Project guide
A coffee table should match the sofa seat, not a desk.
16–18 inches high is the usual target, about the same as the sofa cushion. Taller and it feels like a dinner table in the wrong room.
- A lower shelf stops the legs from racking.
- Overhang past the legs, or people kick the frame.
- If the top is plywood, edge it so the layers do not show.