Coffee table shines as star of room’s décor

Installations for a designer can be nerve-wracking and exhilarating at the same time -- something akin to what a performer must go through on opening night. The room has been set with the backdrops in place, much like the stage of any theater, ready to fuse with the specialty lighting and scenery that will create a new reality.

The design of a room really can be approached in much the same way as any theatrical production: the drama and excitement created and enhanced by the setting.

There is always that moment, that place in a production of any kind, be it symphony, play or room design, when the excitement builds to a crescendo and all elements come together in a burst of creative fireworks. As a designer, that time for me is when the coffee table is set in place and adorned with its chosen accessories, books and objets d'arts; it's the spark that ignites, the "show stopper," that crowns the room like a jewel.

To most people though, a coffee table is probably thought of as nothing more than a long, low table designed to be placed in front of a couch to hold drinks (hence the name), magazines or books and other various small items. Boring! If this is how you've always thought of your own table, then its time to re-evaluate and begin to appreciate how much a coffee table can do for your room in helping to pull it together and take it to the next level.

Of course there are basic tenets of design regarding the coffee table that are time-honored and wise for most of us to follow. The coffee table should complement the style and scale of a room and add interest and functionality. Its top should be a little taller than the sofa cushion, and the table should be small enough to allow for easy circulation around it. And that's about it; other than these basic considerations, you're on your own to garner whatever interest and excitement you can from the design of your own table.

Personally, I have always espoused a reliance on the purity of form and have pretty much rejected any kind of applied surface decoration in my designs, especially regarding the coffee table. This is an approach summed up so well by the great Mies van der Rohe when he bravely declared that "less is more." Give me clean lines and expert craftsmanship every time to produce tables wherein excitement comes as a result of the union of form, finish and function.

To this end, I have designed coffee tables in a host of shapes and sizes (oval, triangular, round, rectangular, square, etc.). They intrigue and delight with their brilliant and unusual colors and combinations of materials such as metals with woods and/or lacquer; and often move in some way so as to reveal extra serving space or storage, a feature that never fails to surprise and delight clients. These tables seem to "sing" an aria of such depth and allure that they are never less than thrilling. Design needs to aspire to such heights, and coffee tables can be the perfect vehicle for doing so.

Interestingly, the coffee table hasn't been with us as a design element for very long at all. It was only around 1868 in England that the term coffee table was first used. And these early tables were far from being low, having a height of about 27 inches; we now refer to these tables as tea height or tea tables.

The lower-height tables (that are once again in vogue; just be sure to place these tables in front of a very low-seating sofa) became popular with the growing influence of Japanese style in Britain. The Japanese have long been accustomed to using long, low tables, a practice which continues to this day.

Regardless of its short history, once the coffee table caught on, its importance in design grew exponentially. With advances in industrial technology, new materials were developed that could be used in coffee table production, including chrome plating, stainless steel, Formica and acrylic. I've used them all, and what freedom of design they've fostered.

Designers, such as myself, continually strive to create new and fresh visions for this crown jewel in order to counter the long-held traditionalist view of many furniture manufacturers. Today, there are countless styles of coffee tables to choose from in a host of materials, so don't just settle for the mundane. Rather let your imagination soar and embrace the possibilities.

Stephen Leon is president of Soleil Design International and has been designing and manufacturing custom furniture and cabinetry for more than 25 years. He is on the board of directors of the Central California/Nevada Chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers. Questions can be sent to soleildesign@cox.net.