Everyone puts their feet on the coffee table  – whether we admit it or not! When you’re working from the couch where else are you going to put your feet? Here are five hard working coffee tables that can take a little foot action. It’s also a great time of year to consider a big purchase – take advantage of all those sales!

1. Elliptical table by Ray and Charles Eames for Herman Miller. It comes in black or white and it may sound counterintuitive but white is a better choice here as it doesn’t show marks like the black one (I’ve got a white one and seven years of hard use – including kids jumping on it – has left only the normal signs of wear and tear.)

2. Room & Board’s Bradshaw table. This is a great sturdy choice if you are looking for something circular with a midcentury modern aesthetic.

3. Herman Miller’s  Nelson Platform bench. George Nelson designed this versatile piece of furniture in 1946 and the crisp timber lines still look great today.

4. The Barbarella table. The clever designers at Blu Dot produced this thoroughly modern take on the coffee table.

5. DWR’s clean-lined Cubo is ready for feet and also has a clever concealed storage option in the leg (it’s lined in a lovely red leather).