I’m a furniture editor that’s hard to impress, but these garden coffee tables have done it – they’re a must-have in any outdoor living room

It’s my job to look at as much outdoor furniture as possible so that you don’t have to - not to mention that I’m an extremely fussy and hard-to-impress furniture editor - which is why my editor asked me for a shortlist of the best outdoor coffee tables that she could add to her garden. There are some great styles and designs around at the moment if you know where to look, so instead of gatekeeping, I'm sharing my top picks.

The boundary between our indoor and outdoor spaces is becoming increasingly blurred with every passing year. Most gardens these days feature an outdoor living room, which should be just as comfortable as the indoor version, in my opinion. That, of course, starts with the best outdoor sofa. But the right garden coffee table is another must-have.

Just like with any indoor furniture, the best garden furniture needs to be either very stylish or clever (ideally both). Given the popularity of small garden ideas, clever space-saving outdoor coffee tables are in high demand – I’m a fan of the Habitat Ipanema nesting coffee tables and the Cox & Cox Dalarna coffee table with a built-in ice bucket.

But when it comes to style, one of the biggest garden furniture trends of the year is tiled outdoor tables – so, of course, I had to include a few of those. The Rico coffee table from Barker and Stonehouse in the gorgeous terracotta hue has been one of my favourites since last year, and it can work both indoors and outdoors.

Space-saving outdoor coffee tables

Sculptural outdoor coffee tables

Round outdoor coffee tables

Tiled outdoor coffee tables

Woven outdoor coffee tables

Paired with the right garden seating ideas, an outdoor coffee table is the finishing touch that will elevate a garden deck or patio.