Nest of Tables — Oak, Glass, Round & Black Nesting Tables
A nest of tables isn't one table that comes apart. It's two or three tables of different heights that happen to store inside one another — and the height difference that lets them nest is the same thing that makes them useful separately. Pulled apart, one sits where a lamp goes and another sits lower, beside a chair or in front of whoever ended up on the floor.
That's the whole proposition: the footprint of one table, the function of three. Below you'll find what each table in a set can actually hold, the two measurements that decide whether a nest works day to day, and how a nest compares with a coffee table.
Two tables or three?
Nests come as a pair or a trio, and the choice is about the room rather than the budget.
A set of three gives the most flexibility. You get a main table beside the sofa and two smaller surfaces to place around the room when people come — one by an armchair, one by whoever is nearest the fire. In a room that hosts, that's the version that earns its keep.
A set of two suits a compact room, and there's a practical reason beyond space. The smallest table in a trio is usually around 12 to 14 inches (30–35cm) wide, which is a perch for a mug and a coaster and not much else. It won't take a table lamp and it won't take a laptop. If you were counting on three usable surfaces, count again — in most sets it's really two, plus somewhere to put a cup.
Nest of tables sizes and heights
Before any measurement, decide which kind of nest you're after — because the two sit at completely different heights and the wrong one is uncomfortable every time you use it.
Nest of side tables
The traditional nest, designed to stand beside the sofa rather than in front of it. The largest table should sit level with the arm of your seat or within a couple of inches of it, which for most UK sofas means 20 to 22 inches (50–55cm). Sets generally run 18 to 24 inches (45–60cm) overall, with the largest table 18 to 22 inches (45–55cm) wide and 14 to 18 inches (35–45cm) deep.
The reason for the arm rule is the same as for any side table: you set a drink down by sliding your hand along the arm, so a table above arm height means lifting over an obstacle every time.
Nest of coffee tables
A nesting coffee table set is lower and wider, built to sit in front of the sofa where a single coffee table would. Here the reference point changes completely: the largest table should sit level with the sofa's seat cushion or an inch or two below, which usually means 16 to 18 inches (40–45cm) — a good 4 inches (10cm) lower than a nest of side tables.
Get these two confused and the piece never quite works. A side-table nest placed in front of the sofa stands too tall and interrupts the view across the room; a coffee-table nest placed beside the sofa sits below the arm and you'll be reaching down for everything.
One warning that applies to both. When a retailer lists dimensions for a nest, the figures almost always describe the largest table only. If you intend to use the smaller ones separately — and that's the whole point of buying a nest — check their dimensions are listed too. A set whose second table is 4 inches (10cm) lower than the first is a genuinely different proposition from one where it's 2 inches (5cm) lower, and neither is obvious from a photograph.
Typical nest of tables dimensions
| Table | Side table nest | Coffee table nest | What it will hold |
|---|---|---|---|
| Largest | 20–24 in (50–60cm) high | 16–18 in (40–45cm) high | A lamp, a book and a drink |
| Middle | 18–20 in (45–50cm) high | 14–16 in (35–40cm) high | A drink, a plate, a small plant |
| Smallest | 16–18 in (40–45cm) high | 12–14 in (30–35cm) high | A mug and a coaster |
| Sits | Beside the sofa, at arm height | In front of the sofa, at seat height | — |
What to check before you buy a nest
A nest lives or dies on how cleanly it comes apart, and there are three things worth knowing.
Clearance. The smaller table has to slide under the larger one without catching, which means at least 1 to 2 inches (3–5cm) of gap at each side. Anything tighter and you'll be lining the tables up carefully every time instead of pushing them together, which is exactly the daily annoyance that stops people using a nest as intended.
Height difference. Look for 2 to 3 inches (5–8cm) between one table and the next. That gap isn't a styling decision — it's the clearance that lets the tops pass under one another. It's also what gives you two genuinely different table heights when they're apart.
Weight. This one cuts both ways. A set light enough to pull apart with one hand while holding a cup in the other is the point of owning a nest; a solid oak pair can run to 33 to 44 lb (15–20kg), which is stable but a two-handed job. If the nest will be moved several times an evening, weight matters more than it sounds.
All three are hard to judge from photographs and take about five seconds with the set in front of you — worth pulling a few apart at our Enniskillen showroom if you're choosing between two, since a nest that slides sweetly and one that scrapes look identical online.
Nest of tables or coffee table?
This is the real decision for a lot of sitting rooms, and it comes down to how the surface gets used hour to hour.
A coffee table is a permanent surface in the middle of the room. It's better if people eat in front of the television, if the table holds things all day, or if you want the room to have a visual anchor. It's worse if the middle of the room is also the route to the kitchen.
A nest is a surface you deploy. It gives you the same total area when you need it and hands the floor back when you don't, and it never stands in the middle of a walkway. In a small sitting room, a flat, or a room where the sofa faces a doorway, that's usually the better answer — our coffee tables guide covers the alternative in full.
There's a third option people miss: both. A nest tucked beside the sofa alongside a small coffee table gives you a permanent surface plus the ability to produce two more when six people arrive. That's a more useful arrangement than one large coffee table, and often costs less.
Nest of tables materials and finishes
Oak and wooden nest of tables
Solid timber is the most common choice and the most forgiving, because a nest gets handled constantly — pulled out, pushed back, knocked against its neighbour — and wood takes that better than most surfaces. It's also the only material here that can be sanded and refinished when the edges start to show it, which on a nest they will. Oak is the hard-wearing traditional choice; lighter timbers keep a small room open.
The detail to check on a wooden set is the edge profile. Square-edged tops chip where they meet each other; a softly rounded or chamfered edge survives far longer, and it's the single best predictor of how a wooden nest will look in five years.
Glass nest of tables
Glass earns its place here more than almost anywhere else. A nest is by definition several pieces of furniture standing in one spot, and three solid tables together read as a substantial block; three glass tops read as almost nothing. In a small sitting room that difference is real, and it's why glass and metal remains one of the most popular pairings in the category. Look for tempered safety glass, and be aware that a glass nest shows every fingerprint on three tops rather than one.
Black, white and grey nest of tables
Painted and lacquered finishes suit a nest because the piece is small enough to act as an accent without committing the room. A black nest anchors a pale sitting room and hides marks well; white and grey keep a compact space feeling light. The practical point is that a nest is two or three matching objects, so a strong colour is two or three times as present as it would be on a single side table — worth thinking about before choosing something bold.
Round nest of tables
Round nests do the same job as round side tables and coffee tables: no corners to catch a hip in a tight room, and nothing at head height for a small child. They also nest more forgivingly, since there's no corner to line up — a round set slides together from a wider range of angles than a square one does, which sounds trivial and isn't when you're doing it several times a day.
Nest of tables FAQs
What is a nest of tables?
A set of two or three tables of graduating size, each designed to slide neatly beneath the next so the whole set stores in the footprint of the largest. Pulled apart, they give you two or three separate surfaces at slightly different heights; pushed together, they take up the space of one table. Nesting tables and nest tables are the same thing under different names.
What height should a nest of tables be?
It depends which kind you're buying. A nest of side tables stands beside the sofa, so the largest table should sit level with the arm — usually 20 to 22 inches (50–55cm). A nest of coffee tables sits in front of the sofa, so the largest should be level with the seat cushion or just below, usually 16 to 18 inches (40–45cm). Because sofa arm and seat heights vary considerably, measure your own rather than relying on a standard figure.
Should I choose a set of two or three?
Three offers the most flexibility for entertaining, giving you a main table plus two smaller surfaces to place around the room. Two suits a compact home. Bear in mind that the smallest table in a trio is usually only 12 to 14 inches (30–35cm) wide — fine for a mug, too small for a table lamp or a laptop — so a set of three realistically gives you two full-size surfaces plus a perch.
Is a nest of tables better than a coffee table?
It depends on whether you need a surface permanently or occasionally. A coffee table anchors a room and suits households that eat in front of the television; a nest gives you the same total surface when you want it and returns the floor when you don't, which is better in a small room or where the sofa faces a walkway. Some households use both — a small coffee table plus a nest beside the sofa for when guests arrive.