A long, thin table perfect for the edges of an open-plan space or a narrow hallway, console tables are a brilliant way to organise your entranceway, frame a mirror in a small bedroom or add texture and dimension to the walls of almost any room.

In some respects, a console table is the perfect encapsulation of rustic industrial design; our 15 years of experience working with scaffold boards has brought us to the most elegantly simple and timeless type of furniture that can be made using reclaimed wood.

To understand why a reclaimed wood console table might be the missing piece of furniture in your home, here is a guide to what they are, how they are used in various rooms and top tips for how to ensure that they look their absolute best.

A console table is a shallow table which is designed to fit flush against a wall, the back of a sofa or any solid surface. 

A loanword from the French word for bracket, console tables typically use brackets and a single pair of legs to support themselves, although freestanding options are sometimes available.

Unlike a set of shelves, which are typically placed closer to eye or chest level, console tables tend to be placed at table height, which in the case of our rounded rustic console table would stand at around 84 centimetres (34 inches).

They were originally derived from the pier table, a similar wall-mounted shallow table designed to fit in the space between windows in larger rooms, hallways and galleries, often located underneath a trumeau mirror in 16th-century homes.

These days, however, a console table can be used practically anywhere as a convenient place to place plants, store small valuables and otherwise add a finishing touch to a room.

Console tables were traditionally used for decorative purposes; some historically did not have anything placed on them and served as the base of a mirror, whilst others evolved into a prototypical version of the sideboard or buffet. 

Whilst there was certainly a point in the recent history of interior design where it felt like floating shelves were utterly ubiquitous in every interior design magazine and across the aesthetics of social media, floating shelves are best installed in very minimalist design styles.

If you are laying out a room with the goal to enhance your space as much as possible and maximise the clean lines of your reclaimed wood furniture, floating shelves are an excellent addition.

In particular, styles such as Scandinavian minimalism, with its mix of neutral shades and natural textures, benefit considerably from a bracketless set of shelves, particularly if they are being used for greenery or similarly biophilic decoration. 

Pair white or off-white walls with an accent wall with reclaimed scaff brick cladding, and floating shelves can continue to impress, but the era of integrating floating shelves everywhere appears to be over.

If you have ever walked into a room and wanted just a little bit of extra storage space, whether it is a spot to place your keys, a sideboard for food or a decorative shelf with extra dimension, a console table is the perfect addition to your room.

Because they are narrow and shallow enough to fit in practically any room, console tables do not have one specific use or one specific design.

They can be ornate and highly decorative accent pieces in their own right, or add a more subtle dimension to your room. Our rustic console tables with their hairpin legs and beautiful woodgrain finishes can provide both depending on where and how they are used.

To help with this, here are some of the main rooms in which you would likely see a console table and what they are used for.

Hallways, Receptions, Landings And Porches

Given how narrow they are and how they fit flush to a wall, it is common to find console tables lining the walls of hallways, receptions, landings, porches and any narrow part of your home.

Whilst they are often not strictly rooms in themselves, there is often some need for storage, even if it is just so you can take items out of your pockets to put onto a surface or put a glass down onto a coaster.

In many respects, hallways see the most traditional use of a console table; many either house a freestanding mirror or are placed under a wall mirror to catch the eye or create a focal point for your guests as you welcome them into your home.

Dining Rooms

In the continuing spirit of the buffet or sideboard, a console table is designed for holding food as a convenient middle point between the kitchen and the dining table itself.

In many open plan spaces such as industrial-style lofts, the kitchen and dining area are often part of one large open plan space, but the concept still endures as a place to hold side plates, candles and various accoutrements.

In some cases, where a dining room is also used as a quieter additional social space, a console table can also be used as a makeshift bar for mixing drinks, holding glasses and displaying bottles and decanters of all kinds of beverages.

Bedrooms

A console table also serves as an effective vanity table, especially if you pair it with a stool or reclaimed wooden bench.

Adding a mirror, some subtle lighting and your pampering tools of choice can create a simple but elegant place for you to get ready in the morning.

Sofa Tables

Some sofa tables are designed to be placed at the back of the sofa, often being explicitly known as sofa tables.

These are very useful in open-plan loft spaces where your living area is not necessarily placed against a wall but instead sits closer to the centre of the room.

Having a sofa table is not only useful for practical space-saving reasons, but also as a way to zone your room into particular areas.

Media Rooms

If you want a minimalist, low-key media wall storage solution, a console table is often the perfect height underneath a wall-mounted television to store remotes, games consoles and controllers, as well as other media accessories you want close to hand.

However, because console tables can be fairly minimalist, they work best as one part of a larger media wall rather than as your only storage option in a media space.

Additional Accents For Other Rooms

As noted above, console tables were designed to act as accent tables, providing a place for your eyes to focus and where you can create stylistic flourishes by grouping certain accessories together, as well as avoid clutter by keeping all your necessities in one place.

Ready to bring authentic industrial character to every room of your home? Explore our collection of reclaimed scaffold board console tables, taking advantage of their unique shape and style to provide a timeless industrial aesthetic.