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Console Tables, Sofa Tables and Hallway Tables

Console tables, also known as hallway tables and sofa tables, have been an interior design staple for centuries – but the uses for them, and how we decorate them, are ever changing. Below, get inspired by some of the current trends in console table styles – and learn how you can use this versatile, chic and affordable design piece to transform your space!

What Is a Console Table?

Smaller than a coffee table but larger than an end table, a console table offers unique versatility: place it against the back of a sofa for convenient surface space, along the wall of an entryway for a standout accent piece – or even in a home office to be used as a makeshift, yet totally chic, work desk!

Where to Place a Console Table

Tip #1: Place a console table behind the sofa. The space between the back of a sofa and the living room wall can be bland and hard-to-reach and for a long time has presented tough challenges for designers everywhere – until the arrival of the console table. Tall and long enough to not feel easily overlooked or out-of-place, yet sleek enough to not compete aesthetically with the sofa itself, console tables are hailed among the design world as one of the easiest ways to spruce up such an awkward, oft-forgotten area.

Tip #2: Place a console table against a hallway wall or dining room. When it comes to your home, you only get one chance to make a good first impression, and there is perhaps no easier way to accomplish this than with a hallway designed with a stunning console table – especially when styled with a select few of your favorite decorative accents.

Tip #3: Place a console table in a home office. While console tables behind sofas and in hallways is a favorite design choice among both contemporary and traditional decorators alike, pairing a console table with a chair, to be used as a desk, is less traditional and more contemporary – and offers a fresh spin on home office style.

Sofa Table Accent Pieces: Ideas for Table Decorating

Get inspired by these sofa table tabletop décor trends:

A stack of two or three coffee table books
Decorative dishes and trays
Candleholders and vases
Figurines, statuettes or collectibles
See-through jars (for displaying rose petals, seashells, hard candies, etc.)
Formations of natural stones and minerals, such as marble, quartz and agate
Aromatherapy diffusers

While what you place on your sofa table is completely up to your taste, getting familiar with some of the current trends in console table décor will help to inspire you when it comes time to redecorate – and keep your look feeling refreshed and up-to-date.

A Note on Material

Metal and glass console tables bring sleeker style. Try either of these materials in a small space to contrast and highlight with textures in rugs, sofas and other pieces. Home decor is all about juxtaposition: complementing colors, materials and shapes effect pleasant style.