Our free weekly newsletter delivers curated home decor and furniture picks, expert design advice, and more. Join 4,000+ subscribers.
Enter your email to sign up
Thank you! You're now subscribed to The Inside Look.
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Beautiful, timeless, elegant, and edgy are all terms that can describe glass-top coffee tables. In formal spaces, they add an air of elegance, and in modern rooms, they add a sense of edgy style. In short, glass coffee tables are among the most versatile elements in interior design.
Meet the Experts
For this article, we worked with the following professionals to bring you the best tips and recommendations:
Heather Mastrangeli, Interior Design and Founder, Innovatus Design
Karen Billman, Interior Design and Founder of Billman Designs
What Are the Benefits of a Glass Coffee Table?
First and foremost, a glass coffee table is always chic, unexpected, and elegant. Long thought of as impractical or even extravagant, adding a glass-top coffee table to your living room is decidedly a bold choice with several benefits.
Here are some of the benefits of a glass coffee table, according to the experts:
Ideal for small spaces: “Glass coffee tables give small spaces the appearance of being larger than they are,” Grace Radoha told Living Cozy.
Less visual weight: “The reflective nature of glass brings light and interest to small, dimly lit spaces, and the transparency of the glass is visually less heavy than a solid surface, allowing the eye to move effortlessly across the room,” said Donna Rich.
Helps open and brighten a room: “Glass top coffee tables are good for smaller spaces that would benefit from a lighter visual scale,” explained Heather Mastrangeli. “These coffee tables allow more light to pass through and help bounce natural light around the space to make it feel more open.”
Can highlight an elegant rug: Just splurged on that handmade Safavieh rug you’ve always wanted? Don’t cover it up! A clear glass-top coffee table lets you see an intricate or expensive rug more clearly because nothing will block your view. This is a big bonus if your design uses an area rug as the focal point of your space.
Low maintenance and easy to clean: “Another benefit to a glass round table is that it will bring light into any room, and it’s easy to clean with a little bit of Windex,” added Karen Billman of Billman Designs. “Glass top tables aren’t impervious to scratches, but they’re durable and resistant to chipping or staining.”
With so many benefits, it’s hard to say no to these eye-catching beauties! And since they’re available in styles to complement home décor from modern to traditional and everywhere in between, there’s an option for every home.
When Should You Choose a Glass Coffee Table
If you love the look of glass-top coffee tables, go for it! These versatile pieces can work well in most spaces, and you deserve to have home decor that you love.
However, note that glass tables require regular cleaning, so they’re often best suited for people who keep their spaces tidy. And they’re not always ideal for homes with small children due to their breakable and transparent nature — parents might prefer a lift-top coffee table to store toys, for example.
With that out of the way, let’s look at some situations that call for glass coffee tables!
“Rooms that are smaller or feel heavily decorated can benefit from the lightness of a glass coffee table. Also, if you have a nice rug, a glass coffee table allows you to see it,” said Pamela O’Brien, touching on several of the benefits highlighted in the previous section.
Showing off an eye-catching area rug came up multiple times with the experts who weighed in on this article, and with good reason. You don’t want your coffee table to compete with the statement you’re making on your floor.
And since a clear glass coffee table creates a transparent surface that doesn’t interfere with other decor elements, they also work well for drawing attention to an artistic coffee table base. This see-through surface is why glass coffee tables are also suited for small spaces and rooms with little natural light.
Brand: Blu Dot Price: $495 | Size: 36 “diam. x 13” h
This round coffee table features a crisp architectural powder-coated stainless steel frame and a tempered glass top. Color options include black metal with a smoked glass top and putty with a clear tempered glass top.
Brand: Castlery Price: $849 | Size: 39.3 “diam. x 13.3” h
The Cupid Coffee Table boasts a geometric wood base that can serve as a visual art centerpiece or display storage for coffee table books and trinkets. This modern coffee table fits in anywhere — the round tempered glass top could make a small space feel larger, but the sculptural base would also work well as the focal point in a large living room.
Brand: House of Hampton Price: $159.99 | Size: 36 “diam. x 16.5” h
The Danity Coffee Table features a modern design with a round tempered glass top and a black metal base with four straight legs. The glass top is clear, and the frame is made from stainless steel with a black finish.
“This glass coffee table has a simple yet stylish design that will work in almost all living spaces,” Heather Mastrangeli told Living Cozy.
Brand: byBESPOEK Price: $899 (currently $599) | Size: 35.8 “diam. x 16.3” h
The Platner Coffee Table would be perfect as a luxe cocktail table with its artistic nickel-plated steel frame. It features a round clear tempered glass top that’s built to last.
“A Warren Platner style metal base glass-topped coffee table is a glam showstopper every time. Round and compact, it packs a lot of punch for its size. So add this to your living room and wait for the applause. Remember, you can easily find high-quality replicas of this classic table,” said Robin DeCapua.
Brand: Design Within Reach Price: $2,195 | Size: 36"diam. x 36”w x 15.75"h
With its iconic triangular shape and thick glass top, the Noguchi Table would be the perfect cherry on top for a set of mid-century modern living room furniture. The sculptural tripod base is made from two smoothly-shaped pieces of interlocking solid wood available in black, walnut, white oak, and white ash.
“I love the classic Noguchi glass and wood coffee table — it creates instant modernity in any space. And it’s so architectural, it doesn’t need a thing on top of it,” commented Pamela O’Brien.
Brand: Raymour & Flannigan Price: $203 | Size: 45”l x 20”w x 17"h
The Hera Rectangular Dining Table is another fantastic candidate for a cocktail table in the den, home office, or living room. It boasts a clear tempered glass top and a lower shelf made from mirrored glass to play off the top material. This rectangular coffee table has a chic silhouette that would work with everything from glam luxe decor to a modern minimalist space.
Brand: Urban Outfitters Price: $599 | Size: 40”l x 24”w x 16”h
The Aria Coffee Table will make your guests do a double take with its wavy wood base and clear tempered glass top. In addition, the shape of the base is perfect for showing off art books or trinkets, and it comes in a white or wood finish.
Brand: Joss & Main Price: $1,054 | Size: 40”l x 30”w x 18"h
The Cardonaghy Coffee Table is a versatile mixed-material piece with two pine wood slide-out storage trays for accessibility. The iron frame sports an aged steel finish with two drop-in tempered glass tops, and the trays are perfect for storing everything from coasters to scrapbooks. In addition, this rectangle coffee table’s sleek, streamlined look fits a range of aesthetics and color palettes.
Brand: Noble House Price: $271 | Size: 39.37”l x 21.65”w x 14"h
The Pazel Coffee Table features a modern style and all-glass construction. While many similar tables are made from acrylic, the Pazel uses tempered safety glass for enhanced durability and elegance.
“Waterfall style all-glass curved coffee tables are the natural choice for a smaller-than-average space with a transitional feel,” commented Robin DeCapua. “This type of table is a chameleon and is as much at home in a traditional setting as a modern one.”
“I adore the elegant French style of the Grand Tour Coffee Table by Century. With its delicate curved legs rubbed with a golden glow and the pretty shaped glass top, this table creates a sense of history in any room,” said Pamela O’Brien.
Brand: Pottery Barn Price: $699 | Size: 48"l x 24" w x 18.5"h
The Tanner Rectangular Coffee Table provides extra storage and the opportunity for multiple styling arrangements with a lower open shelf, providing both form and function. This two-tier coffee table boasts a wrought iron metal frame and tempered glass for the upper and lower glass shelves. And the frame comes in matte blackened bronze and hand-polished nickel finishes.
Brand: Lamps Pluss Price: $330 | Size: 47.5”l x 38”w x 17"h
The Chloe Glass Coffee Table boasts a Noguchi-style design, offering knock-em-dead impact at an affordable price. It combines elegance with unassuming appeal with its clear tempered glass top and geometric wood frame.
“This table’s organic sculptural shape makes it the star of any room. We own and use quality knockoffs of this iconic mid-century modern table — you need to spend thousands on an original if it’s not in your budget,” Robin DeCapua told Livin Cozy.
Get the Inside Look, our free weekly newsletter that delivers curated home decor and furniture picks, expert design advice, and more. Join 4,000+ subscribers.
Enter your email to sign up
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
How to Decorate a Glass Coffee Table
The best way to decorate your glass coffee table depends on its design and your home’s style. Experiment with different decor options until you find your favorites. Here are some recommendations from the experts:
Center tray: A tray in the middle helps define the top of your coffee table and break up the empty space. According to Becc Burgmann, having a tray to put pieces in will make the table look neat, tidy, and even styled even when life gets messy.
Flowers: Karen Billman recommends adding a beautiful flower arrangement to the center of your table for a quick, elegant appeal. This works well for tables with lower storage shelves to keep coffee table books and trays.
Coffee table books: “I’d suggest a small stack of coffee table books to give the glass top more dimension,” recommended Grace Radoha. “On top of the books, try placing a small candle or decorative art to give it an extra touch of personality.”
Custom arrangement: If you’d like to make a custom arrangement with decorative pieces — think candles or trinkets — you’ll want to create a balanced look. To do this, Becc Burgmann recommends starting with the tallest piece in the middle and working your way down to the smallest elements on the ends.
Before choosing an arrangement, look at what’s popular for the style of table you’re working with to get some inspiration. Here are a couple of ideas from Robin DeCapua to get you started:
Waterfall table: You can’t go wrong with a stack of coffee table books, a couple of interesting objects, and a vase of greenery or leaves for a waterfall-style table.
Noguchi Table: Because Noguchi replicas have a more oversized organic-shaped top, they work well with a hefty stack of two coffee table books and a few more items with a grander scale. For example, try a couple of Monstera leaves in a standout vase.
Platner Table: The Platner table has an ornate metalwork base, so it works well with simple decor. For instance, you might use a statement bowl, a stack of books, and a large wooden bead string.
Shelby Golding is a Colorado-based writer/editor with over a decade of experience. She has a college education in interior design and enjoys woodworking in her free time.
Updates
About Living Cozy
Your go-to source for modern homeware and furniture brands.
We bring together industry experts and the people behind the brands we share our homes with to give you unique insights into the world of furniture, homeware and interior design.
The email newsletter guaranteed to bring you the latest brands, products and tips to live you best life at home. Delivered every Friday. Join 4,000+ subscribers.
Thank you! You're now subscribed to the Inside Look.
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
