Whether your own home is cozy and country or marvelous and modern, "Which coffee table will look right?" is a question most homeowners ask themselves. There are so many shapes to choose from: square, rectangular, round, oval, and even freeform. Which one is right?

The answer is: It really depends on your lifestyle and how much space you have. Comfort and function trump aesthetics on this one, at least in my book.

The coffee table is an important piece of furniture, as it usually marks the center of any seating area. Its position at the center of a room or seating arrangement gives it the top spot in the hierarchy of furnishings. We often bestow on it a place of honor in holding things that are precious to us, such as photo albums, objet d'art and the eponymous "coffee table" books. And we can forget about propping up our aching feet after a long day at work.

Nothing beats a classic. A rectangular coffee table can carry the long shape of a sofa and sometimes helps remedy the scale and proportions of a room by focusing attention on it and not the room. Rectangular tables make entertaining easy. If the table is long enough, it is the perfect place for a bottle of wine, glasses and platters of snacks. It also can turn a boring night into the center of fun. Rectangular coffee tables provide the perfect setup for a friendly game of checkers or your fiercest board game battles.

Square coffee tables offer a more contemporary solution. The four equal sides can accommodate sofas on all sides, usually implying the need for a much grander and larger space. Sometimes two rectangular tables can be paired to appear to be a large square. Make sure you have the adequate space before investing in one.

Who hasn't heard of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table? Round coffee tables balance the sharp angles of sofas, entertainment centers and bookshelves. To soften, soothe and add stylish symmetry to your living space, just add a round coffee table. They are great and safe to use in public spaces and in homes where there are small children or seniors, because there are no sharp edges. Round tables are multi-directional, so everyone feels the front side is facing them. A benefit of this type of table is that they can fit in the smallest of spaces.

Oval coffee tables are awesome because they offer the benefits of a round table in terms of safety and accessibility and the same flexibility of use as a rectangular table. Since they are longer along one side, they are directional, and this makes them quite easy to work into a floor plan.

And then there are the freeform coffee tables. These are the most recent addition to the bunch. They are almost always contemporary and a diversion from all other types of coffee tables. They can be found in the sculptural roots of trees or in sleek stainless-steel forms, sometimes topped with a glass or marble slab to serve as the top. Depending on the scale, freeform coffee tables usually work in a manner similar to that of a round or oval coffee table.

Joseph Pubillones is the owner of Joseph Pubillones Interiors, an award-winning interior design firm based in Palm Beach, Florida. To find out more about Joseph Pubillones, or to read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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