Traditional or modern, you can choose tables which are oval to rectangle, oblong to square and every geometric shape in between.

Stroll Calgary shopping districts and you’ll see a myriad of tables for every taste and budget.

“We are seeing (coffee tables in) everything under the rainbow used for table-top materials – concrete, exotic woods, glass, metal, metal-leafing, leather… ” says Calgary interior designer Reena Sotropa. Recently, New Home Living asked Sotropa of Corea Sotropa (http://www.coreasotropa.ca) about current city trends in coffee and end tables.

“People are often using ottomans with a tray instead of a coffee table,” she says. “This can be a nice option especially in a casual room where people want to kick up their feet. Trays can be used when entertaining or whenever a hard surface is required.” In fact, she says some coffee tables/ottomans actually convert into a chaise or daybed, or a coffee table top which includes hardware that allows the top to raise up so that it becomes a dining table. “I would guess that these trends were born out of small-space or condo living.”

“We are really getting away from matched sets of coffee/end/console tables. The preference is to mix and match these case goods so that they seem to have been collected over time.” Furniture manufacturers have followed suit by designing eclectic arrangements available in the same line. For example, she says, they will design them so they co-ordinate, but not match identically.

The heights of coffee and end tables are definitely not as static as they once were, she says. Sotropa credits this to changing heights in sofa and chair. “We are seeing a lot of really low, sleek modern furniture that, in turn, require lower casegoods,” she says.

What’s the hottest trend? “Cocktail tables are becoming more and more common. These are higher than regular coffee tables,” says Sotropa. “I was told recently by a retailer that they are becoming more popular because they are more ergonomic as people don’t have to lean down as far, and this is becoming important with the aging baby-boomer population.”

Hitting the streets
Following Sotropa’s advice, New Home Living hit the streets roaming Calgary’s shopping districts, searching for stylish coffee and end tables.  

Wandering along the design district on 11 Avenue S.W., at Country Furniture. I find a curved Bombay Coffee Table ($450) and Bombay Nesting Tables ($485), both in Shisham wood with coffee finish. Long, rectangular ottomans in bright red or chocolate brown leather ($550) offer up added storage.

Across the street, modern design lovers will fancy two popular 11 Avenue S.W. shops. Kit Interior Objects carries modern design classics like the Noguchi Table ($1,500), designed by sculptor Isamu Noguchi in 1948. The table joins a curved, solid wood base with a freeform glass top.

koolhaus, known for featuring Canadian designers, has the dark wood and glass Maxwell Coffee Table ($575) and matching console ($550).

Further along the district, at Chintz & Company Calgary, I see Hollywood glam in the large square Black & White Zebra Ottoman ($698). Right next door, with its ever-changing selection of European antiques and accessories, The French Connection is always worth checking out for tables.

At Inhabit Interiors, I imagine cocktails sitting on the Soiree End Table ($209.30) in tempered glass and black laminate. Meanwhile, the square Black Leather Ottoman ($749) is a bestseller for its ample storage ideal for families. The coffee-toned Shinto End Table ($299) in rubber wood adds an Asian accent.

Over in Kensington, I browse Kilian International Design.The clean lines of the Bent Glass Coffee Table ($899 on sale) immediately catch my eye. While at Willow Interiors, I would choose the round, espresso Oceana Coffee Table ($672.50) in rubber wood with matching end tables.

In Inglewood, I admire the modern lines at Block. Perfect for modular furniture fans, my fave here is the sharp, blonde, ash wood Configuro ($496), which can be shaped into varied configurations. Down the street, Modern Country Interiors has the warm square Maple Saddle Leather Coffee Table ($1,370, Pine for $990, Alder for $1440). Over at Sojourn, I’m attracted to the sleek, rectangular Stream Coffee Table ($803.00) in frosted glass and metal. NL