What are the Potential Uses of Side Tables Around the Home?

Side tables are the workhorses of your living room furniture. Small but practical, a good side table can sit next to your sofa and provide a place to set down a cup of tea or add some additional lighting with a table lamp. 

However, there are a huge number of potential uses for occasional tables that go well beyond their basic purposes, letting you get creative with this versatile furniture type and bring both style and function to any room. Read on for some of our favourite unique ways to utilise side tables throughout your home. 

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Create a small display

Who says that side tables have to stay tucked away next to a sofa? If you haven’t got space for a large console or coffee table, or if you simply want to add a few more decorative details to your decor, a side table can create the perfect base for trinkets, figurines, and more. You can even use a few side tables together to set up a statement-making centrepiece. 

Use it as a nightstand

While this isn’t a particularly unconventional way to utilise a side table, it’s one you may not have thought of. Side tables and bedside tables are fairly similar in design, but if you want something that’s taller than a traditional bedside table or you can’t find exactly the style you’re looking for when you’re shopping nightstands, have a look at occasional tables and you might come across exactly what you want. 

Add unexpected under-desk storage

If you have a desk in your home office area that lacks built-in drawers or shelves, a side table that features one or both can be a creative way to add storage to a workspace essential. Because many side tables are conveniently low-profile, you can simply slide one underneath your desk and give yourself a place to clear away clutter with ease. 

Put a tabletop where you need it

Side tables and occasional tables are normally used in the living room, but there’s no reason you can’t add surface space wherever you need it by placing a side table in another room of your home. Because side tables are compact and usually simple in design, they can make a great addition to a bathroom, utility room, or anywhere you might need to set things down but keep them close at hand. 

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Create contrast and texture

There are plenty of style and material options for side tables, and they can be an appealing way to add contrast to your space. If your floor is covered with a soft, shag carpet or rug, you can sharpen the edges of your home decor with a chic metal or glass side table. Similarly, if your sofa uses clean, straight lines, bring a bit of organic inspiration to your space with a curved occasional table. 

Bring levels to a room

When all your furniture is the same height, it flattens the look of your room and makes it uninteresting. A side table is a great way to create levels and bring dimension to a space. Pair a side table with a floor lamp or set a table lamp atop it to create an appealing cluster of different heights. You can also choose a side table that is higher (or lower) than your coffee table for a tiered surface look. 

Emphasise your colour scheme

Side tables are a great way to spotlight the colour palette you choose for a room. Because they are a small but important piece of furniture, they help to tie your decor together, so if you’re looking to showcase a certain style or colour scheme for a room, side tables will do the trick to spotlight your design choice. 

Fake a coffee table

Most living rooms have coffee tables and end tables, but in a small room you may not have space for both. If this is the case, you can forgo a coffee table all together and replace it with two matching side tables. Push them together in front of your sofa to create a larger, coffee-style table when needed, and separate them when not in use to act as more traditional side tables.

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Shop side tables online and in-store at Corcoran’s 

You can find a host of side table options online at the Corcoran’s website: shop now and find the perfect side table for any room of your home. Side tables for any purpose are just a click away! Or, visit any of our Kerry and Limerick showrooms to see even more side table options and shop occasional tables to suit every style and budget. 

And for more great tips on super versatile furniture and living room decor, check out these related blog posts: 

• The best coffee table decor
• 5 ways to use small console tables
• Top 10: space-saving furniture