Side Tables

In practice, very little. The names describe intended use rather than a distinct way of building a table. A lamp table tends to be slightly taller and narrower, designed specifically to carry a table lamp at the right height beside a chair or sofa. An occasional table is a small table used as and when it is needed. Side table is the broadest term and the one most commonly used in living room contexts.

Aim for a table that sits within 5cm of your sofa's armrest height, which for most UK sofas means somewhere between 50cm and 65cm from the floor. A table that falls much lower than the armrest makes reaching for a drink or switching off a lamp feel effortful, while one that sits noticeably higher creates an awkward visual step that disrupts the proportions of the room. Measure your armrest height from the floor before you buy. If the table will sit beside a bed rather than a sofa, the same logic applies: aim for a height within 5cm of the top of your mattress, including any topper. Most UK bed-and-mattress combinations land between 55cm and 65cm, which is why the majority of our side tables fall within that range.

Proportion is everything: a table that is too small beside a deep, generous sofa looks lost, while one that is too large in a compact room feels intrusive. Aim for a top between 35cm and 55cm wide, enough to hold a lamp and a mug without crowding the seating area. A depth of 30-45cm suits most settings, with narrower tables of around 30-35cm working better in smaller British rooms where floor space is at a premium. Leave at least 5-10cm between the table and the sofa arm, so the arrangement feels considered rather than cramped. For rooms under roughly 15 square metres, a slimmer profile is usually the wiser choice, and a piece with visual lightness, such as open legs and a smaller footprint, will feel far less imposing than a solid, chunky design.

The range spans several materials. Reclaimed elm and reclaimed teak are the core timbers in our own-design pieces, sourced for their grain variation and natural colour, and no two pieces are identical because no two sections of reclaimed wood are. Solid oak, elm, teak and pine appear across both our new designs and many of the antique and vintage pieces, and all are solid throughout, with no veneered board or engineered alternatives. Veneer does not age in the same way and cannot be repaired in the same way. Marble features in a small number of pieces. It is heavy, cool to the touch and unforgiving of spills left to sit, so it suits lower-traffic settings better than a family kitchen or a busy sitting room. Antique and vintage pieces bring their own material histories, such as a nineteenth-century French side table in fruitwood or a Hungarian farmhouse piece in painted pine.

Construction is the thing most buyers overlook, as a table can look good and still be poorly made. Start with the joints: traditional mortise and tenon or dovetail joinery indicates a piece built to be repaired and to last, while dowels and glue alone are a compromise. Look for solid wood throughout rather than veneered board or engineered alternatives. Weight is a clue too, as a well-made solid wood table has a satisfying heft, and very light pieces often indicate thinner timber or hollow construction. Handles, hinges and fittings should feel proportionate and substantial, because cheap hardware is often the first thing to fail. Finally, run your hand across the surface and edges: a well-finished piece feels smooth and considered, with edge profiles that soften rather than cut.

Yes, provided the height works with your mattress. The surface requirements are similar: enough room for a lamp, a glass of water and whatever you reach for in the night, which most side tables with a top of 40cm or more manage comfortably. If you rely on a bedside drawer for storage, a simple open-topped side table may not be enough. If you prefer a cleaner, less cluttered arrangement, such as a lamp and a book and nothing more, a side table often suits a bedroom well.

There is no fixed rule, but a useful starting point is one table beside each main seating position. For a sofa with an armchair arrangement, two tables is typical, one at either end of the seating group. A single well-chosen piece can work just as well if the room is smaller or the layout calls for it. Symmetry is not required: two tables of different heights, shapes or materials can work well together, provided they share something, such as a wood tone, a period or a general weight, that makes the pairing feel intentional rather than accidental.