Short answer: Cozey's Arca suits a room that wants a low table with built-in storage that can split into two side tables. Cozey's Mensa suits a room that wants a slightly taller, deeper table with slide-out trays for serving or working. Both come in Oak or Walnut.
Both tables are wood-finished and sit low beside the sofa, but they solve different problems. Arca is built from linked square tables, and Mensa is built around its trays. This page puts them side by side so you can choose between exactly these two. For the full picture of each, see our guides to the Arca and the Mensa tables.
On This Page
- Which is better for a small room?
- How do the sizes compare?
- Which has more storage?
- Which is easier to move or reconfigure?
- Which is better for serving, working or eating?
- Which is easier to assemble?
- Which goes better with my sofa?
- Which should I choose?
- Our recommendation
- Explore our tables
Which is better for a small room?
The Arca for a narrow room, and the Mensa when you want a bigger surface in the same space. One Arca table is 55 cm (21.5 inches) square, and two joined make a coffee table 110 x 55 cm (43.4 x 21.5 inches). The Mensa coffee table is 106 x 65.5 cm (41.7 x 26.0 inches).
That makes the Arca coffee table about 10.5 cm (4.5 inches) shallower, which protects a tight walkway. It is also lower, at 35 cm (13.8 inches) against 41.5 cm (16.3 inches) for the Mensa, so it keeps sight lines open. The Mensa gives you more tabletop for its length. Our guide to how to choose a coffee table covers sizing against your sofa.
How do the sizes compare?
The Arca is lower and shallower, and the Mensa is a little taller with more surface. Here is the pair at a glance, from the figures on our product pages and guides.
How do the sizes compare?
| Feature | Arca | Mensa |
|---|---|---|
| Shape | Square tables that join into a rectangle | Rectangular coffee table and square side table |
| Coffee table size | 110 x 55 cm (43.4 x 21.5 inches), made of two tables | 106 x 65.5 cm (41.7 x 26.0 inches), one piece |
| Side table size | 55 cm (21.5 inches) square | 50 cm (19.7 inches) square |
| Height | 35 cm (13.8 inches) in every format | Coffee table 41.5 cm (16.3 inches); side table 41.5 cm (16.3 inches), or 51 cm (20.1 inches) with the shelf |
| Largest format | XL coffee table, 110 x 110 cm (43.4 x 43.5 inches), made of four tables | Coffee table plus side table, sold separately |
| Storage | Hidden (curved) or open (fluted) in every table | Slide-out trays: two in the coffee table, one in the side table; optional shelf on the side table |
| Finishes | Oak or Walnut | Oak, Walnut or Black wood |
| Materials | Ash wood veneer with a satin finish over a 2.5 cm (1.0 inch) particle board core; bent plywood or ash wood flutes | 15 mm engineered wood top with ash veneer, ash wood trays, powder coated steel legs |
| Assembly | Curved arrives pre-assembled; fluted is flat packed, mostly tool-free | Flat packed, legs attach, mostly tool-free, about 15 minutes |
| Best for | Low seating, storage and a table that splits in two | Serving, working on the sofa and a matched coffee and side table set |
Depth figures are rounded to the nearest half inch, and heights and widths are as published.
Which has more storage?
The Arca, if you want a place to put things. Every Arca table has built-in storage. The curved Arca has hidden storage, a narrow compartment about 43.4 cm (17.1 inches) wide, which suits flat items such as remotes and magazines. The fluted Arca has an open shelf about 53 cm (21 inches) square and 28 cm (11 inches) high, which suits books or a basket.
The Mensa stores things in its trays. They slide into the tabletop like drawers, so remotes, coasters or a throw stay out of sight. The coffee table has two trays and the side table has one, each 7.5 cm (3.0 inches) deep, so they hold small items rather than bulk. The side table also has an optional lower shelf. Our guide to coffee tables with storage compares the wider range.
Which is easier to move or reconfigure?
The Arca, because it is built to change shape. Each table comes with a foot connector, and you hook two together to make a coffee table, or four for the XL format. They can be separated again later, so a coffee table can go back to being two side tables, one at each end of the sofa. You can also mix a curved table with a fluted one.
The Mensa does not connect to itself. The coffee table and side table are sold separately and share finishes and trays, so you can place them as a matched pair. On the coffee table, the legs can be fitted in a narrow stance or a wide stance, and on the side table the shelf can be removed or fitted again. If your plans for the room may change, the Arca gives you more ways to rearrange.
Which is better for serving, working or eating?
The Mensa, because its trays lift out. A tray can be taken from the tabletop and used as a serving tray or a lap desk for a laptop or a book. The coffee table trays are 68.5 x 33.5 cm (27.0 x 13.2 inches), and the side table tray is 46 x 48.5 cm (18.1 x 19.1 inches). We do not publish a weight limit for the trays, so keep them for everyday items.
The Arca has no removable tray. At 35 cm (13.8 inches), it suits a drink and a book rather than a meal, and its open fluted shelf is for storage. If you often snack or work from the sofa, the Mensa is the better pair. If you want a calm, low surface, the Arca fits.
Which is easier to assemble?
The curved Arca, because it arrives fully assembled in one box. The fluted Arca ships flat, and its panels connect with Knapp connectors, with three M6 screws and a 4 mm Allen key in the hardware box. The Mensa also ships flat, with the tabletop and trays ready to use and only the legs to attach, in about 15 minutes.
Because the hardware includes an Allen key and screws, we describe all of these as mostly tool-free. Joining two Arca tables into a coffee table uses the foot connector. Guides for both tables are linked on the product pages.
Which goes better with my sofa?
Either can work, and the main difference is height. As general advice, a coffee table sits level with the sofa seat or a little lower, with 36 to 46 cm (14 to 18 inches) between the table and the sofa. Our Cassini seat is 43 cm (17 inches) high, so the Mensa at 41.5 cm (16.3 inches) sits just below it and the Arca at 35 cm (13.8 inches) sits lower still. Check your own seat height before you order.
At Cozey, our four sofa collections each suit a table in a different way:
- Ciello: one of our softest sofas, with deep, loose cushions, a good match for the low Arca.
- Gaia: a soft seat with a high backrest and slim arms.
- Cassini: curved and low, with a 45-degree wedge module.
- Atmosphere: medium-firm seating and our deepest seat.
Our Ciello, Gaia, Cassini and Atmosphere guides give the details. Preview the sofa in Cozey Studio, our online configurator, then match the table to it. Oak and Walnut are offered on both tables, and Mensa also comes in Black wood. Our guide to table finishes for a light-coloured sofa helps you choose, and our guide to pairing a sofa, accent chair and coffee table shows the wider layout.
Which should I choose?
Choose the Arca if:
- You want built-in storage, hidden or open, in every table.
- You want the lowest table, at 35 cm (13.8 inches), or the shallowest coffee table.
- You like two side tables that join into a coffee table and split again.
- You want the least assembly (choose curved).
Choose the Mensa if:
- You want trays for serving or a lap desk.
- You want a deeper surface, at 65.5 cm (26.0 inches), and a height of 41.5 cm (16.3 inches).
- You want a matched coffee table and side table, with an optional side table shelf.
- You want Black wood as a finish.
Our recommendation
At Cozey, we recommend the Arca for a room where tidy storage, a low profile and the freedom to rearrange matter most, and the Mensa for a room where the table also serves snacks or holds a laptop. Pick Oak for a lighter room, Walnut for more contrast with a pale sofa, or Black wood on the Mensa for the darkest look, and measure the gap to your sofa before you order.
If you are still comparing, our guides to how to choose a coffee table and how to choose a side table show the rest of our range.
Explore our tables
- Arca table guide
- Mensa tables guide
- How to choose a coffee table
- How to choose a side table
- Coffee tables with storage
- Table finishes for a light-coloured sofa
- How to pair a sofa, accent chair and coffee table
More Cozey comparisons: Stella vs Arca, Stella vs Mensa, Tessella vs Arca, Tessella vs Mensa, Eclipse vs Arca, Eclipse vs Mensa, Arca vs Ombra, Arca vs Solis, Ombra vs Mensa, Mensa vs Solis.
Product specifications can change. Check the current dimensions on the product page before ordering.