30 best console tables to buy now
Last year, we featured a tiny, jewel box flat on our website. Belonging to Sebastian Bergström, the Swedish apartment is a wonder of space-saving innovation and creativity that set our hearts aflutter with inspiration. Punchily painted architraves, built-in shelving and clever configurations all contribute to a vault of ideas that will likely make you want to rip out your rooms and start again. At the very least, the images will make you want to rearrange your living room and reconsider the space to make it work for you, rather than you for it.
The standout furnishing in the living room was, perhaps counterintuitively, one that could not be seen. Beyond the coffee table, tucked behind the sofa: a console table. The table is a vehicle for decorative objects; lampshades, trinkets, books and candles all stand tall upon it. By placing one along the wall, instead of smushing the sofa against it, Bergström enlarged the space and opened up yet another opportunity for decoration.
We've lined up a varied selection of console tables to suit a variety of design schemes and rooms, from living rooms and bedrooms to hallways and small spaces. Read on to explore our choices.
What is a console table used for?
The console has European roots; originally made to adorn bare walls and long hallways in large chateaux and villas, they existed mostly as decorative furnishings with elaborate carvings and intricate designs. However, as time has passed, they’ve become more practical pieces, acting as a homes for table lamps, remotes and vases. Cups of tea are surely placed on them during TV marathons.
Thanks to the console tables' elegant proportions (they are narrower and taller than most of their related furnishings), they are perfect for areas like entrance halls. Unlike their more attention-seeking counterpart, the coffee table, the console table seeks to create balance and beauty on the outskirts of a room and, unlike their more hardworking cousin, the side table, they exist for beauty as well as service.
Where to place a console table?
The use of a console table is not a groundbreaking thing. It is, however, often overlooked. When a space is narrow, it is frequently the best furnishing to insert into it. When a bedroom requires more surface space, a console table will do the job nicely, without taking up as much room as a desk or dressing table. Traditionally a console table would sit up against a wall or behind the sofa. However, you are at liberty to place it wherever you think it may look best–and that extends beyond the living room too. Hallways, bedrooms, libraries and more can benefit greatly from these handy tables. For inspiration on how to use a console table, see our hallway ideas gallery.
Best console tables to buy 2025
