One quick and easy way to help create a welcoming home for yourself and your guests is to ensure there’s always a nearby place to put personal belongings. Side tables are the perfect solution for putting your guests more at ease, and every relaxing area in your home needs one!

The Importance of Having Side Tables

We all want a home that’s warm, inviting, and functional – not just for ourselves but for our family and friends. Side tables, often called end tables or accent tables, are a simple and inexpensive way to add functionality and create a welcoming sense of home in any space because they offer a designated area for you and your guests to settle in and get comfortable. Even if you don't allow for food or drinks in certain areas, nearly everyone carries a phone at all times anymore – having a place to easily put those things down as you’re relaxing really elevates that level of comfort.

Side tables can also provide a fun opportunity to discover new shapes, materials, and styles we might otherwise not consider – they’re small and easily interchangeable or moved from room to room, and are therefore the perfect place to take a little risk with your design.

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Where to Place Side Tables

Our general rule is this: anywhere someone might be sitting or relaxing for an extended period of time, indoor or outdoor, and lacks a place where you can put small belongings needs a side table. Whether that be the accent chairs in your living room, your outdoor patio set, or your bathtub, there’s a perfect side table out there for every relaxing spot in your home.

End Table Styles: What to Consider When Shopping for Side Tables

There are so many end table styles, shapes, materials, and colors available, it can be hard to know where to begin. Whatever your interior design style, there are a handful of things to keep in mind when browsing end tables for your home:

1. Function

First ask yourself: How will I be using this table? Side tables serve the obvious purpose of providing a surface on which one can place small belongings, but some end tables have more to offer than just surface area.

For instance, if you’re looking at end tables for your living area or something you can use as a nightstand in your bedroom, side tables with drawers, lower shelves, and/or “cubbies” provide additional storage for stowing away smaller items. If you’d like an accent table next to your bathtub, you may not need as much storage and can choose something smaller and a bit more slim, sleek, or delicate.

Nesting tables provide additional surface area when needed and are easily stacked, making them ideal for smaller spaces that might benefit from the additional flat surfaces.

Outdoor areas benefit from side tables too, of course, so you’ll definitely want to think about the construction of the side table you choose so you know it’ll stand up to the elements.

2. Size

Regardless of where you’re placing your end tables, each should be at a height that’s comfortable to reach from wherever you’re sitting or relaxing.

Most side tables are generally around the same height, so pay close attention to dimensions as you’re making your selections to be certain it’s an appropriate height for the area in which you’ll be placing it.

In terms of overall size as compared to your other pieces, try to choose a table that maintains the balance in your space. If you have a lot of larger, bulkier pieces, consider something sleeker and smaller, and vise versa.

3. Shape

Your style and the shapes of the other pieces in your space will help determine the best shape of side table to choose to ensure your design remains well balanced.

Traditional designs often feature end tables that feature darker-stained wood tones with deep carvings and scroll-shaped legs with ball or claw feet. Modern-inspired spaces, you might consider side tables featuring clean lines, simple curves, and geometric shapes, whereas, with more organic-based designs, you would go with something that more reflects the imperfect, asymmetrical shapes and silhouettes found in nature. And of course, there are so many options out there for every style and blend of styles in between.

It’s fun to mix and match silhouettes of tables with the different pieces you already have. If you have a rectangular coffee table, try a round side table, and vise versa. If you’ve got a lot of organic shapes and curves, incorporate side tables with more of a geometric shape to add interest and contrast to your space. If you’re more of a minimalist when it comes to your design style, choose shapes that coordinate with the shapes of the pieces you’ve got already.

What’s great about side tables is, if it’s not exactly the right shape for one space, it could work really well somewhere else in your home, so you can really have fun moving them around to see what works best where.

4. Weight

Weight is something that ties heavily to your lifestyle. If your household includes small children and/or animals, it’s extremely important to choose more side tables that are more substantial so they’ll remain steady as they get bumped into or overloaded with items. For households without pets or kids, or for rooms with less traffic, you might want a more delicately constructed piece, like something with hairpin legs or made from a less dense material like rattan.

Certain materials offer heavier, sturdier construction for side tables, like wood, plaster, concrete, and stone. Marble is a gorgeous material and can add a luxurious element of nature to your space. Wood is a perfect material for styles heavily influenced by organic, traditional, and industrial styles. and there are a plethora of organic shapes to consider.

5. Durability

More substantial pieces are often made from durable materials, so depending on what you’ll be using your side table for, you’ll want to keep durability in mind, especially when looking to place your side table outside versus indoors.

If you’re afraid of damaging the surfaces of your side tables, this could be a good opportunity to lean into some worn and weathered textures with your side table selection. These perfectly impure types of pieces help hide any “unintentionally contributed impurities” like those accidental knicks or scratches that can sometimes happen while also adding a natural, timelessly aged feel to your space.

6. Material & Color

Introduce interesting new colors and textures into your design with your side table choices that you can easily mix and match with other pieces throughout your home or that you’ve been hesitant to explore on a larger scale.

Say you’ve been considering marble countertops but haven’t been ready to take the plunge for fear of staining/etching the surface – a marble side table will provide the look you want at a far lower investment. If you tend to lean more traditional with your design style choices, choosing a bolder, more eclectic side table is an excellent way to branch out into new looks for your space.

For designs with a lot of wood featured throughout, consider a gold or bronze metal side table for a burst of shine and warmth, or brushed iron for a more worn, aged look. Marble is a gorgeous option for adding natural texture and contrasting color to your design, and it’s extremely sturdy and therefore ideal for homes with children and pets.

A wooden side table can add organic texture and natural warmth to any space. Often used in Modern Farmhouse, Organic Modern, Boho, and Traditional-inspired spaces, wooden side tables are constructed from many types of wood and come in thousands of styles, shapes, and colors. It’s also a great option for outdoor tables, given it’s a natural material. Be mindful of the finish if you’re mixing wood tones and select a color that coordinates well with the rest of your wood-tone palette.

Given their organic shapes and textures, these types of side tables may not provide as flat of a surface as you’d need for holding drinks – something else to consider as you make your end table selections.

Concrete fits beautifully into many modern- and industrial-inspired designs, and even Organic Modern. This material pairs well with geometric shapes and clean lines and works well outdoors since concrete stands up well so well to the elements. Similarly to marble, concrete is a great material to introduce into your space if you’ve been considering incorporating it on a larger scale in your home but have been afraid to face the possibilities of it cracking, scratching, or staining. With a side table, your investment is lower, making it much easier to replace or move if its surface becomes too worn or damaged.

Want more glam in your space? Try a mirrored end table. It packs a high visual punch for a low cost and allows you the freedom to step away from the all-too-safe options and choose something more fun or unique.

Every relaxing area in your home feels more welcoming with a side table.

Have fun with side tables! They’re small are easily interchangeable or moved from room to room and therefore the perfect place to take a little risk with your design. Say you’ve been considering marble countertops but haven’t been ready to take the plunge for fear of staining/etching. Try a marble side table so you get the look you want. Or if you tend to lean more traditional, choosing a bolder, more eclectic side table is an excellent way to branch out into new styles for your space.

Whatever style you pick, you can always use side tables as a simple and fun way to make your space feel more welcoming and explore new looks for your home.