If you just move to your new house with your friends, family or spouse, you are welcomed to place brand-new furniture in every room and design the rooms by looking for sources. You have probably been using every piece for a long time although you bought all of them at different years. Your carpet dates back to your school days, your mattress has lasted longer than how many times you sleep on it, and you have no idea about how many hours you have spent binge-watching TV while sitting on your couch.
A solid excellent quality piece guarantees for its durability to withstand for decades. Although there are lots of the latest interior decoration every year, you can still go with simpler, less durable materials and redesign your room every five years or so. By doing this, you can stay in tune with the latest design. Once you have found furniture as the item of your room, affordable and aesthetic, you never want to let it go. But you have to accept the truth that is nothing lasts forever, including the items in your house. So, how long should a coffee table be in your living room? We are glad you asked as it is a relative question.
All things considered, how long should a coffee table last will mostly depend on two main aspects that are the materials produced to make the coffee table and the environment of the living room. Below are the list of interior designs and a few of quick calculations on how long each coffee table design will be lasted.
Interior design: Vintage
Coffee table material: Wood
It is totally impossible to turn back time in the 1900’s but you can create a vintage design in your living room. This design makes people feel like they are the people of 1900s. If this is your final decision, having real wood coffee table in a theme of vintage in your room will last for decades. You should be grateful for that. You can find over 100,000 different types of wood to make coffee table and not every wood suit the coffee table. That’s why the designers recommend the best wood materials for a coffee table.
If you are looking for a table for a cabin or lodge, you can go for pine. The appearance of pine is the knots, swirls and attractive colour that will beautify the decoration. Next, the most common wood use for making furniture is oak. It offers lively, fire patterned grain and easy recognition. Mahogany can be accessed domestically although it is brought in. It is slightly flexible depending on its originating country. It creates uniformity as it has close and upright grain.
Interior design: Modern
Coffee table material: High gloss
Do you want to create 21st century living room? Modern is a perfect word for your living room. It is people’s favourite design in which a variety of colours can be seen at the furniture and décor, including the remarkable focal point a coffee table. Some high gloss models are made of Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF) are covered in a special shiny finish. It is a synthetic material used in constructing woods. MDF is a low-budget choice, a smooth material as it does not have knots that will cause surface imperfection or make the components difficult to be fastened. Although MDF is definitely a durable and universal material, it does not have the same longevity as the genuine wood. The estimated average life span of MDF is up to ten years depending on the quality.
Interior design: Neutral contemporary
Coffee table material: Glass
Creating moments with anyone does not mean that you have to go out and find a place every day with your companion. You can even create it in your living room by designing neutral contemporary as contemporary means “of the moment”. This design is changing constantly from time to time. Nowadays, the design is defined by curved lines, neutral colours and minimalism. Neutral colours are the foundation of this type of interior design. Black, white, tan and grey are the main neutral colours. The best candidate of the coffee table for design is having a glass coffee table!
Glass is one of the materials that can last forever as they function in a static state generally especially the tempered glass. It is the best choice for any kind of glass table-top. Tempering is a process in which the glass is heated and cooled for extra durability, and a new product is created that is known as tempered glass. No worries for this kind of table because it will not break into large, sharp shards of glass. Any coffee tables can be featured with a glass surface and the base usually is a different material. So, the lifespan of this table depends on the lifespan of the base material.
Interior design: Scandinavian
Coffee table material: Reclaimed rustic wood
People tend to decorate “less is more” design in their house so there are certain interior designs suit to their taste but there is one design that is everlasting and you will never regret using this design because less time is required to complete the design. This design is called Scandinavian design. Scandinavian design is a type of interior design known for its minimalistic style using soft textures to make the décor feels relaxing and inviting. The significance of this look is on clean lines, utility, and simple furnishings that are multi-functional and comfortable.
Reclaimed rustic wood may be a new word for some people as this is not a type of wood. It is an old wood that has outworn its functionality as a table, boat, flooring and reprocess to create a new item or piece. The main character of this wood is a substitute for old and time-worn. Reclaimed rustic wood needs to undergo constant weathering and aging to get a rich colour that is perfect colour for a coffee table. The flaws of the old wood such as the old nail holes, knots and natural imperfections of the wood add to the unique character of reclaimed wood. It is environmentally friendly as it reduces the number of new trees planted in the woods. That means you just save the other trees, and they will live longer in the forest! The lifespan of reclaimed rustic wood is similar to the vintage coffee table that it can serve you for a long time.
The room environment is another aspect that you should consider. The coffee table will change its appearance periodically if something happens to your beloved coffee table. The dust is all over the furnishings including the coffee table. The dust can actually create small scratches if you don’t keep your coffee table done and dusted. Sometimes, you may toss the magazines or books that will cause permanent scratch mark on the coffee table. The kids might scribble using crayons or pencil colour until you could not remove it on the table. Your pet could bite the table and leave a mark there. The guest spills the drink served on the coffee table and the stain stays there forever. These actions will make you feel stressed out and handle the problems by using alternatives. Most of the coffee tables can last from five to twenty years based on the amount of wear and tear. You cannot just ditch your coffee table right away! Before you decided to remove your coffee table, the interior designers suggest that you should check for any abnormalities of your coffee table: wobbly, discoloration and outdated design. If the alternatives can’t settle your coffee table’s problem, then it is the time to look for a replacement. Don’t forget to check all features of the new coffee table and make sure there is no defect before you purchase it.