How to Find the Perfect End Table For Your Sofa

You may want to give your seating accompaniments a standing ovation when you follow these guidelines for choosing the right ones

Lisa Frederick17 April 2019

Houzz Contributor. After journalism school, I fell into decorating media and immediately discovered a new passion. An Atlanta native, I spent several years as an editor for Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles magazine before making the leap to national publications and websites such as Houzz, Better Homes and Gardens and Southern Accents. I live in Birmingham, Alabama, with my husband and son, who’ve gotten used to coming home and finding the furniture rearranged. When I'm not dragging case goods across the floor, I enjoy good food and wine, college football, music of all kinds, and traveling.

End tables are like the supporting players to a leading-lady sofa. They rarely get the glory, yet they’re vital in their own low-key way. In addition to serving as a landing pad for lamps and a perch for cocktails, they can help to give a space a well-rounded, polished look. They whisper of a homeowner who pays attention to details.

S A K Designs

The number-one question when choosing an end table: How tall should it be? The rule of thumb is that its surface area should be equal to or just below the height of the sofa arms. For a standard sofa, that’s around 25 inches, but get out the measuring tape to be sure (I did, and it’s a good thing – the arms on mine hit 28 inches). Most end tables are between 22 and 30 inches.

If you can’t find tables you like within your target height range, err on the side of shorter rather than taller. Styles that jut above arm level not only can look awkward, but they also can make it hard for people to set down a glass or pick up a book.

These tables break the height rule, but they work for two reasons: One, the tables' bottom tiers sit below the sofa arms and within easy reach. And two, the floor-to-ceiling windows and draperies elongate the space visually, so the composition can stand a boost in elevation, exaggerated by the pair of lamps.

Lauren Liess Interiors

Nesting tables also let you get away with a little extra height. Leave the shorter table pulled partially or completely out from the taller one to create an engaging layered effect.

Works Photography Inc.

What about armless sofas? You have two options: Select tables that suit the height where arms would sit (to gauge it, get comfy on the sofa and reach for an imaginary drink), or buy low models that are level with the seat. Neither option is better than the other; it just depends on your preferences and the balance of your space.

Niki Papadopoulos

This isn’t technically a sofa (it’s Mies van der Rohe’s iconic Barcelona Chair), but the principle applies just the same – the tabletop lines up with an imaginary arm. Its chunkiness helps to ground the leggy seating, and its cylindrical form brings a needed curvy element that offsets the succession of right angles.

LORNA GROSS Interior Design

If you like the mismatched look, choose tables similar in size and visual weight for harmony. These each fall at roughly the same height as the sofa arms. Notice how the square table is tucked into the corner, a nice match for its angles.

Hoedemaker Pfeiffer

Of course, there’s no law that says you have to double up on end tables if the look doesn’t jibe with your space. A single tray table at the far end of this sofa preserves the inviting openness of the room, and the arrangement is evened out by the folding table that sits on the diagonal across from it.

Dreamy Whites

Feel free to use nontraditional objects – shipping crates, old suitcases, sewing machine stands – as end tables. Just make sure they fall in step with the height and scale guidelines above so that they are conversation pieces rather than nuisances.

Read more:
10 Fresh Ideas for Living Room Side Tables Do I Really Need a Coffee Table?
Tell us: What do you use for end tables, and what makes them work?