Side tables

Side table buyer’s guide

A side table – or more than one – is an essential addition to any living room scheme and our selection includes designs to suit every taste. As well as options for classic, industrial, or modern rooms, we offer upholstered designs that can soften the lines of the room as well as introducing colour and/or pattern to the scheme. Sized to fit alongside a sofa or armchair, a side table provides a surface to set down cups and glasses, a place to add a table lamp for more intimate lighting than an overhead pendant provides, and a place for display to boost the decorative appeal of the room. If your living room is particularly compact, a side table can take the place of a coffee table to ensure easy circulation through the room and allow those seated to stretch out their legs. But even in more generously sized rooms where fitting a coffee table isn’t an issue, adding side tables is worthwhile to help provide surfaces within easy reach of every seat in the room.

Choosing between side tables

To complement every home our selection of side tables includes painted versions, oak and metal designs, instant tables, which feature a draped tablecloth below the side table surface, and upholstered cubes and stools. Which will suit your room best? Use our guidelines to find the right solution for your room. Painted side tables offer plenty of opportunity to individualise your choice. You can pick from a range of paint shades including subtle neutrals with both classic and contemporary credentials, or deeper paint shades that create a modern effect. For a side table with drawers, like the Tuvan two drawer side table, you can also select the drawer knobs you prefer from our large collection. Upholstered side table designs such as our cubes, stools and Rochester instant table also give you the opportunity to personalise the look with your choice of fabric. Pick from our collections, or send in your own fabric. If you want to give your room an industrial twist instead, our Rochester square and round side tables are the top options. 


Selecting side tables for a living room

Consider whether it’s simply a table surface you need or whether storage should be incorporated in the side tables for a living room. Side table storage might be in the form of drawers, as featured in our Tuvan two drawer side table, or an open shelf, which our Bruton side table includes. If what you need to put away inside the side table is small, or not really what you want on show, a design with drawers will be the right choice. For extra display space, though, a lower shelf is ideal. If it’s really generous storage you need, consider a storage cube like our Bruton design. You’ll be able to lift off the lid to tidy items like magazines, but also cushions and throws, because there’s plenty of room inside. Think, too, about the lines of your room when you’re selecting side tables. Square shaped side tables have an unfussy presence, but you might want the softening effect of curves, which you can find in our Rochester round side table or Ripley drum stools.

The benefits of an oak side table

If you like the idea of introducing a beautiful tactile natural surface with your choice of design, look for an oak side table. We use an oak tabletop for both our Rochester square side table and Rochester round side table, so you can pick an angular or gentler shape as you prefer. The oak we use has wonderful natural grain and a mid tone that makes it an attractive addition to a room of any style. You can choose from a table with the timber in its natural state, or it can be supplied with a Danish oil finish that gives it richer colour as well as added protection. If you opt for the latter, it’s simple to re-treat the wood from time to time for added depth.