OLIXIS Modern Lift Top Coffee Table with Storage

I got this table on sale and I didn’t have high expectations given the price. As is true of a lot of things, in general, good furniture ain’t cheap, and cheap furniture ain’t good. But I’ve been pleasantly surprised.

I’ll say first that I actually needed a small coffee table. I’ve seen reviews that seem surprised at how small it is; yes, it’s pretty small. That said, I’d have been ok if it was even smaller! It’s not tiny, but it is maybe 10% smaller than the coffee table I have in my main living room. (I was buying this for a family/game room.) For reference, in the picture I uploaded, that’s the new Atari 2600+, not the original Atari 2600, so it’s smaller than you might be thinking. So be aware of that. It’s great if your couch has to be fairly close to whatever it’s facing, though. That was my situation, so I actually found this in a search for “small coffee table”.

As you might expect from the price, this table is Chinese-made, flat-pack shipped and made of particle board with a laminate on top for looks. That said, it’s done well. If you’ve ever bought IKEA furniture, it’s basically an exact copy of that. It requires some assembly, but it’s fairly simple. I did it in about an hour and I had to take several breaks because I had a cold while doing it! I also did it all by hand. There are a bunch of screws and bolts you need to screw in, so a power tool of some sort would help. But it’s not hard even to do manually.

The instructions are absolutely not hard to follow. I’ve seen a couple of other reviews that say otherwise. Put your thinking cap on and use your brain. It shows you exactly what to do. I had no problems at all following the instructions. I’ve seen pictures someone posted in another review that clearly showed an obvious mistake in following the instructions (I can see exactly where they went wrong) that they then blamed on a manufacturing error. No, look again. Measure twice, cut once, as they say. Don’t rush through the build and you’ll be fine.

When fully assembled, the table looks good and is very functional. I’m not using a laptop like they show in the official pictures but I appreciate that there is storage in there when you lift the top. There’s also storage on the sides. The table itself feels pretty solid. I’d make sure you use coasters for your drinks because this kind of laminate always warps if it gets wet for too long, but that’s hardly unique to this table.

My only real critique – and I’ve seen others mention this too – is that the two top panels, one of which lifts and the other doesn’t, don’t *quite* line up right on my table. I mean the gap in between them is probably 2mm on one side and 1mm on the other. This definitely *can* be adjusted by adjusting the exact positioning of the hinges on the movable top, but it’s kind of a pain to do that and not really worth it unless you have extreme OCD. I’m fine with it. It’s not really noticeable unless you’re looking for it (I was). And again, at this price, I was never really expecting absolute perfection. But it’s just worth mentioning if you’re someone who has to have everything just right. Again, cheap furniture. Spend more if you want perfection.

I’m totally happy with it for what I paid.

The instructions made the table easy to put together. They give you a couple tools such as a wrench and a combination hex key/ screwdriver. The hex key comes in handy but i recommend using your own phillips screwdriver to save time. Overall the table is sturdy and functions as described. The top opens up to reveal a compartment for all your goodies, but i recommend using 2 hands to support the lid when opening.
Personally, the corners are a little too sharp for my liking. I can already see myself jabbing me in the shins with them.
For 60 bucks I aint complaining, it does what I need it to do. The things I pointed out are just things that caught my attention.

I really love the look of this table but it was a pain to put together. You will need a power drill when putting together. There is no way to use a regular screw driver with just your hand. You have to have that extra power.

Let’s see if it holds up. Like all boxed furniture it’s tedious to assemble. But not difficult. Look really nice time will tell if it hold up