outdoor coffee tables low lower and nested

Whether a lounge group works often comes down to its outdoor coffee table. Put it too far and the glasses end up on the floor; too high and it blocks the view of the garden. Meroni & Colzani, the Cabiate workshops that have built furniture since the 1970s under one name, make two families of low tables for outside: Salina and Axum.

Salina comes in two heights, a high one and a low one, and the factory calls the pair Salina High and Low. The idea is to mix them. A low table sits in front of a sofa, a higher one stands by an armchair where your hand falls, and together they form a group with some rhythm to it. The factory describes the line as geometric and built for outdoor performance, for lounge areas at home and in hotels and restaurants alike.

Two heights also solve a problem you meet on a big terrace: one table cannot serve a long sofa and the chairs facing it. Three Salina tables at two heights can. See the Salina family.

Axum starts from a round base. The structure and the top carry the character, and the factory points to the negative space between the legs, which draws geometric shapes at leg height. The outdoor version adds a trick: you can lay one table over another, and the lower one disappears under the top of the higher.

That makes Axum useful on small terraces. Keep one table out on a weekday and bring out the second when friends come. A round top also suits a tight spot between two chairs, where a corner would catch a shin. See the Axum family.

Keep the top of a coffee table level with the sofa seat, or a touch under it. Deep outdoor sofas sit low, so a low table looks right in front of them. An armchair wants a side table closer to the height of its arm, so you can set a glass down without leaning over.

Distance matters as much. Keep 14 to 18 inches of floor from the cushion to the table, room for knees with a cup still in reach. For length, a table at about two thirds of the sofa reads well. Several small tables can add up to that length and move around better than one big one.

A coffee table outdoors lives with sun, rain and the odd dropped glass. Stone and glass tops shrug off water. Keep a coaster under wet cans on any top, since rings can form on stone if water sits for days. Clear leaves from the top and base after a storm, because wet leaves stain.

Wind is the other test. Weight matters outside: a heavy top holds in a gust, while a light one slides on smooth paving. If your terrace sits high or faces the sea, tell us, and we point you to the heavier combinations in each family. On a sheltered courtyard the question goes away.

Salina and Axum both come from MC Lab, the design credit the factory prints on pieces it draws in house. They sit with any of the outdoor seating families. Salina's straight lines suit the modules of Pangea or the blocks of Linosa. Axum's round base softens the curves of Marettimo rope seating.

Tell us which seats you have or plan, and the size of the terrace, in the request at the foot of the page. We suggest a mix of Meroni & Colzani tables and heights and send the finishes, the lead time, and what each piece costs.