Imagine a luxurious hotel lobby. Whether it's one of the grand hotels from a bygone century or a trendy venue in a big city, you'll find similar things in all these places. You'll see inviting seating, flattering lighting, beautiful floors--and tables. Tables, not for dining, not for conferences, but lovely accent tables placed just to make you a little more comfortable. These convenient little pieces of furniture are often overlooked and unnoticed, but you would miss them if they weren't there. Imagine--no place to put your purse, your drink, or your newspaper while you wait.

Folding Tray Table

Grand public spaces can inspire you with ideas for your home. Design is important, but remember, form follows function! Consider using a variety of accent tables to meet the challenge in many of your home design projects. Accent tables come in a wide range of shapes, sizes, materials, and styles to suit your design desires.

Folding Tray Table

Making a comfortable home that works well means considering how you use your furniture and your spaces. Isn't it great when we sit in our family room, watching a movie, and there's no question about where you place your drink or store the remote? Pick the right accent tables, and you have a home that works well for you.

There's room all over your house for accent tables to be both functional and decorative. Pick tables that can serve more than one purpose and can make up for design shortcomings in your home. For example, a table next to the bathtub can hold towels on a bottom shelf, a spare bar or two of your favorite soap in even a tiny drawer, with a place for a cup of tea and a scented candle on its top.

Put a pair of accent tables in your home office. Place one with a few shelves next to the printer. Store an extra ream of paper and a box that holds print cartridges in this well-visited spot and you'll never go tearing through the hall closet when you're rushing to get a report printed. Put another one by the office window with a favorite houseplant to remind you that the great outdoors does wait for you after you put in a full day at work!

With as many different decors as you can imagine, there'll be accent tables to coordinate. When you look for traditional styles, you'll find polished wood finishes, mixed wood and painted, topped in granite or marble. A butler's table-a removable tray set on a folding base-would look great in a British Colonial living room. The strong geometric lines of a craftsman-style table in oak or a mission-style table in cherry would coordinate well in these classic American designs as well as in Asian-inspired decors. A distressed painted finish in white or a pastel would work well in a room that brings the beach indoors.

Perhaps your taste runs more toward contemporary design. Consider clear or colored glass tabletops, geometric bases in metal, fiberglass, or high-end plastics, solid or open frame cubes and rectangles in wood or stone. The curvilinear shapes and the colorful laminate surfaces that you see in mid-century Modern furniture-think "The Jetsons"-can be charming and add whimsical warmth to a contemporary design that might run the risk of being too cold.

Choosing the right accent tables can help carry a design idea in your home to its completion. Let your choices play off a main design theme and keep your home from falling prey to the "too-matched" look. Have a little fun when you select your accent tables-you'll find many affordable choices that let you add some luxury, style and fun to your tried-and-true furnishings.

Accent Tables in the Right Place Add Charm and Storage

Folding Tray Table