Can You Use An End Table As A Coffee Table? (Explained)

You often wonder how to optimize your furniture placement and maximize its use.

One of the easily movable tables is the End Table in your living room, which might make you think – Can you use an end table as a coffee table?

Here’s What We Think If You Can Use An End Table As A Coffee Table

Yes, You can use End Tables as Coffee Tables with some minor alterations and some compromises. End Tables have several similarities with Coffee Tables. They’re both small tables intended to accent a room and provide more surface area for drinks and decorations.

This Article Contains

Here's What We Think If You Can Use An End Table As A Coffee Table
What Is The Difference Between An End Table And A Coffee Table?
Can You Use Two Side Tables As a Coffee Table?
How Large is the Average Coffee Table?
How Large is the Average End Table?
How Should You Style Your Coffee and End Tables?
Conclusion
Sources

But if you want to know how to interchange these End Tables with Coffee Tables successfully, read on!

Related:

What Is The Difference Between An End Table And A Coffee Table?

Coffee and End Tables have several distinctive features that tie into their distinguished utility. Coffee Tables are larger, shorter, and typically accent the center of a room. An End Table is usually smaller and taller and compliments the sides of chairs, couches, and other large furniture.

Coffee tables and end tables are easily confused. One of the leading causes of this confusion about these tables is how we use them.

Both coffee and end tables are convenient places to put your drinks. However, they serve different social purposes.

The primary similarities of these tables include the following:

Used to hold beverages
Considered accent furniture
Utilized in coffee shops
Decorated with flowers, vases, etc.

In practice, however, these similarities become distinctive. Several distinctive features of these tables include the following:

The size
The height
How people congregate about them
Utility
Position in the room

Both are designed to hold drinks, but people interact with them differently. Side or end tables aren’t typically gathered around to serve as the centerpiece of social activities.

Meanwhile, coffee tables are a favorite piece of central furniture at parties, gatherings, and small get-togethers. Most people will rest their drinks thoughtlessly on an end table while they chat or play video games.

However, people usually gather around a coffee table as they drink their beverages. This type of social atmosphere hearkens back to the origins of the coffee table.

Coffee tables are believed to have originated in the mid-1700s in coffee and tea shops. Coffee became a popular staple for many throughout Europe, and demand increased. However, people didn’t just want coffee, they wanted a place to gather and drink it with friends.

This gave rise to the coffee table. These coffee tables became essential to the experience as people gathered for their favorite beverages.

End tables have a slightly different and less flattering origin. According to Laurel Crown, end tables and nightstands originated as commodes.

In ancient Greece, chamber pots were commonly stored inside the house for use at night. This practice was carried through well into the 20th century.

However, over time these chamber pots were kept in a small closet or table beside the bed for privacy. Gradually, these tables became a form of decorative furniture for the rich, and the end table or nightstand was born.

Can You Use Two Side Tables As a Coffee Table?

Yes, You can use two end tables pushed together to serve as a coffee table. Certain styles are better than others for acting as a coffee table. Preferably, use a shorter end table and one without a lamp attached.

There are dozens of different styles of end tables. Box end tables are the best option since they’re pushed together easily.

However, these styles are typically three or more feet tall. This makes for a great end table, it can be difficult to use while seated on the couch. Consider what type of party you’ll be hosting and how the table will be used.

Circular end tables are a good second choice. These tables usually have a large surface area and tend to be a preferable height.

Although, since they’re circular, it can be challenging to get these tables to press together.

There are some alternatives if you’re struggling to get your end tables to act as coffee table replacements. According to The Spruce, these alternatives include the following:

Vintage trunk
Basket trunk
Ottomans
Two-tier table
Decorative crate
Backless bench

If you don’t have any good options among your end tables, these are some excellent options. However, pushing two or three end tables can make the perfect substitute for a coffee table.

How Large is the Average Coffee Table?

Coffee tables vary in size, but they are usually designed to fit between couches in the center of a room. On average, coffee tables equal 12-inches by 24-inches in diameter. The height varies more significantly but can be as low as one and a half feet to as much as 5 feet tall.

The size of a coffee table is an essential factor in how it differs from the average end table. Not only are coffee tables typically wider than end tables, but they’re usually shorter and sometimes lighter.

Although this depends on the style of coffee table that you buy, to understand this better, you must understand the different types of coffee tables and how they’re used.

Rustic coffee tables
Modern coffee table
Glass
Metal
Pressed wood
Hardwood

Another way to think of coffee sizes and dimensions is to consider their different heights and shapes. The website, Designing Insights, offers an easy-to-use walk-through guide with videos to help you navigate these varieties.

Some coffee tables are designed for easy use and utility. These coffee tables are typically square or rectangular and are at least three feet tall. This allows people to reach and use the table quickly.

They’re usually wide and can reach between 16-30 inches in length.

Other tables are more ornamental. These can be very short and small and typically only serve as decorative items in the room. These can range from one and a half feet in height to 2 feet. They typically don’t exceed 12-inches in width and length.

How Large is the Average End Table?

The average size of an end table can vary if it’s used as an end table or a nightstand. Nightstands are usually slimmer but taller than the average end table in a living room. However, end tables in a living room typically have more surface area to hold a lamp and other items.

On average, end tables are between 24-inches and 28-inches. These tables are meant to hold several items, such as food, drinks, and other nick-nacks, to complement the room.

Unlike coffee tables, end tables have a smaller surface area due to their slimmer nature. These tables aren’t meant to be stored in the center of the room, like a coffee table.

Rather, end tables are smaller pieces of furniture meant to fit into snug corners. They’re also taller than most coffee tables since they are intended to rest beside couches or beds.

Although they’re not as tall as a dinner table, they’re usually taller than the average coffee table.

They can serve as a suitable replacement, though, if you’re in a pinch. As we discussed, just push two end tables together to fill the coffee table gap. Although they have notable differences, they’re similar enough to cross barriers.

How Should You Style Your Coffee and End Tables?

You should style your coffee and end tables similarly, especially if they’re in the same room. Ideally, all furniture, curtains, and table clothes should blend or complement each other. Last, if you need to switch out your furniture regularly, then purchase versatile tables.

Purchasing unique and diverse linens or tablecloths is a great way to accent your various tables. In particular, if you like switching up your furniture and design for each season, tablecloths are a great way to go about it!

End tables often suffer from over-cluttering, so you’ll want to keep the decorations to a minimum. Not only does clutter impact your mental health, but it also encourages more people to leave their stuff on the table.

We recommend using a vase or lamp as the main decorative feature. Compliment it with a small doyley and a soft-colored tablecloth.

End tables can hold more decor. But you want to ensure it looks more like a centerpiece than many disparate knick-knacks.

We recommend a basket with flowers or something similar for the best results!

Conclusion

End and coffee tables are more similar at first glance than they might seem. While they may differ in height, length, and width, they share enough in common to be interchanged.

We recommend using both of these tables in your house decor. But don’t let the differences stop you from improving when it’s necessary.

We hope this article helped you decide what kind of tables to get and how they can be used!