Side Tables
That item has been discontinued, but here are similar options.
A side table, or end table, decides whether a sofa or a bed looks finished or abandoned, and it does most of that work in shadow. Our side tables run from compact wood and stone pieces to sculptural metal forms, and if the space is tight, the small side tables keep every top at 22" wide or less without giving up the look.
Side Tables Hold the Edge of a Room
A side table gives the sofa arm somewhere to end, gives a lamp a height to work from, and gives your hand a place to land at night without searching. That is a lot to ask of a small piece.
Shape changes the job. A broad top with a shelf below handles a lamp, a stack of books and a remote. A narrow pedestal handles a glass and a little light, then gets out of the way. When the piece is there for presence rather than storage, the accent tables lean sculptural, with drum, pedestal and stone forms that read as objects first. Go smaller again and the drink tables hold a glass and almost nothing else, which is exactly right beside a deep lounge chair.
How to Choose a Side Table
Side Table Height Follows the Arm
The most common mistake is buying by looks and discovering the top sits well above or well below the sofa arm. Aim for a top level with the arm or an inch or two under it. Too tall and the table looms over the seat. Too short and every reach becomes a stoop. Our side tables cover a wide band of heights, so measure the arm first and shop second. The same logic keeps a side table from competing with the coffee tables in the middle of the room, since one stands at arm level and the other sits low at the knee.
End Tables Beside the Bed
Plenty of end tables do double duty as nightstands, and that works well when the bed is low or the room is small. Here the measurement is the mattress, not the sofa arm. A top near the mattress line lets you set down a glass without twisting. A drawer earns its place beside a bed, because the small clutter that gathers there at night looks better out of sight by morning.
Wood, Stone or Metal Side Tables
Material sets the mood more than shape does. Walnut and oak absorb lamplight and give it back warm, so a wood side table settles into a darker room without much contrast. Marble and travertine hold a cool sheen even in the evening, which gives a quiet corner a point of interest. Iron and brass draw a thin, sharp line with the least visual weight of the three, useful when the sofa is already heavy. Glass tops nearly disappear, which is either the goal or the problem, depending on how much the corner needs anchoring.
End Tables and Side Tables in a Moody Room
A Pair or a Single
A matched pair of end tables flanking a sofa gives a formal room its frame. It also doubles whatever the tables carry, so two heavy stone pieces can weigh a seating area down. A single side table on one arm, with a floor lamp on the other, feels looser and more lived in. I lean toward pairs in a living room built around a fireplace or a big window, and toward singles almost everywhere else.
Side Table Size Starts With the Lamp
If a table lamp will live on it, the top needs to hold the lamp base with room left over for a cup or a book. A lamp that fills the top edge to edge looks crowded and gets knocked. If the light comes from a floor lamp or a sconce instead, a much smaller surface is enough, and the table can be chosen for its silhouette rather than its square footage.
Seven in the Evening
Most of the time a side table is seen in low light, from a seated position, at arm's length. That is when the grain shows and the edge of a stone top picks up the lamp, while a dark metal base drops away and leaves the top floating. Daylight forgives a lot, so judge the piece by the evening view: one lamp on, the rest of the room dark.
End Tables and Side Tables: Questions We Hear
What is the difference between an end table and a side table?
Mostly the name. An end table traditionally sits at the end of a sofa, while a side table can stand beside a chair, a bed or anywhere a hand needs a place to land. Every piece on this page works as either, so choose by height and size and ignore the label.
How tall should an end table be?
Match the height of the sofa arm, or go an inch or two lower. Next to a bed, aim for the top of the mattress.
What size end table works in a small living room?
Look for a top 22" wide or less, and leave a clear path past it. A pedestal or a thin metal frame keeps the floor visible and the corner light. When one surface is not enough, a pair of nesting tables gives you two tops in the footprint of one.
Do you have end tables with storage?
Yes, more than 80 of them. More than 40 have a drawer, about 30 have an open shelf or a lower tier, and the rest close behind doors or have cubbies tucked underneath. A shelf suits the sofa, holding books and the remote without hiding the frame.