Accent Tables
That item has been discontinued, but here are similar options.
An accent table is the one table in a room bought for how it looks first, a sculptural pedestal, drum or stone form that holds a glass and draws the eye. These sit at the design-led end of our side tables, chosen to give a corner a point of focus rather than more storage.
What an Accent Table Does to a Room
Most furniture is there to be used. An accent table is there to be noticed, and then used. Its small top keeps the visual weight in the base, so the silhouette does the talking: a single pedestal, a solid drum, a slab of veined stone, a thin ring of brass. In a room of soft upholstery, one of these gives the eye a hard edge to rest on.
The top on an accent table is 18" across or less, or 11" deep or less for the slim pieces that stand against a wall or beside a bed. The smallest of the group shade into drink tables, built to hold one glass beside a deep chair. For a softer outline, the round accent tables lose every corner and sit easily in the curve of a sofa arm.
How to Choose an Accent Table
A Small Accent Table Lives on Its Base
With so little top, the base is the design. A pedestal reads light and upright. A drum reads solid and grounded, the heavier presence of the two. A thin metal frame almost vanishes in a dark room. The gold accent tables take the opposite approach, with brass and gold finishes that catch the lamp and glow at the edge of the room. If what you need is a practical surface for a tight spot, the small side tables are the better place to look, since that collection is chosen for fit before form.
The Accent Side Table Beside a Chair
Statement pieces often end up where a working surface belongs. An accent side table beside a reading chair holds a glass, a phone, maybe a small lamp, and that is all. Ask it to carry a stack of books and a full-size lamp and it looks cluttered and feels unsteady. Give it a light load and it stays the sculptural thing you bought it for.
Stone, Metal or Wood
Marble and travertine bring cool weight and a veined surface that changes with the light. Brass and iron bring line and shine. Walnut, oak and mango bring warmth and a grain that reads richer under a lamp. Material also reads differently from across the room than it does up close. Stone and brass carry clearly at a distance, while dark wood can merge into the floor unless something lighter sits behind it.
Placing Accent Tables in a Moody Room
One Accent Table, Not Three
An accent table works because it is the exception. One sculptural piece beside a sofa reads as a decision. Three scattered through the room start to look like things you could not choose between. Pair it with a quieter, more practical table on the other arm if you need the surface, and let the accent piece be the one people ask about.
Lighting the Accent Table
Put it where the light falls. A marble top beside a lamp gives a soft gleam, and a brass base under a reading light shows a warm edge in a dim room. Set the same table in an unlit corner and it turns into a silhouette, which can be beautiful too, as long as you meant it.
The Last Thing You Add
I usually tell people to buy an accent table last. Once the sofa, rug and lighting are in place, the gap that needs a sculptural note becomes obvious, and so do the size and finish that will answer it. Chosen that way, it fills a gap you can already see, in a size and finish the room has already asked for.