How to choose a coffee table that lasts a decade

Most coffee tables wear out in two ways: the joins loosen, and the finish gives up. Both are avoidable. A coffee table that earns its place in a living room for ten years comes down to four things: material, joinery, finish, and proportion.

Material first

Solid hardwood - oak, ash, walnut - is the long game. It can be re-oiled, sanded and refinished. Veneered MDF cannot. If a table is heavy, that’s usually a good sign; if it shifts under one hand, it isn’t.

Joinery second

Look for mortise-and-tenon, dowelled, or splined joints. Avoid pieces held together by cam-locks alone, which loosen with use. A good maker will tell you which joinery technique they used and why.

Finish third

Water-based oils and waxes are the friendliest for a piece you’ll actually use - they penetrate the wood, deepen the grain, and can be re-applied at home in twenty minutes a year. Spray lacquers look glossy in the showroom but chip with use and can’t be touched up.

Proportion last

As a rule of thumb, your coffee table should be two-thirds the length of your sofa, and the same height as your seat cushions or 2cm lower. The Saga in our furniture collection is 120cm long and 38cm tall - a workable size for most three-seater sofas.

Buy fewer pieces and look after them. The first table you choose should be the last one you have to.