If you've ever been to a friend's home that is long on seating and short on table space in the living room or great room, then you know how important coffee and end table sets are. These little beauties not only give you a place to set stuff, like a table lamp and your remotes, but they can also help set the style of your room and really give it personality.
Too often, coffee and end table sets are an afterthought. While some people like to buy the furniture pieces individually in the furniture market, usually a coffee table first, then the end tables, you can also purchase them as a matched set.
Coffee and end table sets come in all shapes and sizes as well as styles. This can make shopping for them a bit of an adventure, since there are literally hundreds, if not thousands, to choose from.
One of the great things about going with coffee and end table sets is that you don't have to be an experienced designer to make sure they all match or at least complement one another. Usually they are all the same design, just different sizes.
If you are a bit of a novice in selecting furnishings, this can be a real godsend. Usually all you have to do is pick a style (transitional, contemporary, modern, rustic, etc.) and then focus on the color of the wood or finish.
Here's a little tip in that regard. If you have wood accents on your upholstered pieces, you want to pick the same type of wood, stain or color for your coffee and end table sets. This will ensure that they look like a family of pieces, rather than having something stick out like a sore thumb because it's the wrong color.
As far as the coffee and end table sets themselves, you need to pay particular attention to the size of the pieces. These sets come in all sizes and shapes and you want to make sure that the ones you fall in love with don't overwhelm the room or look Lilliputian next to your mammoth sectional.
Beyond style and size, you really want to think about features. While you wouldn't ordinarily think about a piece of furniture as having desirable features, coffee and end table sets can have an endless array.
For example, you can get coffee and end table sets that are long on storage as well as style. Many coffee tables come with storage space inside, accessible either by doors or through a lift top table that cantilevers up and out from the coffee table itself. The same is true of end tables.
Some have shelves, others have a single drawer while still others have several drawers, allowing you to keep things out of sight and out of mind when not in use. These are perfect for families or people who have pets. When company comes over, just store all the toys in the drawers and doored units of your coffee and end table sets.
Keep in mind that you don't have to follow any conventions when selecting tables for your home. While traditional coffee tables and end tables are square or rectangular, there's no rule saying you can't pick a round or oval model, or even improvise and go with a totally non-traditional piece that will fill the bill nicely, such as a trunk or chest.
The important thing is to choose what you like. Thankfully, matching sets make the process much easier, since you can make a single purchase and enjoy the enduring beauty of three quality pieces of furniture that not only match one another, but match the room as well.
