trends that inform the materials, forms, and design styles that people find themselves drawn to at any one time.
The consensus for 2025? Coffee tables don't need to be boring. Whether it's what it's made from, the shape, the color, or whatever you stack it with, the interior design trends informing this hardworking element are bolder and more expressive than ever before.
These are some of the biggest trends informing our editors, and the stylish interior designers we work with, right now — you might just find the exact coffee table you've been looking for in amongst these 9 curated picks.
1. Post-modernist designs
Business up top, party below — that's the vibe of the types of coffee tables we're seeing with bold, sculptural forms used for the legs, like in this living room by Australian designer Greg Natale. He chose a vintage Lella & Massimo Vignelli for Casigliani coffee table, which is an expression of the playful nature of the postmodernism of the 1980s.
"There's also a classical element to the pillar-like travertine and conical base design, as well as modernism to the clean lines and restrained color palette," Greg says. "It's a versatile piece because of this amalgamation of references, and its ability to transcend trends makes it timeless."
Think cones, blocks, and spheres in luxurious materials, propping up tops made from stone or even glass — after all, a glass coffee table best showcases these geometric forms.
Price: $1,048.60
It might not be vintage, but this ash wood veneer and resin coffee table from Anthropologie captures some of the spirit of this geometric trend.
2. Ethereal Glass
There's a certain mood in lighting in interior design that I can't help but notice everywhere at the moment. It hangs on soft colors and fogged glass — with designs that feel otherworldly and ethereal, almost out of place in the everyday home.
However, it's transcended lighting trends into furniture, too, and there's no better example in my eyes than Glas Italia's Simoon furniture range. Designed by Patricia Urquiola, it's a piece that gives texture and depth to glass in a really special way.
It's the piece that interior designer Sha Wang, of Atelier Fen, chose for her own living room. "Living with it feels like having a piece of functional art that effortlessly blends with its surroundings," she explains. "The surface is coated with a special grit in ground Murano glass so it is not smooth, it has some subtle texture and exudes a sense of chic and understated glamor."
Price: $839.53
Balancing minimalist design with maximalist color, this coffee table brings real presence to your living room.
3. The Library Table
As important as the coffee table you choose is what you put on it, and in this respect, we're seeing stacks and stacks of books as the go-to coffee table decor idea for interior designers. Decorative objects, that just exist for being decorative, have fallen somewhat out of favor, so simply plumping for books, with a few useful catchalls thrown around, is the less pretentious approach to decorating a coffee table right now.
These 'library tables' might not just be filled with your standard coffee table books, either. "I’m not a fan of an overly styled coffee table as it doesn’t feel authentic so I prefer more lived in," Hamptons-based designer Timothy Godbold tells me, "but the book selection should always be a mixture of different topics because people actually do read them."
His advice for getting the look right? "Look at color," he says. "I tend to knock out a couple of colors when I stack a table to give it a more symbiotic feel."
4. Flared legs
Bringing more design panache than coffee tables with standard, straight legs, Livingetc's deputy editor Ellen Finch identified that flares are one of the biggest coffee table trends this year. Not unlike their 70s trousers namesake, flared furniture legs bring a more generous sense of proportion to designs, helping them feel less basic.
"Flared leg furniture offers a sense of whimsy and character, making it a popular choice for those looking to add a playful touch to their interiors," interior designer Bethany Riley tells us. "Moreover, the versatility of flared leg designs allows them to seamlessly blend into various decor styles, further fueling their popularity."
Price: $496.09
With its organically curved edges and flared legs, this design brings a charming plumpness to a space that feels anything but austere.
5. Beautifully-veined stone
From marble kitchen countertops to cladding for bathroom walls, this natural stone continues to be sought after in our homes, and it's no different when it comes to coffee tables. But, when it is used in this context, designers are looking for marble that shouts rather than whispers, delivering drama with bold veining.
In this home, designed by Austin-based Emily Lauren Interiors, the coffee table was custom-designed for the space using marble that the owners didn't want to go to waste. "We used a marble remnant from a sink we designed in the family's powder room,' explains Emily Brown of Emily Lauren Interiors. "The table has three legs that meet in the middle, instead of the standard four legs, adding an unexpected shape that looks different from every angle."
The impact of the elegant veining of the marble coffee table is the addition of visual texture and movement, and where this space is sparse in color, texture and pattern gives a dramatic flourish to the room.
Price: $1,598
An undoubtedly beautiful piece of marble, this coffee table makes a real statement for those with the pockets deep enough for it.
6. Architectural styles
While the slat wall trend of yesteryear is on the wane in terms of wall paneling, you'll still find fluted styles are popular as a way not only to bring more texture to your living room furniture ideas, but also tie in with still-popular architectural elements.
This coffee table is a great example, as it was designed specifically for this home, by Carter Williamson Architects. "You will notice that the base matches the base of the dining table, and we chose to use the concave timber moldings that reference the curve of the slot void over the living room," explains Ben Peake, Principal of Carter Williamson. The coffee table also slots nicely into the light beaming down from a rounded skylight.
"To quote Eliel Saarinen: 'Always design a thing by considering it in its next larger context — a chair in a room, a room in a house, a house in an environment, an environment in a city plan'."
7. Monobloc forms
Another popular look is the monobloc, where a great block of hard material - typically made of concrete, marble, or stone - brings a structural feel to a room and acts almost as a plinth. This can bring a real sense of gravitas to a room and emphasize a central point for which to gather round.
This design from Ali Lahlou is all about contrast, tying the room together by highlighting the softness of the soft furnishings, grounding the space with a focus on nature, all using the marble blocks sourced from MENU. "These coffee tables gives a contrast between a cold natural material on top of a warm material - the wooden floor and rug," says Ali. "They are different than regular coffee tables too because of the height and length. They give an aesthetic and minimalist aspect to the space."
Price: $999
Slab coffee tables tend to cost anywhere from $2,000 up when made of solid stone — this design is equally hefty, but is made from concrete with a veneer, helping to bring the price down.
8. Natural curves
Curves continue to be a big coffee table trend, but for designer Greg Natale, these forms are taking a new direction, inspired more by natural forms.
"Two pieces that I consider standouts at the moment are the Butterfly Coffee Table by SEM Milano and the Cloud Coffee Table by Veermakers," he explains. "Both explore biomorphic aesthetics through organic shapes and curves, but they look totally different. I find it fascinating how two designs can start at a similar point of inspiration and end up in two vastly different places."
These curves are less 'abstract' than many of the curves we've seen so far, and use repetition and less-flowing forms to bring more character to designs.
"I've also been exploring modern organic and biomorphic design through my own product range, and we have some beautiful pieces dropping early next year," the designer says.
Price: $1,279.99
The more pronounced curves of this coffee table nail the modern curved look perfectly.
9. Unexpected shapes
Choosing striking or unusual furniture shapes can become a focal point within a space, it allows you to bring some personality in while retaining elegance and style. A geometric/triangular style of coffee table is particularly effective in a space that may lack colors and consists of straight lines, as this provides interest and depth.
In this design by London's Goddard Littlefair, triangular nesting coffee tables bring an interesting foil to the linear cabinet designs that surround it. "Completely taking away any perception of a coffee table always being rectangular or square is liberating and immediately opens up a more creative approach to styling a space," says Jo Littlefair of Goddard Littlefair. "Triangles feel contemporary and fresh and, by combining several together, provide the opportunity to create something unexpected and playful while retaining a pragmatic nature."
Price: $518.72
They may not be triangular, but exploring other shapes, such as these pentagonal designs, can completely shift how your layout works.
FAQs
What's on trend for displaying on a coffee table?
Our coffee tables have evolved into places for storing and displaying our most treasured possessions in an artful way. The coffee table is often at the center of a space that connects people as they sit in adjacent seating, helping the flow of conversation by acting as the center of attention.
"More and more, we are relying on our living spaces to connect us, and objects on the table may end up serving as a conversation starter, a mood enhancer, a platform to showcase personal interests and collections, or a display area for the things we wish to use to connect to those gathered around the table," says Lisa Kahn of Finding Sanctuary by Lisa Kahn Designs.
Books are a great piece - acting artistically with a beautiful front cover, and showcasing our passion. "There is a beauty in the visual impact of a pile of oversized, hard-cover books," says Lisa. "When stacking books on your coffee table, stack three and place within reach."
Candles are another great coffee table addition, bringing a warmth and glow to a room, as well as fresh flowers and plants, adding color, height and an item that embraces nature.
"I also love a beautiful box on a coffee table - it gives us a place to store some of the clutter (think remotes or coasters) or to conceal a treasure you want to reveal upon closer inspection (think a deck of special cards or a poem)," says Lisa. "Fine box-making is an art form. There are so many wonderful boxes made of wood, crystal, mother of pearl, raffia. The materials are endless."
