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The console table is a home accent piece that can add function and style to any room in your house.
These small but mighty pieces are long and narrow and have become a favorite of decorators and homeowners alike because of their innate ability to add focus, flow, and surprise to even the tightest of spaces.
Before you purchase your next console table, be sure to check out our buyer’s guide below for the full review of these essential pieces.
Console tables are typically 30 to 36 inches high and feature wide, shallow tops that are usually square or rectangular. The top of a console table is typically about 12 to 15 inches deep. Most console tables also have a lower shelf that adds to the amount of storage and staging space these tables offer.
Despite their shallow depth, console tables have become essential items for homes because of their versatility. These days, console tables can be found serving as bar carts in living rooms, buffet tables in dining rooms, storage areas in entryways, staging areas for knickknacks and photos in family rooms, and television stands in bedrooms.
Homeowners have become very creative about how and where they integrate a console table into their room.
Some of the most fashionable uses include:
The Desk Replacement: If your space could benefit from a little working area, but you are tight on what will actually fit comfortably into a room, a console table might just be the solution. These tables also work well as printer and supply tables in your home office.
The Transition Piece: Open concept living has made it necessary for many homeowners to find ways to soften the transition from the living room to the dining room or living room to the kitchen. The console table is a natural solution. Place the console table behind the hard edge of your couch and make it a bar table or a lamp table, and you now have a subtle transition between spaces.
The Television Stand: The slim design of today’s TVs means that console tables are the perfect width to hold these devices. In addition, the slim design of a console table is a great way to save space in your living room, while still adding some storage to the room. This is a great solution for renters who might not be allowed to mount their television to the wall. When selecting a console table that will double as a television stand, just make sure you look for one that is sturdy enough to hold the size television you have at home.
The Vanity Table: If you would like a place to sit and get ready in the morning or for your night out, a console table is a great way to add a makeup vanity table to your bedroom or bathroom or even a large walk-in closet. Team the console table with a mirror and a stool or chair, and you’ve got everything you need to make getting ready a little more glamorous. The shelves on your console vanity table are a great place to store your jewelry and makeup supplies.
The Home Bar: Console tables are a great way to make a showpiece out of your glassware and bottles in an easily accessible manner. These tables can easily fit in your dining room, or in a nook in your living room, so the space becomes instantly ready for entertaining. All you will need is a bartender.
The Entryway Storage: The slim design of a console table makes them the perfect solution for your entryway or hallway. You can store keys on them, make it a place for you or your kids to throw your phone, scarves, lunch boxes, and other miscellaneous items. This is one of the most common uses for console tables today.
The Laundry Room Accessory: If you have space in your laundry room to add a console table, consider making it the solution for all of your folding needs. Console tables can make the perfect place for folding and stacking clothes, towels, and linens before they make it into closets and drawers.
The Display Table: If your living room or family room is lacking a mantle, but you want a centerpiece to displace art or other heirlooms, the console table is your perfect solution. By centrally placing a console table and positioning your showstopping pieces on them just so, you can make any painting, photo, or antique the focus.
If you want to bring a console table into your space, there are some essential factors that you need to consider first.
What will it be used for? This will ultimately determine what kind and size of console table you need. For example, if you plan to use it as a vanity table you will need to make sure the table doesn’t have a full lower shelf that blocks you from adding a chair to the table. If you plan to use it as a buffet for your dining table, make sure it’s filled with drawers or shelves where you can store your linens or display your plates.
In addition, how you plan to use the console table will help you determine how tall the table should be. For example, if you want to use it behind your couch you should make sure the table you select isn’t any taller than the back of your couch.
Where will you put it? Besides height, you will also need to measure for length. For example, if your table is going to be placed in an entryway, measure the length of the room to ensure that the table you purchase won’t overtake the room or block you, your family, and guests from getting into your home.
What is your home’s style? There are console tables available that will fit any home style. You can find console tables in farmhouse, Mid-Century Modern, contemporary, beachy, and nearly every other style you can imagine. These tables present a good opportunity to match the style you have going or to mix it up a little and add a little taste of the unexpected to a room or area.
There are a wide variety of console tables available for consumers these days. To help you narrow down what will work best for you and your home, you should consider some of these typical options:
Storage: Do you want drawers, cubbies, cabinets, or shelves on your console table? These features can serve as a great place to display coffee table books and photos, and an essential place to keep keys, napkins, and other household supplies.
Material: There are console tables available in every type of material you can imagine — iron, wood, plastic, Formica, steel, wicker, etc. What you ultimately select will be based on your preferences and what will look best in the home that you are creating. Just make sure you are selecting a table that is sturdy enough for your planned use. For example, if you plan to use it as a television stand, you will want to make sure the console table material will not bend or break under the weight of a heavy electronic.
Color: this is another preference that comes down to your personal preference and style. There are console tables in every color of the rainbow. These pieces are a great opportunity to match the scheme in your house or to create an unexpected moment or pop in a room.
If you have a console table in your home but are looking for ways to style it, some of the most popular options include:
Table Lamps: Set up two matching table lamps on each end of your console table to give the table and your space some balance.
Tray: Place a tray in the center of your console table and use the tray to store or display items.
Books or Coffee Table Books: Console tables make a great space to store some of your favorite coffee table books, especially if the table is placed behind your couch. If you are using the console table in your bedroom, you can turn it into a bookshelf to display some of your favorite reads.
Fresh Flowers: You can add some warmth and instant cheer to an entryway by placing fresh flowers on your console table. Just be sure to change them out before they start to die.
Holiday Décor: A console table is a great place to integrate season holiday décor. You can add twinkle lights and snow globes during the Winter, Fall leaves and branches in the Fall, and colorful eggs and bunnies in the Spring months, for example.
Art and Photos: When you place the artwork or family photos above and on a console table, the piece instantly becomes a mantelpiece that will attract any guest’s attention.
Mirror: If you really want to make your console table a glamorous vanity, add a mirror above it. Not only will this serve an important function while you get ready in the morning, but it will also help you feel a little more like a movie star.
Baskets: If you want to add balance below the console table, place some baskets under your table. This will ground the bottom of the table and also double as a potential storage for blankets, shoes, and other everyday household items.
Because there are such a wide variety of console tables on the market, you are sure to find your love at any budget level.
Key factors that will contribute to the overall cost of your console table include the material it is constructed from, the size and whether or not the console table will come preassembled, or if you will have to put it together yourself.
What you ultimately select may be based on your use and needs. For example, you may choose to save some money on the console table that will double as a vanity in your room. Then, you may decide it is worth it to splurge a little on the console table that will serve as a dining room buffet since that is a piece guest will frequently see. Check out our great selection to find the perfect table for your home!