Console in the interior: for the living room, hallway +75 photos

Looking at the interiors of palaces or castles, it is impossible not to notice the sophistication of furniture from past eras.

Today, sophistication and external qualities are increasingly being replaced by practicality and clear functionality.

But despite this, many of the antique interior items are successfully used in the current decor.

An example would be the most ordinary console table. History:

The golden age of console tables fell during the reign of King Louis XIV, that is, in the 17th century - the era of Baroque and love for the refined and ornate.

This period is characterized by the desire to decorate the interior with a variety of figurines, paintings and mirrors, framed by expensive heavy frames, as well as numerous candelabra or vases.

Louis XIV was known as a collector of fine decorative objects. However, for a very long time he was unable to find the “heart” for his collection.

Widely known in the 17th century. They began to purchase wooden console tables, which were installed against the wall and rested on one or two unevenly shaped legs.

But Louis XIV was deeply convinced that they were not luxurious enough, so they were not worthy of storing his favorite collection.

That is why he asked one of his royal craftsmen to make several tables according to his own designs. The legs of such tables were covered with gold, and sometimes figurines of various animals became the supports.

So console tables became a symbol of aristocracy and splendor. Over time, the tables changed, but did not become less elegant.

History, description

The word console translated from French means “support”, “bracket”. This is the name for a narrow table - free-standing or attached to the wall. The idea came from architecture - at first the structure was wall-mounted, semicircular, cornices, balconies, shelves, statues, vases, and other protruding parts rested on it, and the shape of its legs was curved, with curls.

In modern times, this is a separate piece of furniture, something like a mantelpiece, on which almost anything can be placed - vases or souvenirs, boxes of jewelry or indoor plants, family photos or postcards, a floor lamp or a flat-screen TV.

Types of furniture

Looking at the ideas and photos of the console for the living room, you can see that there are literally a sea of varieties. Let's consider the main types and directions in the design of these exquisite tables.

Hanging bright console with cabinets

The corner elements of the console will be undeniably useful when decorating any room, because it is important not only to create decorations in corners and niches, but also to defuse the situation by arranging the necessary elements. A bedside table can serve as such a design element.

Corner console against the wall, serving as a dressing table

A console table can act as the most comfortable piece of furniture, being purely a decorative item on which you can place ashtrays, newspapers and magazines.

Narrow table in the living room with forged legs

The table can be an excellent exhibition area for showing off your collection of antiques to guests. Today, the console in the form of a display case is especially relevant.

Console with cabinets as a shelf for your home collection

Often, a console is a side table that surrounds the back of a sofa and at the same time looks very elegant, stylish and modern.

Empire style table in a traditional living room

Today, similar designs are produced as sets: console + mirror + seat. If you install this composition in the bedroom, you can create maximum coziness and make the room truly comfortable. Furniture elements today are not only equipped with numerous configurations, but are also offered in a variety of materials, designs and functionality. A console table in the living room is the optimal solution for successful interior design.

Bright accent set: console + mirror

Types, shapes, sizes

Depending on its purpose, the console looks like a long narrow table or a miniature shelf. Its average parameters:

height from 70 cm to 110 cm;
depth from 30 cm to 40 cm;
length from 50 cm to 120 cm.

In shape, this object is made semicircular, quadrangular, polygonal, less often - asymmetrical.

By type of design:

free-standing - usually has four legs, wheels, and can be placed anywhere in the room;
wall-mounted - rests on one, two, three, four legs, which are made straight, chiseled, intricately shaped, leans against and attached to the wall, is something like half a table;
hanging - wall-mounted, mounted on brackets, has one or more legs that do not reach the floor, but run along the wall;
folding - is a narrow transformable table, which when unfolded becomes a full-fledged round, oval, quadrangular table.

The stand can be made in almost any color; it blends in with the color of the walls or contrasts with them. The most popular are wood, metallic, neutral, pastel shades. Bright, multi-colored designs are less common.

In two-story apartments, the decorative console is placed under the stairs - there is often a lot of free space there.

Styles

This piece of furniture matches any interior:

classic - a cold stone countertop on marble legs, in perfect harmony with other stone decorative elements;
hi-tech - a shiny element made of chromed metal, glass, mirror elements, decorated using plasma cutting;
baroque - made entirely of valuable wood, richly decorated with carvings, applied parts made of stone, ivory, stands on legs in the form of snakes, dragons;
country - a light wooden structure, usually rounded, has thin, slightly curved legs, drawers with curly handles;
art-believe - the stand is made independently from Euro pallets, painted in bright colors, hand-painted;
minimalism - a simple U-shaped design in white, gray, beige, completely without decoration;
Art Deco - an elegant forged stand with a rounded tabletop, on legs in the form of animal or bird paws;
loft - frame made of high-quality dark metal, tabletop thick, wooden, artificially aged;
Japanese - entirely woven from rattan, usually free-standing, combined with the same chair, armchair, stool;
marine - design in blue tones, models of sailboats and postcards with sea views are placed on top;
modern - made of wood, MDF, has metal parts, asymmetrical configuration;
Chinese - has narrow sides of the tabletop curved upward, made in red-brown tones, painted with hieroglyphs;
ecological - made from practically untreated wooden parts, with knots, cracks, pieces of bark, decorated with fresh or dried flowers.

If it is impossible to fix a real console, create a high-quality imitation of it - hang a shelf on the wall, and paint on the legs below or glue suitable moldings.

Design features of consoles

The console in the living room interior has an attractive appearance, but it is worth distinguishing between such products by design. A typical console has two basic elements - a support and a tabletop. They are different in modernist and classic models.

Console in the hallway made of solid wood blocks

In the classical style direction, the furniture has a rich variety of decorative elements: mosaic laying, painting, natural stone on the legs and tabletop. The edge is not complete without decoration - it is equipped with special decorative carvings.

Classic small table with additional shelves

Modern products are aimed at restraint, conciseness and functionality. Many of the models are equipped with drawers located under the countertop, and can also have a full-fledged cabinet instead of small knives. Often, when we are talking about such an element as transom consoles for the living room, a small tabletop can turn into a full-fledged dining table.

Small drawers will make the console more functional

Thus, going into antiquity and paying tribute to modernity, it is worth noting the wide variety of designs that are ready to delight you with beautiful details.

Material of manufacture

The console is made from the same materials as any other piece of furniture:

natural wood (beech, oak, hornbeam, cherry, walnut, pear, pine, spruce, larch, alder, etc.);
natural, artificial stone (granite, quartz, marble, porcelain stoneware, agate, acrylic stone, etc.);
plastic;
Chipboard, MDF;
metal (chrome-plated, forged parts);
glass (frosted, transparent, colored, patterned);
rattan.

Several materials are often used at the same time - wood for the table top and forged legs, stone bottom with glass top, MDF with decorative elements made of stone and wood.

It is advisable that some other pieces of furniture be made from the same material as the console.

Application in the interior

The console is located in any room of an apartment or private house - kitchen, hallway, bedroom, nursery, living room, dressing room, office, bathroom. It can be strictly functional:

serve as a stand for a TV, a narrow aquarium with fish;
a compact dressing table, a dressing table on which cosmetic accessories are placed;
partially cover the heating radiator;
a shelf for storing books and notebooks that are constantly used;
in the kitchen jars with seasonings and spices are placed here;
place to place lighting fixtures;
indoor plants in beautiful pots are placed here.

Decorative ones are also widespread:

serve to accommodate any collections, emphasizing the hobbies of the owners of the room;
decorated with candles in candelabra, souvenirs;
become an addition to a picture, a mirror on the wall;
become a bright accent detail of the interior;
covered with knitted or embroidered napkins.

High stands are more often used as interior decoration, while lower ones are used for practical purposes.

In the hall

The console in the corridor is installed near a long or short wall, in a partition, or a niche. Soft ottomans and boxes with shoes are placed under it; a mirror, a key holder, organizers for small items, hooks for hats and umbrellas are hung above the stand. Also, the design is sometimes equipped with drawers in which gloves, clothing brushes, shoe polishes, etc. are stored. A large “wall-length” mirror is made behind a transparent stand on which cute souvenirs and vases with dry bouquets are placed.

In the hallway, a lighting device is placed on such a stand, in the form of a small floor lamp or two.

In the living room

The most common location for a console structure in the living room is under the TV, opposite the dining area, or relaxation area. When the room has a very narrow window sill, the console is placed near the window, decorating this place in an original way or masking the heating radiators. Plants in flowerpots, a collection of ceramic whistles, a series of photographs, and, if necessary, a room fan are placed on top of it.

An interior item of appropriate length is installed in the partition between two window or door openings. Sometimes the stand serves as a side table, a kind of home bar, located next to the armrest or behind, including between the sofa and the wall.

When the TV is hanging on the wall, a game console, speaker system, and Wi-Fi router are placed on the stand underneath it.

In the office

In the work area, this piece of furniture serves as a stand for office equipment, frequently used stationery, and papers. If there are additional shelves below, books are stored there, and several sockets are installed nearby for charging mobile phones and tablets. The structure can also become an additional workplace, especially if it is not possible to organize it in a separate room. The decorative console is decorated with potted plants, corporate photographs, and souvenirs from the company.

A cup with morning coffee, a saucer with cookies, an electric kettle can also be easily placed on a stand if you are too lazy to go to the kitchen.

In the bedroom

Here the structure is placed next to a closet, bed or window. In the spacious bedroom, two small consoles are placed on different sides of the bed; bedside lamps, including bedside lamps, are placed on them. The most popular option is to use it as a compact dressing table: then it must have several drawers, and a large mirror is hung on top. Less often, they sit at a console table with a laptop, making a list of to-dos and purchases in a notepad. A tall, long structure with wheels is rolled up on top of the bed, used as a table for breakfast and dinner; the decorative element is decorated with soft toys and various children's crafts.

If there is a canopy or a valance over the bed, the console is decorated in a similar style.

In the kitchen

The console will become a practical part of the kitchen if you place cans of cereals and boxes of spices on it. Sometimes a salt shaker, a sugar bowl, a napkin holder, and a carafe with filtered water for drinking are also placed here. In a cramped kitchenette, the design plays the role of a miniature buffet or bar counter, which, if necessary, folds out into a real dining table. The decorative one is decorated with a narrow tablecloth or towel, decorated with a collection of souvenir bottles from expensive drinks, designer tea packaging.

The console tabletop is illuminated from below with an LED strip to create a romantic atmosphere.

A little about the design of the table

The table top and legs are the basis of any console table design. Today there are many different models on the market, which, although they have retained the original design, have acquired a completely different appearance.

And this is the main distinguishing feature of this furniture set. Thanks to her, you don’t have to worry about the fact that it won’t be easy to find a product that fits perfectly into the interior of your home.

It’s worth noting right away that the console tables that are used to decorate rooms with classic and modern designs are radically different.

If the room in which you plan to place the purchased product is decorated in a classic style, you should pay attention to console tables with carvings or mosaics.

The material for their manufacture is most often natural stone, which is subsequently coated with gold or beautiful, ornate patterns are applied to it.

Models decorated in this way look elegant and sophisticated. And this despite the rather rough material that serves as their basis.

Therefore, you should not neglect the purchase just because of fears that a material such as natural stone will look vulgar and not aesthetically pleasing.

For rooms that are decorated in one of the modern styles, you should choose those models that have a minimum of decorations.

Do not forget that almost all modern designs require a certain rigor of the interior

There should be no unnecessary details that would distract attention.

The design should be as functional as possible and have a laconic design

That is why, when purchasing, we recommend that you pay attention to products equipped with drawers or a cabinet.

Thus, you will save yourself from the need to purchase an additional dining table

This means you can save several free meters, which is important for small-sized apartments