Console Table Design Ideas for Pakistani Homes
By Metify Homes
A console table is a long, narrow table that stands against a wall. That is all it is. You will also hear it called a hallway table, a foyer table, an entrance table or a sofa table, depending on where it ends up. The furniture is the same.
What makes it useful is the shape. It is shallow enough to fit where no other furniture can, and long enough to turn a blank wall into something worth looking at.
Standard sizes
| Measurement | Usual range | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Height | 30 to 34 in (76 to 86 cm) | Behind a sofa, level with the sofa back or an inch or two below |
| Depth | 12 to 16 in (30 to 40 cm) | In a passage, leave at least 3 ft (90 cm) of clear walkway in front |
| Length | 3 to 5 ft (90 to 150 cm) | Shorter than the wall it stands on, with space at both ends |
Depth is the number that catches people out. Sixteen inches does not sound like much until it is in a four-foot-wide entrance and everyone turns sideways to pass. Measure the passage first.
Designs by material
Solid wood. Sheesham is the usual choice here, and for good reason: it is hard, it takes polish well and it lasts decades. A plain sheesham console with straight legs suits almost any house. Ask whether the wood is seasoned. Unseasoned wood warps and cracks in the first dry winter, and it is what termites find first.
Chinioti carved. Hand-carved panels and legs in the Chiniot tradition. It is a statement piece and belongs in a formal drawing room or a large entrance, with plain walls around it. In a small flat it overwhelms the space.
Metal frame with a marble or glass top. Thin gold or black legs under a slab of marble or tempered glass. It looks light because you can see the floor under it, which helps in a narrow hall. Check that a marble top is real stone if you are paying for it. Printed laminate looks similar in photos.
Mirrored and glass. All-mirror or all-glass consoles reflect light and make a dark entrance brighter. They show every fingerprint and need care around children.
Lasani or MDF with a laminate finish. The budget option, in any colour. Fine for a dry indoor wall. Keep it away from damp walls and wet mopping, because the edges swell once water gets in.
With drawers or a lower shelf. The practical version. Drawers swallow keys, chargers and bills. A lower shelf holds baskets, and at the entrance those baskets can hold the family’s chappals.
Half-moon. A semicircular top, flat side to the wall. With no corners to catch a hip, it is the best shape for a tight passage.
Wall-mounted. A floating shelf-style console with no legs. It keeps the floor clear for mopping and suits very small entrances.
Where to put one
The entrance. The classic place. It gives you somewhere to drop keys and gives guests something to look at while they take off their shoes. Add a mirror above it and the entrance feels twice as wide.
A blank lounge or drawing room wall. The long wall that has nothing on it. A console with two lamps and a painting above solves it.
Behind the sofa. When the sofa stands away from the wall or backs onto the dining area, a console behind it finishes the back of the sofa and holds lamps at exactly the right height for reading.
The dining room. As a serving table. Dishes, the water jug and dessert sit there and not on a crowded table. Choose a top that takes heat and spills: stone or a well-sealed wood.
The bedroom. With a mirror above and a stool below, a console becomes a slim dressing table.
Under a television it is a different piece of furniture with different sizing. See what is a media console.
How to style it
A bare console looks like something is missing. A crowded one looks like a shelf in a shop. The arrangement that works nearly every time uses three heights.
Something tall at one end. A table lamp, 26 to 32 inches high, is the natural choice. It also gives the entrance a soft light in the evening. See table lamps.
Something medium at the other end. A vase with branches, or a plant.
Something low in between. A tray for keys, a stack of two or three books, a bowl.
For a formal, symmetrical look, use two matching lamps, one at each end, and one low object in the centre.
The mirror or painting above. Its width should be about two-thirds of the console’s length. Hang it so the bottom edge is 6 to 8 inches above the tabletop. Any higher and the two stop looking like a pair.
Under the table. Two small stools or a pair of baskets fill the gap between the legs and make the whole thing look settled.
Lighting a console
A lamp on the console is the simplest. Check there is a socket on that wall before you decide where the table goes, or the lamp cable will trail across the floor. The alternatives are a pair of wall lights either side of the mirror, or a picture light above a painting.
What to check before you buy
Depth against your passage width, leaving 3 feet clear.
Height against your sofa back, if it goes behind one.
The gap for the skirting. A console with straight back legs will not sit flush against a wall with a deep skirting tile.
Drawers: do they run on metal runners, and do they close square?
The finish. Lacquer polish resists water rings better than a simple spirit polish.
Weight. A heavy top on thin legs should not wobble when you press one corner.
See what is currently available in our consoles collection.