Tables by Type — Dining, Coffee, Console & Side Tables
Table types sound like style categories and they aren't. A coffee table, a console and a desk could be built from the same timber in the same shape, and what makes each one what it is comes down to a single measurement: how high it stands, and therefore what it can sit beside and be used for.
Get the height right and a table works without you thinking about it. Get it wrong and no amount of good design rescues it — a side table above the arm of the chair is awkward every single time you reach for your cup. Below you'll find what each type is for, the height that defines it, and how they fit together in a room.
Why the height of a table decides its type
Almost every table in a house is measured against something else, not against the floor.
A dining table is set by the seated human body, which is why it lands where it does across every manufacturer. A desk is set by the elbow: the surface has to let your forearms rest with the elbows bent at about a right angle, or your shoulders take the strain over a working day. A coffee table is set by the sofa it serves, sitting level with the seat cushion or just below it, so reaching down for a cup is natural rather than a stretch. A lamp table is set by the arm of the chair beside it — the one rule that matters here is that it should never stand taller than that arm. And a console, which usually serves nothing but itself, is the freest of the lot, which is why its range is the widest.
This is also why the two exceptions in the group are worth naming. A dressing table and a desk are both worked at while seated, so both sit close to desk height — a dressing table is essentially a desk with a mirror and different storage. And a nest of tables is the one type deliberately built at several heights at once.
Table heights compared by type
| Type | Usual height | Measured against |
|---|---|---|
| Coffee table | 16–18 in (40–45cm) | The sofa seat: level with it or just below |
| Lamp table | 22–24 in (55–60cm) | The chair arm: never above it |
| Nest of tables | Varies within the set | Each other, and the seating around them |
| Dining table | 29–31 in (73–78cm) | The seated body at a meal |
| Console table | 28–32 in (71–81cm) | The wall or sofa back it stands against |
| Dressing table | Around desk height | The seated body and the mirror |
| Office desk | 28–30 in (72–76cm) | The elbow, bent at a right angle |
Dining tables and extendable dining tables
The table the household is built around, and the one where the sizing question is hardest.
Dining tables
A dining table has to answer two things at once: how many people it seats and how much room it leaves to move around. Most land between 29 and 31 inches (73–78cm), and that consistency exists because it's set by the human body rather than by fashion. The detail people miss is the apron — the panel running under the top. A deep apron eats into the legroom the height was supposed to provide, and it's also what stops chairs with arms from tucking under. Our dining tables collection covers shapes, sizes and materials in full.
Extendable dining tables
An extendable table answers a problem specific to British and Irish homes, where the room is usually sized for the everyday and not for Christmas. It lets you live with a table that suits four and produce one that seats eight twice a year, rather than giving up floor space to a large table you rarely fill.
The thing to check before anything else is where the extra length goes and what it does to the space around it. A table that grows by two feet needs two feet of clearance it didn't need before, and the chairs for the extra places have to live somewhere the rest of the year. Our extendable dining tables collection covers the mechanisms and what each one asks of the room.
Coffee tables, lamp tables and nests of tables
The three that share a living room, and the three most often bought without reference to each other.
Coffee tables
The coffee table is set by the sofa, and there are two measurements worth taking before you choose. The height should be level with the sofa seat or a little below it — a table taller than the seat looks wrong and works worse. And the length looks best at roughly two-thirds the length of the sofa it serves, which stops a long sofa dwarfing it or a small room being swallowed. Leave 24 to 30 inches (60–75cm) between the table and whatever it faces so people can pass. Our coffee tables collection covers shapes and storage options.
Lamp tables
A lamp table exists so that whatever you need is within reach of where you're sitting, and its whole job depends on one rule: it should sit no higher than the arm of the chair or sofa it stands beside. Above that and you're lifting a cup over an obstacle. Level with the arm, or a touch below, and it disappears into the room. This is also the type most often bought in pairs, since a sofa with a table at each end reads as considered rather than accidental. Our lamp tables collection covers the range.
Nest of tables
A nest is the answer to a room that needs surfaces occasionally rather than permanently. The tables slide together into the footprint of one, and come apart when there are people in the room. The built-in advantage is that a nest gives you two or three different heights in a single piece, which means one of them will suit the chair arm and another the sofa seat without you having to choose. Our nest of tables collection covers the sets available.
Console tables for halls and behind sofas
A console is the most adaptable table in the house because nothing sits under it and nothing is pushed up to it. That freedom is why its height range is the broadest of any type, though most sit around 30 inches (76cm) — comfortable to reach into standing up, which is what a hall table is for.
Depth is the measurement that actually decides whether a console works. In a narrow hall, 12 to 18 inches (30–46cm) leaves the passage clear; for general use with storage underneath, 18 to 24 inches (46–61cm) gives you a surface worth having. The second common position is behind a sofa, where a console at roughly the height of the sofa back turns a floating sofa into a deliberate divider in an open-plan room. Our console tables collection covers both uses.
Dressing tables and office desks
Two types that belong together, because both are worked at sitting down and both are set by the same measurement.
Dressing tables
A dressing table is a desk that has been adapted for a different task: the storage is shallower and compartmented for small things, and the surface is arranged around a mirror. Because it's used seated, it needs the same knee clearance a desk does, which is the thing to check if you're considering a slim console as a substitute — many are too shallow to sit at properly. Our dressing tables collection covers the styles and storage layouts.
Office desks
A desk is the one table in the house where the height is a health question rather than a comfort one. Between 28 and 30 inches (72–76cm) is standard, and the reason is posture: your forearms should rest with your elbows at roughly a right angle and your wrists straight. Too high and your shoulders take it; too low and your neck does. Standing desks work to a different range entirely, from 39 to 47 inches (100–120cm) depending on the person, and the same right-angle rule sets it. Our office desks collection covers the range.
How tables work together in one room
Most rooms hold two or three tables, and the mistake is buying each one on its own.
In a living room the usual set is a coffee table, one or two lamp tables and sometimes a console behind the sofa. Those pieces don't have to match — a room often looks better when they don't — but they do have to sit in a sensible relationship to one another, which in practice means the coffee table is the lowest, the lamp tables step up to arm height, and the console stands highest against the wall. That rising line is what makes a room look composed rather than assembled.
The other thing worth doing before you buy anything is checking sight lines. In an open-plan space where the dining table is visible from the sofa, a console at sofa-back height and a dining table at standard height create a step between the two zones that reads as intentional. Where they clash — a very low coffee table beside a tall console with nothing in between — the eye notices even if you can't say why.
Table type FAQs
What height should a coffee table be?
Between 16 and 18 inches (40–45cm) for most sofas, but the figure matters less than the relationship: the top should sit level with the seat cushion of the sofa it serves, or just below it. A coffee table that stands taller than the seat is awkward to reach into and looks out of proportion. For length, around two-thirds the length of the sofa is the usual guide.
How high should a side or lamp table be?
Between 22 and 24 inches (55–60cm) covers most, but the rule that matters is that it should never be taller than the arm of the chair or sofa it stands beside. Level with the arm or slightly below is ideal, because you can set something down without lifting it over an obstacle. Measure the arm of your own seating rather than assuming a standard, as arm heights vary considerably.
What is the standard desk height in the UK?
Between 28 and 30 inches (72–76cm), with the exact figure less important than your own posture: seated at the desk, your forearms should rest with your elbows bent at roughly a right angle and your wrists straight. A desk that's too high loads your shoulders and one that's too low loads your neck. Standing desks run from 39 to 47 inches (100–120cm) and follow the same right-angle rule.
How deep should a console table be for a hallway?
Between 12 and 18 inches (30–46cm) in a narrow hall, which gives you a usable surface without blocking the passage. If the console is going somewhere with more room and you want storage underneath, 18 to 24 inches (46–61cm) is more practical. Height is more flexible than with other tables since nothing sits underneath, though around 30 inches (76cm) suits a hall table you use standing up.