Ikea Funka Coffee Table: Product Review

Well-known for their wide variety of ingenious furniture, the Swedes at Ikea have created yet another modular gem: the Funka coffee table. At first glance, this simple birch-topped, skinny-legged table just looks firm, lean, and practical – but the “funk” comes out when you peer at the underside and see that the top lifts up and toward you, locking in place for elevated use. Despite a few flaws in the durability, the concept is space-saving and indispensable for anyone who does a lot of work (or eating) while on a couch. At around $60, the dual-functionality of the Ikea Funka Coffee Table is affordable and attractive.

PROS of the Ikea Funka Coffee Table

– The table is not visually heavy because only the top is wooden (and thin, at that). The slightly angled legs are thin but sturdy steel, so overall the look is clean and lightweight.

– The two positions, which I call “standard” and “elevated,” allow the Funka coffee table to serve as a conventional low table in front of a couch but also as a makeshift desk or even a place to eat. Just pull it a little closer to your seating, and you’ve got a place for your laptop and several cartons of Chinese food at a swell height. It simply lifts up and locks into place using the bars that are attached to its underside. Because it’s more awkward looking in its elevated state, it’s clear that the table is designed to stay in the standard position as a default, lifting up only when needed for a task.

– I consider the table top to be a healthy size for a coffee table: the well-proportioned rectangle is about 42 x 21, with the longer sides tapering downward for aesthetics.

CONS of the Ikea Funka Coffee Table

– The locking mechanism on the table that keeps it in the elevated position is not foolproof. It’s just a nubby little button that can slip out of place if the table is bumped. This happened to me once, and the whole coffee table crashed from elevated back to standard position, sending my laptop on an unexpected journey to the floor. Luckily, this only happened once, and I’ve used the elevated setting almost daily without incident.

– The table top is made of a lacquered birch veneer, which, although attractive, is especially prone to scratching. In fact, during the simple act of assembly, when the table top was on my floor, I accidentally managed to dig a few scratches into the soft top. For such an indispensably practical coffee table, Ikea would’ve done well to top it with a more durable wood – though I suppose that would up the price.

– Assembly is a little trickier than you might expect, but this is due to the additional bars and screws necessary to transition the table between standard and elevated heights.