We have tables in our house that do Big Work. The kitchen table is where we eat two or three meals a day, tackle homework, and pay bills. The dining room table isn't called into service as often, but when it is, it's big-Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, and birthday and dinner parties. Even the coffee table, while it's smaller in stature, works sits front and center every day. It's the landing place for magazines and newspapers, laptops and DVDs, soda cans and pizza boxes.
Living room end tables are sometimes a secondary thought. They are smaller, and they don't work nearly as hard. But if you give your choices a little thought, you can make selections that give your room added style, storage, and function. They can be a splurge and they can work within your budget.
If you are a little uneasy about coordinating furnishings, you can get a fully-coordinated look when you buy a suite of furniture-sofa and loveseat, sectional and club chairs, coffee table and living room end tables, lamps and accessories. Take measurements and maybe draw a sketch of your living room-place the entryways and windows carefully--before you head out to shop. If they look great but don't fit, those new tables won't do you a bit of good.
If you are looking for an economical choice for living room tables, you can choose from a selection of round, unfinished tables that you can dress up to fit your decor. Cover them with tablecloths, top them with a round piece of glass, and you've got places to put a lamp and a coffee mug, and some hidden storage space. They're versatile and inexpensive-a great choice for a student apartment, or when you are furnishing your first home. I've even seen new, plastic outdoor trash can--the round kind with a removable lid-put to use as end tables. Again, cover them with tablecloths and a glass top, and you've got inexpensive living room end tables with hidden storage-maybe for linens and pillows used on a sofa bed.
But if you'd rather take a more eclectic approach to outfitting your living room, choices abound. Browse the furniture market, catalogs for your favorite furniture manufacturers, and home furnishings websites. You'll find thousands of options for living room end tables. What features appeal to you?
These tables can provide built-in storage. Look for ones with shelves for books and magazines, and drawers for remote controls or a box of tissues. I own living room end tables that look like apothecary cabinets-they've got eight small drawers, each the perfect height to store DVD cases on end. Some tables come with built-in baskets for bulky storage, like the baby's stuffed animals and blanket. If you subscribe to more than a few magazines, you can find living room end tables with magazine racks.
Most end tables hold a lamp for reading. Check the height of your lamps and determine how high a tabletop you need. If you will be using your lamp only for general lighting, you've got more leeway with your choices.
Would you like to make a design statement or try out a new style in your living room without changing out all the furniture? You can choose living room end tables that inject something new into your decor-something sculptural rather than traditional and furniture-like, for example? Or consider something in a coordinating style, but in a material other than wood-ones with copper or slate tops would be striking.
