Consoles & Hall Tables

Choosing a console table

A console table is the piece that makes a hallway feel furnished: somewhere for keys and the mail, a lamp to come home to, a mirror above it to check on the way out. The same narrow table works behind a sofa in an open-plan room, under a window, or as a slim sideboard in a dining room. Whether you call it a console, a hall table or an entryway table, the choice is about depth, length, drawers and finish.

Console table or hall table

They are the same thing: a long, narrow table, usually 30 to 45 cm deep, that sits against a wall. Hall table is what it is called in the entry; console table is the broader name and the one to use for a table behind a sofa or in a living room. A hall table with drawers adds a place for keys and sunglasses; an open console with a lower shelf keeps baskets and books on show and feels lighter in a narrow hallway.

Size for the space

Depth is the first measurement. A hallway should keep at least 90 cm of clear walkway, so measure the width of the hall and subtract 90 cm to get the deepest console it can take; most hallways want a console 30 to 40 cm deep. Length is set by the wall: a console should be shorter than the wall it sits on with air at each end, usually 100 to 160 cm, and a console behind a sofa should be a little shorter than the sofa and no taller than its back. Height is normally 75 to 85 cm, the height of a dining table, so a lamp on top sits at the right level.

Timber, stone, marble or metal

Solid timber consoles in Marri, oak, teak and walnut are the warmest choice and suit a timber front door and floors. A marble console table or a stone-top console brings a cool, polished surface to the entry and pairs with a round mirror above it. Metal consoles, in black iron or fluted steel, are slim and sculptural and take the least visual space in a narrow hallway. Mirrored and inlay consoles add glamour to a formal entry. Match the finish to the first thing you see from the front door, whether that is the floor, the stair rail or the dining table beyond.

Styling a console

A mirror above the console makes a hallway feel wider and gives you somewhere to check your hair; hang it so its centre is at eye level. Add a table lamp at one end, a tray for keys, a vase or a plant, and a basket or a pair of stools underneath. Keep the surface clear enough to put a bag down. Behind a sofa, a console carries two lamps and gives the back of the lounge a finished edge.

See them in a Perth showroom

The Furniture Gallery is WA owned and family run, with showrooms across Perth and regional WA. Compare the timbers and stone tops, open the drawers and check the depth against your hallway. When you have chosen, add the console to your cart and enter your postcode for a delivery price; our white-glove delivery team will unpack it, position it and take the packaging away.