How To Pick A Sophisticated Glass Coffee Table

A sophisticated glass coffee table can take your home from good to great in one go. Here's how to choose one.

Glass coffee tables are one of those pieces of furniture that can take your home's decor from acceptable to stunning in one foul swoop. But you can't just choose a run-of-the-mill glass coffee table. You have to choose one with some pizazz. Here's a list of my favourites.

Chic Glass Coffee Tables

First up is the EcoSmart Fire coffee table, otherwise known as "FROST". This is an uber-chic table with a built-in burner. The “FROST” table lets you sit around a fire in the middle of your living room, just like it was a campfire. The “FROST” looks sublime too – I have seen these tables used in super trendy bars and nightclubs.

The burner itself uses ethanol-based methylated spirits which are cheap and readily available. The burner produces a clean flame which makes no soot, ash, or smoke. You don't even need a chimney to use the “FROST”, just place it in the middle of any ordinary living room.

The second table I like is the Plano Coffee Table Color Glass Top by Pelikan Design. These tables are absolutely stunning. The table top is available in orange, yellow or black glass, and the legs come in either mirror chrome or a satin chrome finish.

I love satin chrome and I love orange, so no hard decisions for me there! However, the black glass also works for a more muted or sophisticated look, or where orange does not fit in with the décor.

Finally on my list of favourite coffee tables, we have Tomek Archer's Campfire Coffee Table. The name comes from the fact that the table is constructed from three logs arranged to look like a campfire, with a round piece of glass sitting on top. It is beautifully done and is extremely elegant and sophisticated.

A tip when it comes to picking contemporary glass coffee tables: Look at the edge of the glass top. You want the edge to be clear, not green. Clear edge glass tops look a lot more stylish than green edge glass tops.

Glass Coffee Tables With Storage

If you can, try and avoid glass coffee tables with storage. Your living room will look much more spacious with an ordinary glass coffee table (one that has no storage capabilities).

However, if you are after some more storage space in your home, there are glass top coffee tables that can look just great. For example, the IKEA Hemberg coffee table has room for DVDs or CDs in its wooden drawer.