Lift-top coffee tables offer a convenient work or dining surface in the living room. If you don't want to buy a whole new, expensive coffee table, transform the one you've already got (assuming you have a wooden table).
Instructables user lofgren upgraded his coffee table so the top could be pulled up into a higher table. In addition to creating the cantilever hinges out of wood, he also built in additional storage beneath the tabletop.
To transform your coffee table, you just need some basic carpentry skills and the willingness to take apart this piece of furniture. (You could also buy a lift-up table mechanism if you don't want to make the levers yourself; one version I found is $50, while another sturdier looking one is $210.)
Checkout the complete instructions here:
Coffee table upgrade! | Instructables via Dornob