Get the low down: All you need to know about coffee tables

1. Aluminium Coffee Table

Muji, £95. Cool and functional, this beautifully simple mobile trolley will sit well in any contemporary living-room space. 020 7436 1779, muji.co.uk

2. Panier Coffee Table

Kartell, £169. This basket-case of a table from the plastic-furniture specialists is available in a selection of colours. 01422 375 940, design55online.co.uk

3. Flamboyant Coffee Table

Skitsch, £690. Give your living-room some petal power with this sliding glass statement piece, as colourful as it is costly. 020 8421 1779, chaplins.co.uk

4. Drum Coffee Table

Heal's, £695. Designed by up-and-comer Leonhard Pfeifer, this cylindrical oak piece from the Heal's Discovers collection also offers plenty of room for storing books and magazines. 08700 240 780, heals.co.uk

5. Shabby Chic Coffee Table

House of Fraser, £339.15. Put your feet up on this robust, unpretentious, distressed-finished mahogany piece featuring a reclaimed pine top. 08456 021 073, houseoffraser.co.uk

6. Low Coffee Table

Nixey & Godfrey, £275. For anyone concerned with furniture overcrowding, this industrial-style table is just the ticket. 01263 710 712, nixeyandgodfrey.com