In days of yore, coffee tables were used as practical items that served as placement for everyone's favorite drink, coffee. They were just large enough and close enough to furniture to hold the coffee mug while one was watching television, or entertaining in the parlour. Today, coffee tables serve a variety of purposes, and their old fashioned practicality is still needed. Even more importantly however is the ever changing lifestyles of busy people, and so getting the perfect coffee table can seem like a chore. A coffee table today must be considered child friendly for many parents, but also be desirable to a room's theme at the same time. If interior design and practicality are high on your mind, then you need to consider the coffee table as the most important item in your living room.