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[Oznell]

Just came across designer Cindy Hattersley's compilation of "consoles with character",  that is, slim tables or credenzas with various arrangements.  Could be in an entry, some are not.  Some are the work of other designers, some are ones she has done for clients.

A big gilt mirror always brings drama.  Despite the traditional air, the arrangement is interestingly not symmetrical.

Modern and casual.  Love that the framed art was done by the homeowner's children.

A mirror is especially fab over this console, since it is directly opposite a window and would double the light...  A luxuriant fern seems welcoming...

Cindy showed several different versions she devised for a long "problem" wall in her son and daughter-in-law's house:

#1     This one I really like for the slim oval baskets tucked under.   I have one under my entry table, but it's not quite as trim as these nifty examples.

#2    I love the doggie portrait in this one.  She said the lanterns were from Target.  I like the way she throws out little tidbits like where things come from...

#3    Another great, vintage lidded basket.  It's neat that she kept those handsome, bracketing chairs in each arrangement.

A console in a bedroom can be a real workhorse in offering extra shelf storage, and bringing visual interest, if you have the room...

Now to me, this sideboard has 'too much going on' to be visually interesting.  To be fair, it's in a dining room, so it might be less cluttered when a meal is not in progress...

Trust Jill Sharp Weeks to have this heavily textured, modern art look.  Love it but wouldn't want to stumble into it in the dark.

A console is a great place to showcase a small collection of porcelain.  Like the contrast with chunky tray and smooth glass hurricanes.

This table below I enjoy, because it looks to me like it's a re-purposed, old-fashioned dressing table.  Nice idea.

Long and low, for a contemporary space.  You could have a revolving collection every week, or a gallery going, with that long a runway!

I really like the simplicity of the "waterfall"- like table here, the brass lamp and esp. the campaign-like leather camp stools handily tucked under.

This console set-up is a favorite, since it can do double duty as an attractive entry table, but also serve when needed as a buffet to the adjacent dining area....

Console tables are especially fun for those of us who don't have fireplace mantles to fiddle with!

[Desert Lily]

Hi @Oznell  Recently, I've been considering putting a television on a console table. This is one of the tables I've looked at & admired.

[just bee]

@Oznell 

This thing is just fabulous.  But what a _____ to dust.

[Oznell]

Oh, gorgeous, @Desert Lily --  put me down as an admirer as well!   I always like your style.   Do report back when you've made your final decision!

@just bee,  you could make a sort of little 'zen' hobby of it, getting in each little crevice with a Q tip.   Or get one of those air-blow-guns (don't know the proper name of them),  and just blast the dust away, preferably to some appropriate music....

[stevieb]

While I only like a few of those pictured, I've long been a fan of sofa tables, sideboards, consoles and so on... They're infinitely useful and while most lack storage, they make a visual statement and are wonderful for decorative purposes and for holding larger or bulky items, as well as lamps, books, decorative objects and so on.

[just bee]

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@Oznell wrote:

@just bee,  you could make a sort of little 'zen' hobby of it, getting in each little crevice with a Q tip.   Or get one of those air-blow-guns (don't know the proper name of them),  and just blast the dust away, preferably to some appropriate music....

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@Oznell 

Precisely what I was thinking!

Some music, an Italian red...

[Love my grandkids]

Ew! Two things I loathe: Gilt framed ANYTHING and black and white floors.

[spiderw]

I like the idea of the tables but do not care for the modern ones pictured.   However, it would be enjoyable to decorate these tables according to taste and make them appealing.

My mother had a mahogany credenza which I now have in my dining room.  It isn't in perfect condition and has surface scratches.  But I love it.  I have family pictures on it and on either sides are places for decor.  I have figurines in them as my mother did. It is a heavy piece but for me has sentimental value and also pleasing to the eye.

It is all about taste  and what we love and this old credenza means a lot to me.

[Mominohio]

Love the concept in the right space, but not a single one of these I consider acceptable for my space. I must be getting old as I see very little in furniture and home decor that I truly love anymore, especially things in magazines and online sites.

I'm that old lady now that thinks all this newfangled stuff (and fashion too!) is horrible. 

Please excuse me while I go yell at the neighbor kids to get off my lawn (LOL).

[MJDinVegas]

Hi, @Oznell !  I love sofa tables although ours now lives in our entry way.  Sorry, the eyesore in the left corner are our modem and router.  Need to find a suitable cover for those items.