Console Tables

A console table is a bit of a godsend - it is usually a good surface for decorative objects or useful things in your home - usually in a hallway, sometimes on a landing and often in a living room or a dining room! It’s like have a very slim sideboard without the bulk or under surface storage.

Good to know: The console table is usually a bit of a display area creating a focal point in the room and as such often has a print or a mirror above it. A hallway console is like having a an extra pair of hands, its somewhere to put your keys, your post or your purse as you run in and out the house. In a living room it can provide the perfect area for displaying gorgeous ornaments, flowers, lamps or photo frames and in a dining room it can be used to give you an extra surface for serving food, or somewhere to put your plates or other things you need for dining. A console table is practical and useful and can often be beautiful too!


Stylist Tip: Console tables are a stylists dream. They are just a surface crying out for being decorated and styled! If you are wondering how to dress your console table, think symmetry. There is nothing more pleasing to the eye than a console table with a focal point above and twin lamps, candlesticks or hurricane lanterns either side and smaller items filling the rest of the space like frames or candles. For stylists tips, read about The Power of 3 on our blog!

Did you know: In 17th century Italy, the console table was extremely fashionable, primarily made for display. It was usually a half-moon shaped top on two legs. The console table was then attached to the wall with an S shaped bracket called a console - making the table look as though it was freestanding. The back was undecorated as the table was only viewed from the side or the front and the top was often made of marble. During this period, many of the pieces of furniture were carved and were as much pieces of sculpture as a piece of furniture, with the supports often being carved human figures, eagles or tumbling cupids and they were often gilded - so extremely ornate display pieces. The French picked up on this trend during the reign of Louis XIV often making pairs of console tables that were designed to be topped with matching mirrors. These particular console tables were one of the most well known examples of the Rococo style which became popular in England and other parts of Europe. During the last quarter of the 18th century, mahogany and satinwood consoles with decoration painted in pale colours were introduced in England….gradually the console table has evolved to mostly be a slim piece of furniture with four legs not two and usually the designs are much more simple than its ornate origins.