7 Sustainable Coffee Tables To Center Your Eco-Friendly Living Room
Who actually puts coffee on a sustainable coffee table?
If it’s zero-waste coffee, we do!
Of course, that’s in addition to stacks of sustainability books, the occasional bowl of popcorn, and a collection of organic baby toys.
Regardless of what goes on them, we’re worried about what goes in them.
Wood associated with deforestation isn’t a great look for any interior designer. Not to mention we’re hesitant to rest our feet (or coffee) on a table that releases toxins like benzenes, acetaldehyde, hormone disruptors, PFOAs, or formaldehyde.
We especially don’t want flimsy furniture that barely makes it to the second cup, which is why we’d rather stick with long-lasting and non-toxic, eco-friendly coffee tables.
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The Top Sustainable Coffee Table Brands To Kick Your Feet Up
Female-founded Urban Wood Goods makes wood goods out of good wood (try saying that five times fast!). That means their eco-friendly materials are reclaimed, down to the salvaged metal pipe accents.
Maiden Home’s all wood coffee tables are perfect for the minimalist and eco-conscious home, combining space-efficient made-to-order designs with sustainably-sourced solid wood.
Why would these natural coffee tables make it into our living room?
Head to the bottom to see how we decided.
The Full List Of Sustainable & Recycled Coffee Tables
- Medley | Visit Store
- Burrow | Visit Store
- Maiden Home | Visit Store
- What WE Make | Visit Store
- Avocado | Visit Store
- Urban Wood Goods | Visit Store
- Etsy Reclaimed | Visit Store
1. Medley
About Medley
Price Range: $727–$2,995
Medley’s team of craftspeople have over 170 years of combined experience, and it shows in their gorgeous collection of home furnishings and decor.
In addition to furniture for the bedroom, dining room, and more, complete your living room with minimalist and sustainable coffee tables and end tables from this non-toxic furniture brand.
If you need a little extra storage, the Axal sustainable ultra low coffee table features an integrated and subtle storage shelf.
Medley’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Medley’s natural wood coffee tables are made from solid FSC-certified wood (Walnut and Maple).
For those that feature drawers, the drawer bottoms are made with low-VOC CARB 2-compliant plywood.
They protect their furniture with a beeswax, carnauba wax, and olive oil wood finish that is odorless, VOC-free, water/heat-resistant, and USDA organic certified—arguably the best non-toxic coffee tables you’ll find.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Despite their name, Medley doesn’t rely on a medley of manufacturers. In fact, they manufacture in only two locations—Portland, OR, and Los Angeles, CA—meaning they’re a perfect stop for real wood coffee tables made in the USA.
They intentionally do not have a brick-and-mortar store and keep a small, localized production chain to keep their prices fair and footprint small.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
Durable coffee tables made for the most sustainable homes, which is why we love seeing Medley’s confidence in their quality products, as signaled by their lifetime-warranty promise.
Community & charitable giving:
Medley creates a cycle of reforestation by planting three times the amount of trees they use through their partnership with the National Forest Foundation.
2. Burrow
About Burrow
Price Range: $195–$795
With Burrow, we can burrow up in a home that’s stylish and sustainable.
Between sofas, chairs, benches, rugs, home storage, tables, and more, they’re like the Ikea of sustainable furniture brands (but obviously way better!).
Their mid-century modern styles are designed to complement their award-winning seating.
The Carta is an exceptional eco-friendly coffee table with a lift top featuring a convenient hidden storage compartment.
Burrow’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
While primarily offering sustainable wood coffee tables made of solid hardwood ash wood, some–like the Kettle eco-friendly side tables—feature an Italian marble and powder-coated or a spun steel, electroplated base.
Supply chain & labor practices:
All wood is sourced from FSC-certified forests near the brand’s family-owned factory in Poland.
Other factories utilized by the brand are located in North Carolina, Vietnam, India, and Mexico.
Burrow transparently shares how they keep each sustainable coffee table cheap yet high-quality—namely, by creating modular pieces that are easier to ship and using vertically integrated operations to cut out middlemen.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
Burrow designs eco-friendly sofas and furniture to be used…for a long time. Quality, durability, and a lifetime of use mean fewer furniture replacements with durability tests to prove it.
With toolless assembly and disassembly, moving your Burrow creation from home to home will be a breeze.
3. Maiden Home
About Maiden Home
Price Range: $735–$1,775
Maiden Home believes in the art of slow design and craftsmanship—and you can see it in the clean lines and subtle yet elegant design of their coffee, dining, and side tables made from wood sourced from sustainably managed forests.
The North Carolina-based company crafts every piece by hand and to order, so you can rest assured knowing you’re getting something waste-free and one-of-a-kind.
We love the Morro solid wood round coffee table which comes in multiple sizes that nest neatly within each other for space-saving efficiency. The smaller ones are perfect for side tables.
Maiden Home’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Maiden Home’s SFI-certified oak and other hardwoods don’t contain any flame retardants, formaldehyde, or other toxic chemicals.
Instead, they utilize water-based, low-VOC glues and stains whenever applicable.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Maiden Home’s catalog of wooden consoles, dining, coffee, and side tables are produced by expert wood artisans in North Carolina.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
They prioritize low-impact manufacturing methods, including the use of CNC routers to maximize wood yield and recycling fixtures in all facilities.
Maiden Home never offers sales or seasonal promotions—not only does this provide customers with the best value, but it helps put an end to fast furniture turnarounds and unnecessary purchases.
4. What WE Make
About What WE Make
Price Range: $545–$2,745
What WE Make is a Chicago-born Etsy shop, also specializing in handmade American furniture.
You’ll also find their signature “natural-industrial” aesthetic in their rustic natural wood coffee tables, of which they have an awe-inspiring selection—some round, some rectangular, some with shelves, all stunning and functional in any home.
For a modern but eco-friendly coffee table, WWM’s Modern style features ample storage underneath its gorgeous natural wood grain top.
What WE Make’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Each eco coffee table is made with either repurposed wood or sustainable hardwood (specifically walnut and white oak sourced in the Midwest).
Their plant-based finish is made with flaxseed oil that’s non-toxic and VOC-free, meaning no chemical off-gassing.
Supply chain & labor practices:
The reclaimed wood comes from barns in Kentucky and Tennessee and features all of the uniqueness of these storied woods, such as nail holes, splits, and weathering.
Brothers Dan and George Quinn handmake many of the pieces themselves.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
WWM does what it can to not send anything to landfills. Their cut-off materials are donated to local hobbyists, and their sawdust is sent to local farms.
5. Avocado
About Avocado
Price Range: $379–$749
Avocado is one of the most sustainable mattress companies out there, with several certifications and ethical principles that ensure responsible manufacturing.
But they don’t stop at sleeping surfaces.
They also create accent tables and coffee tables from recycled wood, like the dual-use Zero Waste Slatted Bench, which features FSC-certified upcycled beach wood.
Or if you want a baby safe coffee table, their Zero Waste Coffee Table features only soft rounded edges that will keep baby skin and eyes safe in case of accidental bonks.
Avocado’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Avocado’s furniture features salvaged wood or sustainably-harvested FSC-certified wood.
Many of their pieces are constructed from recycled materials, like domestically sourced Maple and Walnut from old buildings.
They use zero-VOC non-toxic finishes, like ECOS®, and assemble pieces with Titebond® wood glue, which doesn’t produce harmful fumes—helping them become one of the few MADE SAFE certified furniture brands.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Avocado crafts its products in an FSC-certified wood shop in Los Angeles, where they provide fair pay and safe working conditions, saying “no” to discrimination and child labor.
Being GOLS and GOTS certified prohibits the use of chemicals commonly used in textile processing that can cause cancer, birth defects, and other serious illnesses for both makers and users.
As a Certified B Corp, these strict guiding principles extend to their entire supply chain through on-site audits and residue testing.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
In 2019, Avocado became Carbon Neutral Certified, and shortly after, they became carbon negative by supporting the Bonneville Environmental Foundation.
This member of the Sustainable Furnishings Council has enough sustainability certifications to require two hands, including Responsible Wool Standard, USDA Certified Biobased, Greenguard, OEKO-TEX, and MADE SAFE—among others already mentioned.
Community & charitable giving:
Avocado goes above and beyond, donating one percent of all its revenue to 1% for the Planet.
Through their partnership, they have helped organizations like Re:wild and Water For People with their respective goals of protecting and increasing biodiversity and giving access to water and sanitation services.
Avocado also partners with The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation to work with schools, families, and small-scale farmers in low-income areas to plant more trees to benefit these communities.
6. Urban Wood Goods
About Urban Wood Goods
Price Range: $845–$1,445
Urban Wood Goods is a female-founded furniture shop that was indirectly inspired by a DIY salvage magazine article. After founder Erin True made a bench for herself, she didn’t stop!
Urban Wood Goods now produces tables, desks, shelves, side tables, and more.
There are several reclaimed wood coffee tables to choose from, all in different shapes, thicknesses, and sizes.
Available in many sizes and finishes, their classic Industrial recycled coffee tables give you a taste of the rustic, edgy aesthetic you can expect.
Urban Wood Goods’ Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Every year, around 30 million tons of wood waste end up in landfills. Fortunately, some of it instead ends up on these eco-friendly raw coffee tables.
We say “raw” because, while smooth and safe to touch, the reclaimed wood is not over-finished. You can expect to see some character-adding warps, textures, knots, and nail holes.
Salvaged metal pipe accents and steel finish out the designs.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Most of the reclaimed old-growth lumber comes from salvaged beams, roof boards, and floor joists from the Midwest (close to UWG’s Chicago studio).
As an American-made furniture brand, a small team of 20 craftspeople transforms the wood into 100% American-made coffee tables
Carbon commitments & green practices:
To keep carbon emissions down, Urban Wood Goods only ships to the US and Canada.
7. Etsy Reclaimed
About Etsy Reclaimed
Price Range: Various
Want something that likely won’t be found in many other homes AND prevents the making of something new?
Etsy Reclaimed is an excellent place for unique, vintage coffee tables.
It’s a win-win, for you, for our planet, for a small Etsy seller, and for your living room.
If you’re interested in something a bit more 21st century, recycled wood coffee tables make old materials feel new again.
PS: Looking for eco-friendly coffee table decor?
Sure, you can find something from a sustainable home decor brand, OR you can find all sorts of neat things from Etsy’s endless array of small makers and artists.
Etsy Reclaimed’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Vintage pieces and reclaimed wood mean no new materials are sourced and processed, and there’s no shortage of creativity when it comes to recycled and sustainable coffee table materials.
If you’re in the market for both a sustainable clear coffee table, a round wooden coffee table with storage, AND something rustic and recycled, look no further than the Whiskey Barrel Coffee Table by Motor City Barrels. It features a glass top and upcycled whiskey barrel body that can hold anything from books to sustainable blankets.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Etsy shops are often owned by individuals or small businesses, so you’re supporting small-scale production (or vintage sourcing) as opposed to mass production.
This leaves you with a unique, gently used wooden coffee table and our planet with less manufacturing impact!
Carbon commitments & green practices:
Etsy is 100% powered by renewable energy and offers climate-neutral shipping.
You can also choose to shop for domestic or even local sellers to reduce shipping distance altogether.
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How We Found The Best Eco-Friendly Coffee Tables
No one wants to leave any glass rings on the planet, which is why we developed a set of criteria for finding the most low-impact brands.
Technically, we developed it for sustainable and ethical fashion, but since coffee tables and the non-toxic rugs that go beneath them are fashion for the home, it applies just as well.
Materials:
For a coffee table, eco-friendly wood is the go-to material, and nothing is more eco-friendly than a repurposed wood coffee table.
Virgin wood isn’t necessarily bad, but sourcing really matters in determining if they qualify as sustainable coffee table materials.
We look for sustainable forestry certifications and brands that don’t use endangered woods that are known to lead to deforestation (rosewood, for example).
Low-VOC, VOC-free, and plant/water-based finishes were the crème de la non-toxic coffee table on these sustainable materials.
- Certifications: Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC), Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), CARB-2, GREENGUARD, MADE SAFE
Supply chain & labor practices:
Since many of these brands are small, we saw lots of small-scale production (often in one workshop), which helps assure fair trade practices without the official certification.
Even larger brands were transparent about who makes their goods and how they are protected, though we still like to see manufacturing certifications for these larger brands.
- Certifications: Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), Global Organic Latex Standard (GOLS), B Corporation (B Corp)
Carbon commitments & green business practices:
Put your feet up and relax, thinking about how your coffee and side tables might mean trees planted, carbon-neutral shipping, and practices to cut down or reuse waste.
Bumping your shin on the corner is far less painful when practices like these are involved.
Community & charitable giving:
Giving back is like the coffee table book—it’s not a necessity, but it’s nice to have. While smaller ones don’t always have the means to do so, we love setting our sustainable snacks on the makings of brands that give back by planting trees and supporting nonprofit organizations.
Final Thoughts On Eco-Friendly & Natural Wood Coffee Tables
A coffee table is one of the most ubiquitous pieces of furniture in a home.
It’s a place where take-out food can get cold while you binge-watch your favorite zero waste documentary series, where wine glasses can be rested on a first date, and where the remote always escapes from.
It can also be associated with a lot of global goods through responsibly sourced materials and ethical manufacturing practices.
If you’re in need of one and want to consume more consciously (like opting for a plastic-free coffee maker to make said sustainable coffee), consider checking out your favorite online thrift stores or secondhand shops first.
If none of those are your cup of tea (er, coffee), these sustainable coffee tables might just be.
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