Console Tables: Height, Depth and What They Are Actually For

A console table is a shallow surface at standing height, and its usefulness comes entirely from those two constraints.

Shallow on purpose

The depth is what lets it live in a hallway or behind a sofa without blocking the route past it. Buying a deeper one because it looks more substantial usually defeats the reason you wanted it.

Height

Console tables sit around waist height so you can put things down without stooping. Behind a sofa, the useful check is whether the top sits at or just below the back cushion line.

Tiers

Lower shelves turn a surface into storage. In a hallway that is where baskets, shoes and post go. Without them, the top surface becomes the only place things land and it fills up immediately.

What it is not

It is not a desk and generally not built for heavy loads. Check what the maker states before putting a television or a stack of hardbacks on one.