Home Help: 24 August

From heritage pieces to modern designs, Hugh St Clair helps you track down the smartest console tables
A console table is often the first thing you see when visiting a house. They are often sited in hallways, dining rooms, or a repository for letters, etc; with a vase of flowers on top, they will sound a note of cheer in a small space. So, to make your console table interesting and beautiful, and put some thought into choosing this particular piece of furniture.

These days there are console tables in different sizes and materials to suit every interior style. In the hall, often a dark area, consider a console with a mirror above to reflect light through glass panes in the door or a small side window.

Most of us don't eat in formal dining rooms but we still need a side table on which to put food and drink. A painted white Gustavian piece would look smart but also informal.

For a modern feel, I found a top made in typical Indian style, set on chrome legs, embossed by a Moroccan furniture maker in traditional designs.

For a really fabulous console, how about one covered in red velvet and studs by Alidad, which has won a World Of Interiors Design Award.

Main picture from left to right:

  • Gustavian console table with two drawers, £995, by Nordic Style Height 95cm; width 149cm; depth 42cm: 020-7351 1755, www.nordicstyle.com
  • Madison console table, from £799, by Tom Faulkner Smart, elegant and practical, with a useful bottom shelf. This piece is perfect for a hallway or a landing and can easily be made to bespoke sizes. Available in a variety of home help. finishes, and in extra small, small or large: 020-7351 7272, www.tomfaulkner.co.uk

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Above:

  • Augustus Console Table, price on application, by Alidad A baroque cabriole-leg console table from the Velvet Furniture Collection, with a frieze, covered in velvet and ornamented with decorative studding for a period look. The designs are based on neoclassical shapes, combining leather and bronze with studded velvet. Height 85cm; width 180cm; depth 53cm (can customise at extra cost): 020- 7384 0121, www.alidad.com
  • Marrakech console table, £149.95, by White Candle Moroccan-theme table fully embossed in blackened metal. Height 76cm; width 40cm; length 100cm: 0844-812 4567, www.whitecandle.co.uk

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  • Pondicherry mother-ofpearl console table, £895, by Graham and Green Designed by Jamie Graham and updated with modernist chrome legs, this is a real heritage piece. Height 81.5cm; width 120cm; depth 40cm: 0845-130 6622, www.grahamandgreen.co.uk

Email your design enquiries to Hugh St Clair at homehelp@lady.co.uk