Glass Coffee Tables vs. Wooden Coffee Tables: Which is Better for Your Home?

Est. Reading Time: 7 Mins

Choosing the right coffee table for your living room can be challenging. Like other furniture, coffee tables are made from various materials, with glass and wood being two of the most popular options. Each material brings its own unique aesthetic and functional benefits.

“It’s all about perspective,” Michelle Maclellan, the interior designer at La-Z-Boy Hunt Club explains, “you have to take into consideration your pre-existing furniture and know what works and what doesn’t.”

In this article, we'll compare glass coffee tables with wooden coffee tables and help you decide which one best fits your space. We’ll also touch on how these materials work for dining tables and how they contribute to your home’s overall design.

Key Takeaways:

• Wood coffee tables offer a warm, cozy aesthetic, perfect for traditional and rustic settings.
• Glass coffee tables create a modern and sleek look, often used to open up smaller spaces.
• Wood is more family-friendly, especially for homes with children, as it’s less fragile.
• Glass coffee tables are easier to clean but may require more frequent maintenance to avoid streaks and fingerprints.
• Both materials can work together for a balanced, cohesive design.

In This Article…

1. Is a Glass or Wood Coffee Table Better?
2. Which One is Family Friendly?
3. Which One is Better For Small Spaces?
4. Which One Has More Cleanup?
5. Which one is More Stylish?
6. Can Wood and Glass Work Together?
7. Pros and Cons Breakdown Summary
8. Glass vs. Wooden Dining Tables

Is a Glass or Wood Coffee Table Better?

When it comes to choosing between glass and wood, the answer lies in your personal style and living situation. Wooden coffee tables exude warmth and charm, making them a great fit for traditional or minimalist homes. In contrast, glass coffee tables add a sleek and modern touch, perfect for smaller spaces due to their transparency, which can make a room feel larger.

However, it’s not just about aesthetics. Each material serves a different function, and understanding these differences will help you make an informed decision.

Which One is Family Friendly?

If you have a family, especially with young children, you might want to consider wooden coffee tables as the safer option. Glass tables, though stylish, are prone to breaking under pressure, making them a potential hazard.

According to Michelle, wooden tables can withstand more impact, making them ideal for households with children. “If an object were to fall on the top of the glass for whatever reason, it might, unfortunately, shatter on impact,” she says.

On the other hand, a glass coffee table with wooden edges can provide a middle ground, offering style without sacrificing durability.

Which One is Better for Small Spaces?

For smaller living rooms, glass coffee tables are the superior choice. The transparent surface of a glass table allows light to pass through, making the room appear more open and less cluttered. This visual trick can help create the illusion of more space, which is essential for small apartments or cozy cottages.

If you want to showcase other features in your room, such as a beautiful bohemian rug or decorative flooring, a glass coffee table won’t obstruct your view.

Which One Has More Cleanup?

While glass coffee tables are easy to wipe clean, they tend to show streaks, fingerprints, and dust more easily than wooden tables. So, while spills don’t soak into a glass surface, you may find yourself cleaning the surface more frequently. 

Wooden coffee tables may require less frequent cleaning, but low-quality wood can absorb liquids, leading to permanent stains.

If easy maintenance is a priority, a high-quality wood table with a proper finish may be your best option.

Which One is More Stylish?

The style of your coffee table can drastically affect the ambiance of your room. Wooden coffee tables offer a cozy, inviting feel, especially with distressed finishes, which Michelle says adds a homey vibe. On the flip side, glass coffee tables contribute a clean, modern aesthetic, ideal for contemporary spaces.

While wood creates warmth, glass provides a sleek, polished look. For example, while you may want to kick your feet up to a wooden coffee table, as you would with an ottoman, you might not feel as inclined to do so with a glass coffee table, with the worry that you might break it.

If you’re going for a clean look, this type of material might be the way to go. And, if you already have an established colour palette and may not want to add another layer to the mix, a glass coffee table can subtly be added without disturbing the peace.

Depending on your interior design preferences, either material can uniquely elevate your room.

Can Wood and Glass Work Together?

Surprisingly, wood and glass coffee tables can work harmoniously in the same room. A combination of both materials brings depth and contrast to your space. For example, a glass coffee table with a wooden base can provide the elegance of glass with the stability of wood.

As Michelle Maclellan notes, "Glass is a neutral material, making it easy to incorporate into a room that already features wood or other textures.”

Furthermore, glass and wood materials can work together to add depth to a room, whereas this couldn’t have been achieved with just one material in the space.

Pros and Cons Breakdown Summary

To help summarize the arguments above, here is a breakdown of the pros and cons in a clear and understandable table:

Glass vs. Wooden Dining Tables

The comparison between glass and wooden tables extends beyond the living room. While most of the arguments mentioned earlier work for wood or glass dining tables–things like cleanability and style–some things are also different.

For example, did you know that it can be harder to find leaf extensions in a glass dining table than it is for a wood dining table? To put this into perspective, La-Z-Boy’s dining table selection from Canadel does not feature any glass dining tables with leaf extensions.

“There are stores that do it, but you’d be surprised how few stores have them,” Michelle says. This could be because this type of extension is more difficult to manufacture, or because the process is more expensive than adding an extension to a wooden dining table.

Speaking of wooden dining tables, there seems to be more variety with selections in general, than there are for glass dining tables. While you can choose the same size and shape for any of the materials, wood comes in many different colours to help match any tone.

With glass dining tables, you only have one colour, which is clear. Michelle does mention you can add frosted glass, which can help with adding colour, but she finds that you might always see a green undertone to the finish. “It all comes down to the quality and how it’s made,” she says.

What's Next?

Now that you have a better understanding of glass and wood coffee tables, as well as dining tables, you’re ready to start shopping for your living room and dining room! With that being said, why not shop at La-Z-Boy?

Visit us at a local Ottawa and Kingston La-Z-Boy location to view our selection in person and take a sit test. You can also schedule an appointment online.

Our sales consultants are always eager to lend a helping hand. Additionally, consider taking advantage of our interior design services and working with an interior designer to see how our coffee tables could fit in your home.

If you’re interested in learning more about our home decor options at La-Z-Boy, take a look at this comprehensive home decor guide.

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