Venice Coffee Table: ceramic top, black legs, 120cm fit

The Venice Coffee Table is a ceramic-topped rectangular table on black legs, listed in one size: 120 x 60 x 45cm. If you have children, or a household that puts mugs straight down on the table, the surface is the part of the listing to read closely. Everything below is from the listing, including the places where the listing runs out.

The ceramic top, and what is actually claimed

The listing says the ceramic surface resists stains and scratches. That is the supplier's description, not a test result, and no rating or standard is quoted alongside it, so take it as a general property of a ceramic surface rather than a figure you could hold anyone to. Resists is also not the same word as proof: a hard knock on an edge is a different matter from a mug ring.

What the listing does not state, and we are not going to invent on its behalf:

• the thickness of the top, and whether it is a ceramic slab or a ceramic surface over a board
• the weight of the table, which matters if it has to be lifted up a stair
• the colour and pattern options, if there is any choice at all
• what the black legs are made of and how they are finished
• whether it arrives assembled or with legs to fit

Ask about those before you order. A ceramic top is also worth asking one practical question about: how the supplier recommends cleaning it, since the listing gives no care instructions.

What 120 x 60 x 45cm does to a room

The listing prints the three figures without labels. They read as width, depth and height in the usual order, but confirm it with the shop if the table is going into a gap you have measured to the centimetre.

• 120cm is a three-seat-sofa length. Measure the front of your own sofa and compare, rather than guessing from a photograph.
• 60cm of depth is enough for a tray and still reachable from the far side, which suits a table people sit round rather than beside.
• 45cm of height should be held against your seat cushion height, measured with someone sitting on the sofa.
• Walkways. Tape the 120 x 60 outline onto the floor, then walk the route past it a few times. If you find yourself turning sideways, the smaller table is the better buy.

How it compares in the range

Several pieces in coffee tables share these exact figures, so the choice is about the top and the frame rather than the footprint:

• the Siena Coffee Table is the same size with the same black legs but a warm oak effect top, if you want wood tones instead of a hard surface
• the SG-Lewis Coffee Table offers a ceramic or marble top on a gold four-leg frame at the same size, and carries a much larger photograph set
• the Torino Coffee Table is the smaller, taller option at 90 x 55 x 50cm for a tighter room

Because the footprints match, one floor test with masking tape answers the question for the whole shortlist and you can then choose on the surface alone.

Before you order, and on the day

• Measure the door widths and the narrowest turn on the route in. A ceramic top is not something to force round a corner.
• Ask about the weight if the table has to go upstairs, and plan the lift accordingly.
• Unwrap and inspect the top before you sign for it, edges and corners first, since that is where a hard surface shows damage.
• Ask the shop for the current lead time, the cleaning advice and the leg fixings in the same message.

Delivery is free within 50 miles of the Glasgow store and £50 beyond. The Venice Coffee Table page has the photographs and an enquiry button, which is the quickest way to get the top thickness and the colour confirmed before you order.