Discover our top console styling tips for a versatile, stylish, and functional addition to any room of the home. Console tables serve as an effective storage solution and a place to showcase your favourite items.
Consoles were primarily decorative pieces reserved for grand manors and palaces but are now a piece that fits into any decor style, prioritising both form & function. Console tables are often found in entryways and foyers but are equally at home in a living room, bedroom, patio, or dining room.
Due to the versatility of console tables in the home today, the term 'console' typically describes any table that features a visually open design with minimal built-in storage and long legs.
Standard console tables are usually an average height of 80cm (ranging from 75-85cm high), and you will often find them positioned against a wall, within a small nook, or underneath a windowsill. It is important to always measure the width, depth, and height of your space to guarantee your console looks intentional and curated, not cramped or too tall for the space.
Table of Contents
- Console Styling Tips: Identify your Décor style
- Console Styling Tips: Select your Table Style
- Console Styling Tips: Entryways
- Entryway Key Items:
- Console Styling Tips: An Anchor Piece
- Console Styling Tips: The Living Room
- Living Room Key Items
- Console Styling Tips: Lighting
- Console Styling Tips: Accessories
- Console Styling Tips: The Dining Room
- Dining Room Key Items
- Console Styling Tips: Personalise
Console Styling Tips: Identify your Décor style
We recommend exploring our Style Library for step-by-step styling tips for a range of decor styles, or take our
Interior Style Personality Quiz if you are still discovering your unique style.
Console Styling Tips: Select your Table Style
Decide on the material, size, and storage capacity.
The material you select should complement the décor style you are working with; for example, a stripped pine or rustic antique console suits a Relaxed Country style, whereas a marbled or ornately carved console is better suited for Parisian style decor.
Next, select a storage option that caters to your needs and prioritises function and organisation.
Hidden storage may include built-in drawers or lidded baskets, chests, and benches that can be placed underneath the console to hide away seasonal items or knick-knacks.
Open storage includes tiered and open shelving and typically serves to display additional decor.
Measure the space you are placing the console in.
Open plan spaces, such as a large open foyer, can be anchored with the inclusion of a round table placed in the centre as a transitional piece. If you opt for a round table instead of a traditional console, make sure the table and decor you select do not have a 'front' and 'back.' Instead, they need to have a visual presence from every angle.
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Console Styling Tips: Entryways
Entryway consoles typically come in a larger range of shapes and sizes, such as rectangular, round, and half-moon.
When choosing an anchor piece for your console, select a large mirror to help reflect light for a spacious feel. In smaller spaces, keep the look neutral so the eye can be drawn to your selected accent piece. Include a small tray or dish to store the mail & keys.
Tips for Entryway Consoles:
When styling your entryway, prioritise functionality and organisation. For extra storage, add in woven baskets, storage ottomans, chests, or trunks underneath.
Areas with an abundance of blank wall space favour long rectangular consoles, which can be framed with additional pieces such as a coat rack, tall plant, umbrella holder, shoe tray, catchall, or an accent piece such as a chair, ottoman, pedestal, or small bench.
Smaller spaces favour half-moon, low or narrow consoles to help maximise the wall space.
Image Source: Suzie Anderson Home
Entryway Key Items:
Anchor Piece:
Centre Mirrors or Art as the key element.
Lighting:
Frame your accent pieces with wall sconces or table lamps. If you have a ceiling pendant or chandelier, position your console to centre the light source to achieve symmetry.
Accessories:
- Lustre: a tall glass vase, mirrored trinket box, glossy ceramics, photo frame, or candle.
- Living: fresh unstructured floral arrangement, potted plant, dried foliage, or fresh greenery.
- Loved: stacked coffee table books, a large ceramic vessel or ginger jar, sculptural pieces, room spray/diffuser, baskets, or pretty trays.
Console Styling Tips: An Anchor Piece
Anchor pieces include a mounted wall mirror, sculpture, artwork, or window.
If your console is against a wall, make sure your artwork or mirror is mounted at eye level and less than the width of your console to prevent your design from looking top-heavy.
If your console is situated below a small niche, your anchor piece should fill no more than two-thirds of the space to keep some breathing room.
Image Source: Suzie Anderson Home
Console Styling Tips: The Living Room
Living room consoles give your space an instant refresh and a platform for showcasing different looks throughout the seasons.
Behind-the-sofa consoles function as a transitional piece, whereas wall consoles can fill the outer edges of a room, and frame a windowsill or fireplace.
Utilise the console to store additional seating underneath or a pair of baskets to store firewood or throws in the cooler months.
Tips for Behind-the-Sofa Consoles:
When selecting a behind-the-sofa console, make sure the console is at least 2.54cm (1 inch) lower than the back frame of your sofa. Most sofas range from 76-91 cm high, so if your sofa is 85cm high, you will want to select a console that is no higher than 82 cm high.
Following this general measurement rule ensures the console acts as a stylish anchor and a transitional piece for an open-plan living room.
Modern sofas tend to sit quite low, in which case a low bench or ottoman may be a better alternative for your space.
Image Source: Suzie Anderson Home
Image Source: Suzie Anderson Home
Living Room Key Items
Anchor Piece:
If against a wall, opt for a large mirror or piece of art. If against a window or behind the sofa, incorporate a large sculptural piece or artwork on a table easel.
Lighting:
Place a lamp or pair of table lamps on either side of the console or a hurricane if power is not available.
Accessories:
- Lustre: vases, trinket boxes, pewter or mirrored trays, photo frames, tea-light holders and candles.
- Living: fresh foliage or a floral arrangement or placed underneath in a planter basket.
- Loved: items from your travels, family heirlooms, seasonal or festive items, natural found objects such as coral, pinecones, shells and driftwood, stacked coffee table books, ginger jars, artwork, storage baskets & pretty trays.
Console Styling Tips: Lighting
Wall sconces and table lamps will illuminate the space and add visual interest and height to your design.
Ambient lighting in the form of a ceiling pendant or chandelier brings an element of charm and character whilst anchoring the space.
Lastly, set the mood with candles to create an inviting atmosphere and elevate your space with a signature scent.
Image Source: Suzie Anderson Home
Console Styling Tips: Accessories
When accessorising, balancing form & function is key.
To create a coherent look, layering complimentary and contrasting materials, textures, shapes, sizes, colours and heights is essential.
For example, woods create warmth, whereas a gloss or sheen brings an element of glam. If you are lacking textural materials, adding in a woven floor rug brings a textural element whilst indicating a subtle visual boundary.
Console Styling Tips: The Dining Room
If you currently have a separate dining space, a long slim console can provide a practical storage solution and functions as a stylish alternative to a display cabinet.
A dining room console can also function as an entertaining space to display your glassware collection, bar accessories, decanters, working cocktail area, or share-plate and condiment station for a more relaxed dining experience.
Dining Room Key Items
Anchor Piece:
Mount a large piece of artwork above the console to bring life, visual richness, and interest to your dining space.
Lighting:
The console table can also be used to provide additional lighting with a pair of lamps or candelabras.
Accessories:
- Lustre: vases, pewter serving trays, glassware, decanters & carafes, tea-light holders, display boxes and candles.
- Living: floral arrangement or cut foliage from the garden to relax the space and compliment the artwork.
- Loved: Items from your barware collection, culinary and cocktail books, fine china, ceramics, rattan trays, linens, and decorative objects.
Console Styling Tips: Personalise
If you want to create a versatile look that can be changed throughout the seasons and holidays, there are a few styling guidelines that can ensure you maintain a streamlined look.
Seasonal Changes:
To keep your consoles energised, look to seasonal events and add decorative accents suited to the time of the year. Experiment with different textures that reflect the current season.
For example, in Winter, you can layer faux fur or chunky knitted woollen throws in storage baskets underneath to bring warmth.
In summer, substitute for lightweight linen or cotton throws. Foliage and flowers can change to reflect the season.
Seasonal decorative accessories such as a nest & eggs for Easter, Christmas wreaths, and curated decorations add a welcoming entrance. Change the scent of your fragrant candles and diffusers depending on the season.
Opt for spicier, woodier scents in the cooler months and fresher floral or citrus scents in the warmer Summer months.
