The best coffee tables to get you through summer

Choosing a coffee table is harder than it looks. More likely to take the same beating as your dining table, it needs to serve its purpose as everything from a footstool and impromptu table to keeper of the remote controls and, well, coffee table books. As a focal point in your living room, it has to complement your lounge in style and materiality, as well as working with the shape and size of your room, all without compromising functionality. Nothing to it, right?

To get you started, we’ve assembled our top six coffee tables. They’re a diverse range, from well known (and not so well known) classics, to space savvy, contemporary solutions versatile enough to suit any living room style.

Noguchi Coffee Table

Japanese American designer Isamu Noguchi took his inspiration from nature to create this classic coffee table from Vitra using just three elements to create a perfectly balanced structure. It has never gone out of style since it was released in 1944, $4,760 from Living Edge

Rondo Pouffe Table

This clever design, which allows for three perfectly sized pouffe seat to store below is from Adelaide based TH Brown, legendary mid century Australian designers and manufacturers. The Rondo Pouffe table was only re-released last year and is $2,500, including glass top from TH Brown

Nakashima table

Another re-release, the Nakashima table designed in the 1940s by George Nakashima, has splayed tapered legs to give this table from Knoll a modernist edge, $8,110 from dedece

Drop Leaf SideTable

A little short on space? No problem. The design of the drop leaf side table by Hvidt & Mølgaard, the latest designers to join the fold at &Tradition, allows it to be folded up when not in use. Released in 1956, it’s refined form makes it ideal for apartments, as a side table or any small space where a stylish table would look at home, from $3,630 from Cult

Artie Wave table

Looking to anchor your living space? This solid table could be just what the designer ordered. Suitable for use inside or out, the curved lines of the versatile Artie Wave table soften its heavyweight status, $2,875 from GlobeWest,

Wild Child table

Transparent furniture is useful in smaller spaces where a larger table might feel too oppressive. Ditch the clear glass options with the Wild Child table, made from holographic acrylic in rainbow colours, $750 from Fenton&Fenton,

Australian furniture brand King Living has expanded its Aura Collection with the launch of a new modular sofa designed to blend contemporary aesthetics with adaptable living.

The Aura Sofa builds on the success of the Aura Island range, first introduced in 2023, which included indoor and outdoor sofas as well as fixed and swivel occasional chairs.

The latest evolution introduces modular functionality to the collection, allowing homeowners to configure the sofa to suit a variety of spaces and uses.

As living spaces continue to evolve, particularly in urban environments where flexibility is increasingly valued, furniture designers are placing greater emphasis on products that can adapt over time.

King Living says the new Aura Sofa has been developed with this trend in mind, enabling customers to create corner, L-shaped or U-shaped layouts, while also allowing additional modules to be added as needs change.

King Living founder David King said the original Aura concept began as an exploration of sculptural design before being reimagined as a modular system.

“Aura began as an exploration of sculptural form. Now, we’ve brought modularity into that design language, giving the freedom to reimagine your space with a modular design made for flexibility,” he said.

The collection’s defining feature remains its soft, flowing silhouette, with curved forms replacing traditional angular sofa designs.

The company describes the sofa as a response to changing lifestyles, where living rooms increasingly serve multiple purposes, from entertaining guests and family gatherings to quiet reading corners and work-from-home spaces.

Its rounded profile and minimalist aesthetic are intended to enhance the flow of contemporary interiors while maximising available space. According to the company, the design is equally suited to compact apartments and larger open-plan homes.

“Today, living space is both a luxury and a constraint. Aura is our response, a purposeful design that proves when intention and fluidity converge, the result can feel both expansive and refined,” King said.

Beyond aesthetics, the new sofa incorporates several engineering features synonymous with the King Living brand.

These include the company’s Postureflex steel suspension system, extra-high pocket springs and its signature steel frame, which is backed by a 25-year warranty. The company says the design has been engineered to deliver long-term comfort and durability.

Sustainability has also been a focus of the design. Each module features a removable cover that can be professionally cleaned, repaired or replaced individually, reducing the need to replace an entire sofa and potentially extending the product’s lifespan.

The Aura Sofa is available made to order in a range of premium fabrics and European leathers, allowing customers to tailor the piece to different interior styles and colour palettes.

Designed, manufactured and sold exclusively by King Living, the Aura Sofa launched in showrooms and online early this month, marking the latest addition to the Australian company’s growing portfolio of modular furniture designs.