Design Ideas: Side Tables to Infuse a Room with Style & Comfort

We all know the struggle when it comes to decorating our living room. It’s the space where we spend most of our time, so obviously, we want to make it functional and comfortable. We also want it to represent us and our personal style, which puts us under further stress when choosing appropriate furniture. What kind of sofa to pick, where to put the TV, which shades of colour to use how to arrange everything so that it’s both practical and tasteful – all of these questions run through our minds over and over again.

During all this organisation and stress, it’s pretty normal to overlook the importance of the smaller design pieces, which could really help take the entire room décor to the next level. They are the ones that complement the substantial elements, and through them, we can express our uniqueness. One such piece is the side table, or also often referred to as lamp table.

Side tables are small compact tables that are usually placed on the sides of other furniture, such as couches, chairs or even next to bigger tables for a more sophisticated look. Many can think of them as useless pieces of furniture, gathering dust at the corner of the room. But that doesn’t have to be the case. If styled right, you can get a lot from this element.

An Addition to Your Comfort

Picture this. You come home from a long day at work and you just want to get under a blanket, sip a cup of tea or coffee and relax in front of the TV. This is where a sidetable could come in handy. After you’ve made yourself comfortable on the sofa or an armchair, you don’t even think about getting up. The only thing you need to do is reach and grab a cup or a good book from your side table. With a set of gorgeous side tables to complement your living room, you’ll always have everything you need within reach. You won’t even have to move at all or lean over to get what you need. It’s perfect for those lazy days when you simply can’t be bothered, and want to have every little thing at your fingertips.

Style Booster

Feeling like your sofa is too boring and just blends into the background of the living room? Here’s an idea! Put a side table on both sides of the sofa, decorate them with some cute items and this area will instantly stand out. You’ve just made a stylish addition to your living room.

But you might not even need to decorate them. There are many lamp tables with elaborate designs, so you won’t need anything else to highlight that part of the room.

Perhaps you wish for a splash of colour in the room but you don’t want it to be explicit. A vibrant side table can be of used here to give you that tastefully colourful touch.

A Mood Creator

Also known as lamp tables, these furniture pieces are meant to be used as a place for lamps. You can use this to upgrade your living room lighting scheme, and thus control the mood in the space. For instance, if you feel that the room lacks illumination, having a couple of lamps on each side of the sofa can make it brighter and livelier.

But even if you feel that the overhead lighting is bright enough, and want to create a more intimate, subdued mood, the lamp tables can also come to the rescue. Low lighting creates soft shades, making the room feel more soothing. So, you can just switch off the overhead lighting, turn on a lamp and you have the perfect ambience to simply relax, listen to music or read.

An Opportunity for All Kinds of Decor

Besides lamps, you can give this table a personal touch by adding other decorations. If you are a book lover, display two or three of your favourite titles. Or find some books with beautifully designed covers if aesthetics are your thing. Match them with the rest of the design or pick contrasting patterns to give that tabletop a pop of colour. You can easily switch them up with other books when you feel like the spot needs refreshing.

If you are more of a plant person, try decorating the lamp table with your favourite ones. Lately, they are stealing the spotlight, especially as the minimalist lifestyle grows in popularity. If you have a Scandinavian space, greenery is one of the loveliest ideas to decorate it. But regardless of what your interior style is, you can give it more dimension by using these small tables to place several plants at different heights. This will make the room feel fresh and vibrant without creating unnecessary clutter.

You can also lay out some pieces that have sentimental value. Maybe it’s a f that you bought on a trip, or a candle, or even a picture that you framed. They will be right there in front of you to remind you of those great memories.

Where to Put a Side Table?

Apart from living rooms, side tables can be a valuable piece of furniture in any other part of your home. They are easily movable, which means that you are not restricted to choosing one place for them to stay there.

Create symmetry by putting a classical, small side table on each side of the bed in the bedroom. Use them as a place for a reading light and have all of your essentials at hand.

Place a side table in your bathroom if you need extra space for your toiletries and towels. Put it close to your bathtub for when you want to watch a show or simply unwind with a glass of wine.

Small hallways present a challenge. You need a space for a hanger, for your shoes and other basics, but you can’t fit it all in. A side table would be a perfect fit. Choose one with a drawer or more shelves, and add some decorative dishes on the top for all of your keys, masks and other things that you need whenever you go out.

Materials

Regarding the material, there are many possibilities and combinations. You may want first to look at the overall design of the room so that the material of the side table is cohesive with the rest of the furniture. Wooden tables are probably the most popular since they are easy to maintain and come in various styles for you to choose.

With metal side tables, you can achieve that contemporary look, or go for marble if refined and luxurious is your style. Then, there are also glass tables. Normally, only the top of the table is made from glass and it’s paired with other materials, such as metal. Bear in mind that it will need regular cleaning because glass makes stains more visible.