Short answer: Cozey's Stella suits a living room where you also work or eat at the table, thanks to its lift-top. Cozey's Arca suits a room that needs hidden or open storage at a low height. Both are modular and come in Oak or Walnut.
Both tables start small and grow, but they grow in different ways and sit at very different heights. This page puts them side by side so you can decide between exactly these two. For the wider choice, see our guides to the Stella and the Arca.
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 working or eating at the table?
- 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?
Both work in a small living room, and the better pick depends on whether you want a small footprint or a low profile. One Stella module is 23.5 inches square, and every Stella setup keeps that depth, so only the width changes. One Arca table is 21.5 inches square, and two joined are 43.4 x 21.5 inches.
The Arca is shallower and much lower, at 13.8 inches high, so it keeps sight lines open. Closed, the Stella is 18.5 inches high, which is about 5 inches taller. If your room is narrow, the Arca coffee table's depth of 21.5 inches protects the walkway. If floor space is tight but you want a table at working height, one Stella module is the compact answer. Our guide to how to choose a coffee table covers sizing against your sofa.
How do the sizes compare?
The Stella is higher and adjustable, and the Arca is lower and fixed. Here is the pair at a glance, from the figures on our product pages and guides.
How do the sizes compare?
| Feature | Stella | Arca |
|---|---|---|
| Shape | Square, modular | Square, modular |
| One unit | 23.5 inches square | 21.5 inches square |
| Height | 18.5 inches closed, lifting to 26.4 inches | 13.8 inches |
| Coffee-table format | One module, or link two to four | Two tables joined, 43.4 x 21.5 inches |
| Largest setup | Four modules, 94.5 inches wide | Four tables, 43.4 x 43.5 inches |
| Storage | Gap between the lifted top and the base | Hidden (curved) or open (fluted) in every table |
| Finishes | Oak or Walnut | Oak or Walnut |
| Materials | 18 mm MDF with a melamine finish, powder coated steel legs | Ash wood veneer with a satin finish over a 0.98-inch (2.5 cm) particle board core; bent plywood or ash wood flutes |
| Assembly | Mostly tool-free: hand screws and an Allen key | Curved arrives pre-assembled; fluted assembles flat-packed, mostly tool-free |
| Best for | Working, eating and a changing room | Low seating, storage and a table that splits into two |
Depth figures are rounded to the nearest half inch, and heights and widths are as published.
Which has more storage?
The Arca, because every Arca table has a dedicated compartment or shelf, while the Stella's storage is the gap between its lifted top and the base. The curved Arca has hidden storage, a narrow compartment about 17.1 inches wide and 7.5 inches deep, which suits flat items such as remotes, magazines and coasters. The fluted Arca has an open shelf about 21 inches square and 11 inches high, which suits books or a basket.
The Stella is a lift-top table, so its storage is the gap between the lifted top and the base, and its main job is the adjustable surface. If a dedicated compartment or open shelf is the priority, the Arca is the better match of the two, and our guide to coffee tables with storage compares the wider range.
Which is easier to move or reconfigure?
Both are modular, and they change in different ways. With the Stella, you start with one module and add more as your needs change: two modules are 47.2 inches wide, three are 70.7 inches and four are 94.5 inches, all 23.5 inches deep. Because the depth never changes, a longer Stella stays a single straight run in front of the sofa.
The Arca works in pairs. Each table comes with a foot connector, and you hook two together to make a coffee table. The tables 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, or join four for the XL format. If your room is likely to change, both suit you, and the Arca is the one that splits back into two useful pieces.
Which is better for working or eating at the table?
The Stella, because the top lifts from 18.5 inches to 26.4 inches. That higher surface makes a laptop or a plate easier to reach than on a low table. The Arca stays at 13.8 inches in every format, which is 12.6 inches lower than the Stella lifted, so it suits a drink and a book better than a meal.
For long work sessions a desk and a chair are still more comfortable, but for a laptop on the sofa the Stella's extra height helps. If a low look matters more than a work surface, our side table guide shows where the Arca fits beside a sofa or bed.
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 Stella also has hand screws and an Allen key, and its legs arrive in a small separate box.
Because of the Allen key and screws, we describe both tables as mostly tool-free. Our assembly article lists about 15 minutes per Stella table. Joining two Arca tables into a coffee table uses the foot connector. Guides for both are on the product pages.
Which goes better with my sofa?
Either can, and the main difference is height. As general advice, a coffee table sits level with the sofa seat or a little lower, with 14 to 18 inches between the table and the sofa. Our Cassini seat is 17 inches high, so the Arca at 13.8 inches sits below it and a closed Stella at 18.5 inches sits slightly above it. 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, to see the shape and overall size on screen, then match the table to it. Both tables come in Oak and Walnut, but the surfaces are made differently, so view them in the same light if you mix them with other wood pieces. Our guide to pairing a sofa, accent chair and coffee table shows the wider layout.
If the wall behind the sofa needs storage too, our Themis modular wall system and Altitude wall shelves and cabinet add it above the floor, and the Stella media unit shares the Stella name and finish.
Which should I choose?
Choose the Stella if:
- You want to work or eat at the coffee table.
- You want the smallest depth that still gives you a full table, and may add modules later.
- You do not need built-in storage.
Choose the Arca if:
- You want built-in storage, hidden or open.
- You want a low table beside deep seating, with sight lines kept open.
- You like the idea of two side tables that join into a coffee table and split again.
- You want the least assembly (choose curved).
Our recommendation
At Cozey, we recommend the Stella for a living room where the table has to work as hard as it looks, and the Arca for a room where tidy storage and a low profile matter most. Pick Oak for a lighter room or Walnut for more contrast with a pale sofa, 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 nesting and space-saving tables show the rest of our range.
Explore our tables
- Stella coffee table guide
- Arca table guide
- How to choose a coffee table
- How to choose a side table
- Coffee tables with storage
- How to pair a sofa, accent chair and coffee table
- Cozey Studio guide
- Stella media unit guide
More Cozey comparisons: Stella vs Tessella, Stella vs Eclipse, Stella vs Ombra, Stella vs Mensa, Stella vs Solis, Tessella vs Arca, Eclipse vs Arca, Arca vs Ombra, Arca vs Mensa, Arca vs Solis.
Product specifications can change. Check the current dimensions on the product page before ordering.