While there has been a movement to omit coffee tables from today's d'cor, a room without one seems partially empty. It noticeably shows that something is missing. For instance a loveseat and a sofa grouped without a coffee table is extremely open, too open. While that open void of a space is the goal of many designers these days, it lacks a convenient space to rest anything you are dealing with, whether it's a scrapbook or photos, a laptop computer or, of course, a cup of coffee. Even the best conceived furniture groupings lack places to rest things that inevitably end up in your hands. How frustrating would it be to be forced to hold your coffee cup until you had finished your drink? Or to be forced to balance things on your lap all the time, because there was no table available to set them down?

Coffee tables are a source for a lot of socialization. This is where people sit and sip their drink while talking, or possibly gossiping to one another. If people are uncomfortable talking, because they are forced to balance their coffee or hold it the whole time, they may be more focused on where they could put their drink, instead of giving you the best dirt.

Coffee tables also serve another valuable purpose - to define the room. Coffee tables define the space as much as end tables define the grouping in a living space. If you're designing an L-shaped grouping, the coffee table helps to connect one piece of furniture to another visually. While the two pieces may match, they exist individually until there is a centerpiece that can bridge them. Those centerpieces are often coffee tables.

Of course, coffee tables don't end on the table top, they also provide much needed storage and flexibility, being able to accommodate today's lifestyles. Many coffee tables have drawers or shelves below the top that can be used for storage of games, remote controls, magazines or serving pieces such as coasters that you may need to pull out when your guests want a place to put their drinks. Other coffee tables can even serve as eating spaces where the tops can be raised from the base to serve as a secondary table offering. This is convenient for today's home theaters or a perfect way to change up the space if you want to gather with the family to play video games, watch movies, or be able to eat while you relax.

No matter what d'cor style you are shooting for in your home, there are coffee tables on the market to suit. While some designers would like to move the coffee tables out of the living room, others are not fans of bucking the tradition, and have kept creating coffee tables in styles ranging from old country rustic to ultra contemporary modern.

Give your coffee a rest, or at least give yourself a place to rest your coffee.