How do I Choose the Best Storage Coffee Table?

When choosing the best type of storage coffee table for your home, you should think about what you need to store as well as your favorite furniture material and look. Whether you choose an elegant or a rustic style, a storage table to hold bedding will be very different from one needed to store small items. Figuring out whether you require open or closed storage is another important consideration in selecting the best storage coffee table.

As a general guideline, open storage coffee tables work best when you want to display items rather than simply store them. That's because belongings left on book or coffee table shelves tend to become messy unless closely monitored. Closed shelving in a storage coffee table hides any messes yet also keeps needed items handy.

A chest style of coffee table has at least several long drawers ideal for storing larger items. Chest style coffee tables may be traditional with carved wood and brass handles or they may be art deco, such as mirrored pieces. A chest storage coffee table may also be sleek and modern looking and could be made of wood, metal or laminates. Decide when viewing chest drawer table options which types will adequately hold the belongings you need to store in them.

Apothecary style storage coffee tables are similar to the chest table style, but they have many tiny drawers. These are often good for keeping compact discs (CDs) or individual, small craft projects. Look at the details of apothecary tables and be sure that the handles coordinate with your decor. You could also refinish or replace drawer handles to suit your home.

If you want to store blankets, pillows or other bedding, a trunk style storage coffee table with one large compartment is probably best. This type of storage coffee table tends to work best with a more informal or rustic type of decor, although an antique, carved wood trunk may look quite elegant. If you do prefer a trunk coffee table style, yet want to store smaller items in it, you could add stacking bins or other organizers to the space inside the piece.

For displaying pieces on the sides as well as the top of a coffee table, look for one with attractive, open shelves. You may prefer a simple, rectangular table with only one shelf or a square wood block style that features different sizes of open shelves on each side. Such open style coffee tables are often available in wood and rattan.