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How do I Choose the Best Coffee Table with Drawers?

Jessica Ellis
Jessica Ellis
Jessica Ellis
Jessica Ellis

For convenient extra storage, a coffee table with drawers may be an ideal option for a living room or family room. Without taking up any extra wall or floor space, a coffee table with drawers provides a great place for storing coffee table extras, such as magazines, decor, coasters, or remotes. Choosing the best coffee table with drawers may depend on budget, space, and stylistic considerations.

There are many different kinds of coffee table that feature drawers or extra storage. The most basic variety have a simple shelf that sits under the main surface of the coffee table. These may be good for storage, but result in objects being left out in the open. They can also be difficult to organize or easy to spill over onto the floor. By finding a coffee table with drawers, items can be kept safe and out of sight until needed.

Coffee tables may be made of wood.
Coffee tables may be made of wood.

Most coffee tables that have drawers feature one, two, or three drawers that pull out from one side of the table. The drawers may be stacked on top of one another or laid out horizontally below the tabletop. They are typically made out of the same general material as the table, such as wood or metal. If using a glass coffee table with drawers, it is important to make sure that drawers slide open and closed easily, as jamming drawers in or yanking them out could easily lead to breaking the glass top of the table.

When choosing a coffee table with drawers, consider what will most likely be stored inside the table. Some drawers are quite shallow, only able to hold a few magazines, pens, or a slim remote. People who that have video game systems in front of the coffee table should try to find a model with drawers large enough to store games, manuals, or game controllers.

It is also important to consider how the drawers open. Some models feature drawers that open from above, requiring the user to lift the tabletop to get into storage areas. These may look beautiful, but can be a hassle to deal with, as everything will need to be taken off the table before it can be opened. Drawers opened from the side are generally much more convenient, but be sure to leave enough space around the table to be able to get into the drawers with ease.

A coffee table with drawers can be found to suit nearly any style of decoration. Some popular types include craftsman wood tables with carved drawers, steamer trunk coffee tables with drawers like suitcase storage shelves, and leather or fabric coffee tables that feature drawers but double as an excellent footrest or ottoman.

Jessica Ellis
Jessica Ellis

With a B.A. in theater from UCLA and a graduate degree in screenwriting from the American Film Institute, Jessica is passionate about drama and film. She has many other interests, and enjoys learning and writing about a wide range of topics in her role as a WiseGEEK writer.

Learn more...
Jessica Ellis
Jessica Ellis

With a B.A. in theater from UCLA and a graduate degree in screenwriting from the American Film Institute, Jessica is passionate about drama and film. She has many other interests, and enjoys learning and writing about a wide range of topics in her role as a WiseGEEK writer.

Learn more...

Discussion Comments

Rundocuri

I have a large coffee table with a drawer too, Heavanet, and I agree with you about its usefulness. Not only does it provide a place to keep certain items, but it also keeps other surfaces in the room from getting cluttered with these items. I never lose the television remote control anymore, either!

Heavanet

I have a wood coffee table with one large drawer. When I bought it, I wasn't sure if there was a purpose for a drawer in a coffee table, but it has come in handy more times than I could count. I use it to store remote controls, magazines, newspapers, television programming schedules, and even small items that I don't want to lose but need a safe place to keep them. I would never go back to a coffee table without a drawer.

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    • Coffee tables may be made of wood.
      By: LoloStock
      Coffee tables may be made of wood.