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Postmodern Plaster Stacked Table
Postmodern Plaster Stacked Table

Postmodern Plaster Stacked Table

$840Sale Price|30% Off

Postmodern Plaster Stacked Table

Located in San Diego, CA

function as side table, end table or coffee table. Table has a Postmodern design but also an organic

Category

Mid-20th Century American Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Plaster

Postmodern Marble and Brass Side Table in the Artedi Style. Circa 1980s.
Postmodern Marble and Brass Side Table in the Artedi Style. Circa 1980s.

Postmodern Marble and Brass Side Table in the Artedi Style. Circa 1980s.

By Artedi

Located in Miami, FL

Vintage Postmodern Marble and Brass Side Table in the Artedi Style. Circa 1980s. Features a clean

Category

Vintage 1980s Unknown Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Marble

Postmodern Birdseye Maple Accent Table
Postmodern Birdseye Maple Accent Table

Postmodern Birdseye Maple Accent Table

By Michael Graves (b.1934)

Located in Richmond, VA

Fantastic postmodern neo classical accent table in the manner of Michael Graves. Table is

Category

Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Birdseye Maple, Ebony

Postmodern Glass, Brass and Wood Side Table, Germany, 1980s
Postmodern Glass, Brass and Wood Side Table, Germany, 1980s

Postmodern Glass, Brass and Wood Side Table, Germany, 1980s

Located in Oud Beijerland, NL

Striking postmodern side table produced in Germany in the 1980s, combining architectural form with

Category

Vintage 1980s German Post-Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Brass

Lord Yi Marble Side Table Philippe Starck Chair Postmodern Minimal in Stock
Lord Yi Marble Side Table Philippe Starck Chair Postmodern Minimal in Stock

Lord Yi Marble Side Table Philippe Starck Chair Postmodern Minimal in Stock

By Driade, Philippe Starck

Located in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Lord Yi table designed by Philippe Starck for Driade. White marble top and aluminum leg.  

Category

1990s Italian Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Carrara Marble, Aluminum

Cast Plaster Monkey Table - Postmodern 1980s
Cast Plaster Monkey Table - Postmodern 1980s

Cast Plaster Monkey Table - Postmodern 1980s

Located in Raleigh, NC

Postmodern table from the 1980s featuring a cast plaster monkey figure as the base. The sculptural

Category

Vintage 1980s Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Glass, Plaster

Dutch Postmodern Red Side Drinks Table w/Shelf by Erik van Buijtenen for Nebu
Dutch Postmodern Red Side Drinks Table w/Shelf by Erik van Buijtenen for Nebu

Dutch Postmodern Red Side Drinks Table w/Shelf by Erik van Buijtenen for Nebu

By Erik van Buijtenen, Nebu

Located in New York, NY

A Dutch Postmodern red lacquered side drinks table with shelf by designer Erik van Buijtenen for

Category

Late 20th Century Dutch Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Composition

Postmodern Brass and Glass End Table
Postmodern Brass and Glass End Table

Postmodern Brass and Glass End Table

$1,120Sale Price|20% Off

Postmodern Brass and Glass End Table

Located in Chicago, IL

Excellent Postmodern design with the four three-sided column legs securely attached through the 3/8

Category

Vintage 1970s American Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Brass

Pair of Postmodern Lacquer & Walnut Martini Tables, Nesting Drink Tables
Pair of Postmodern Lacquer & Walnut Martini Tables, Nesting Drink Tables

Pair of Postmodern Lacquer & Walnut Martini Tables, Nesting Drink Tables

By The Tailored Home, Jhon Ortiz

Located in Greenwich, CT

Designed and handcrafted in Norwalk, CT, this pair of square martini tables features a sleek

Category

2010s American Modern Side Tables

Materials

Lacquer, Walnut

Red Side Drinks Table
Red Side Drinks Table

Red Side Drinks Table

Located in New York, NY

A red geometric side/drinks table, Postmodern period, circa late-20th century. A chic red resin

Category

Late 20th Century Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Plastic, Resin

Pair of Postmodern Bedside Tables "Maletik Series" by Borek Šípek
Pair of Postmodern Bedside Tables "Maletik Series" by Borek Šípek

Pair of Postmodern Bedside Tables "Maletik Series" by Borek Šípek

By B. Sipek

Located in Brooklyn, NY

This Postmodern pair of wall-mounted nightstands was designed by Borek Šípek in1995. Crafted from

Category

Late 20th Century Italian Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Brass, Chrome

Postmodern Model OTI Metal Table by Niels Gammelgaard for Ikea, 1980s
Postmodern Model OTI Metal Table by Niels Gammelgaard for Ikea, 1980s

Postmodern Model OTI Metal Table by Niels Gammelgaard for Ikea, 1980s

By Niels Gammelgaard, IKEA

Located in Hamburg, DE

The table for the OTI chair, a design classic from the 1980s by Danish architect Niels Gammelgaard

Category

20th Century Swedish Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Metal

Side Drinks Table Hourglass Shape
Side Drinks Table Hourglass Shape

Side Drinks Table Hourglass Shape

Located in New York, NY

A substantial silver and copper hued metal hourglass side drinks table, Postmodernism, circa late

Category

Late 20th Century Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Metal, Enamel

Pair of Postmodern Two Tones Italian Marble End Tables. Circa 1980s
Pair of Postmodern Two Tones Italian Marble End Tables. Circa 1980s

Pair of Postmodern Two Tones Italian Marble End Tables. Circa 1980s

By Stone International

Located in Miami, FL

Vintage Pair of Postmodern Two Tones Italian Marble End Tables. Circa 1980s Features a nicely

Category

Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Marble

Set of Two Faceted Postmodern Low Tables in Hand-Lacquered Custom RAL Colors
Set of Two Faceted Postmodern Low Tables in Hand-Lacquered Custom RAL Colors

Set of Two Faceted Postmodern Low Tables in Hand-Lacquered Custom RAL Colors

By JLC

Located in NEW YORK, NY

side table, both finished in a deep ocher matte lacquer that emphasizes their bold, totemic presence

Category

2010s Portuguese Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Wood, Lacquer

Chrome and Glass Side Drinks Table Tord Björklund
Chrome and Glass Side Drinks Table Tord Björklund

Chrome and Glass Side Drinks Table Tord Björklund

By Tord Bjorklund

Located in New York, NY

A tubular chrome and glass side drinks table, Postmodern design period, by/attributed to Swedish

Category

Late 20th Century Swedish Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Chrome

Papilio Side Table by Alessandro Mendini 1985
Papilio Side Table by Alessandro Mendini 1985

Papilio Side Table by Alessandro Mendini 1985

By Alessandro Mendini

Located in Weesp, NL

Elevate your space with these exquisite postmodern two-tier glass side tables, a rare and iconic

Category

1990s Italian Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Steel

Pr. Hollywood Regency Postmodern Glass and Brass Tables Made in Italy  1970/80's
Pr. Hollywood Regency Postmodern Glass and Brass Tables Made in Italy  1970/80's

Pr. Hollywood Regency Postmodern Glass and Brass Tables Made in Italy 1970/80's

By Design Institute America, Milo Baughman

Located in New York, NY

Voguish chic matched pair of side tables having squared stock brass frames, with thick tempered

Category

Late 20th Century Italian Hollywood Regency Side Tables

Materials

Brass

Pair of Paul Evans Style Cityscape Metal Side Tables
Pair of Paul Evans Style Cityscape Metal Side Tables

Pair of Paul Evans Style Cityscape Metal Side Tables

By Paul Evans

Located in Brooklyn, NY

Pair of Postmodern metal side tables in the style of Paul Evans, featuring bold, geometric

Category

Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Side Tables

Materials

Metal

A RADICAL & POSTMODERN Lucite CONSOLE, France 1970
A RADICAL & POSTMODERN Lucite CONSOLE, France 1970

A RADICAL & POSTMODERN Lucite CONSOLE, France 1970

Located in PARIS, FR

A rigorous rectangular console, Post-Modernist, Space-Age, Seventies, Shabby-Chic, geometric structure solidified by a low shelf both aesthetic and constructive, in very thick strips...

Category

Vintage 1970s French Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Lucite

1980s Natural Mactan Stone Square End/Side Tables
1980s Natural Mactan Stone Square End/Side Tables

1980s Natural Mactan Stone Square End/Side Tables

Located in Dallas, TX

Unique Postmodern 1980s design, freeform end/side tables. Each table base in rough edged brick

Category

Vintage 1980s Modern Side Tables

Materials

Stone

Pair of Vintage Leather Parsons Side Tables, Vintage Design, USA
Pair of Vintage Leather Parsons Side Tables, Vintage Design, USA

Pair of Vintage Leather Parsons Side Tables, Vintage Design, USA

By Maitland Smith, Harrison Van Horn, (after) Jean Michel Frank, Karl Springer, Pierre Cardin

Located in Round Top, TX

Postmodern Leather Parsons Side Tables A pair of genuine leather wrapped side tables with

Category

Late 20th Century American Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Leather, Glass, Wood

Italian 1970's Postmodern Swiveling Bar Cart in Chrome and Smoked Glass
Italian 1970's Postmodern Swiveling Bar Cart in Chrome and Smoked Glass

Italian 1970's Postmodern Swiveling Bar Cart in Chrome and Smoked Glass

By Milo Baughman

Located in Bedford Hills, NY

side table or a fully extended serving station. Italy. Circa 1970–1979. Polished chrome-plated steel

Category

Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables

Materials

Chrome

Pucci De Rossi for H Dolin Stuart Signed Battista Occasional Table, 1987
Pucci De Rossi for H Dolin Stuart Signed Battista Occasional Table, 1987

Pucci De Rossi for H Dolin Stuart Signed Battista Occasional Table, 1987

By Pucci De Rossi

Located in Cathedral City, CA

Pucci De Rossi for H Dolin Stuart Signed Battista Occasional Table, 1987 A delightful postmodern

Category

Vintage 1980s American Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Metal

Tessellated Stone Nightstand in the Style of Marquis of Beverly Hills
Tessellated Stone Nightstand in the Style of Marquis of Beverly Hills

Tessellated Stone Nightstand in the Style of Marquis of Beverly Hills

By Marquis Collection of Beverly Hills 1

Located in San Diego, CA

A very nice tessellated stone Postmodern single drawer side table or nightstand in the style of

Category

Late 20th Century American Post-Modern Side Tables

Materials

Stone

Postmodern Side Coffe Table 1980s
Postmodern Side Coffe Table 1980s

Postmodern Side Coffe Table 1980s

Located in Čelinac, BA

Postmodern Side Coffe table Italy 1980s

Category

Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Metal

Vintage Postmodern Natural Mactan Stone Side / Coffee Table
Vintage Postmodern Natural Mactan Stone Side / Coffee Table

Vintage Postmodern Natural Mactan Stone Side / Coffee Table

By Maitland Smith

Located in Denton, TX

Beautiful Tessellated Macan stone set on a diagonal design and capped with a square glass top. Can be used with or with out the glass top. The measurements of the base is 19 x 19 x ...

Category

Late 20th Century Philippine Post-Modern End Tables

Materials

Stone

Postmodern Memphis 1980s Pair of End Tables, Side Tables -- 2 Pcs
Postmodern Memphis 1980s Pair of End Tables, Side Tables -- 2 Pcs

Postmodern Memphis 1980s Pair of End Tables, Side Tables -- 2 Pcs

By Ettore Sottsass

Located in Basel, BS

Gorgeous, RARE pair of stylish Postmodern 1980s end tables. Very versatile, excellent as bedside

Category

Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern End Tables

Materials

Wood

1980s Postmodern Glass and Chrome Side / End Table 21x27x21 Inches
1980s Postmodern Glass and Chrome Side / End Table 21x27x21 Inches

1980s Postmodern Glass and Chrome Side / End Table 21x27x21 Inches

Located in Philadelphia, PA

This is a postmodern end table that dates back to the 1980s. The exact designer and manufacturer of

Category

Vintage 1980s Unknown Modern End Tables

Materials

Chrome

Postmodern Sculptural Green Figured Marble Side Tables, Pair, c. 1980s
Postmodern Sculptural Green Figured Marble Side Tables, Pair, c. 1980s

Postmodern Sculptural Green Figured Marble Side Tables, Pair, c. 1980s

Located in Rancho Cucamonga, CA

This pair of side tables represents the bold materiality of postmodern design, utilizing solid

Category

Late 20th Century Italian Post-Modern End Tables

Materials

Marble

Postmodern Travertine Nesting Side Tables, a Set of 3
Postmodern Travertine Nesting Side Tables, a Set of 3

Postmodern Travertine Nesting Side Tables, a Set of 3

By Karl Springer

Located in Brooklyn, NY

A set of three nesting side tables in solid travertine, designed in a stepped form typical of

Category

Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Nesting Tables and Stacking Tables

Materials

Travertine

Postmodern Lucite Cubic Table or Side Lamp, Italy, 1970s
Postmodern Lucite Cubic Table or Side Lamp, Italy, 1970s

Postmodern Lucite Cubic Table or Side Lamp, Italy, 1970s

Located in Vienna, AT

A beautiful cube table or side lamp made of perspex from the 1970s. Made in Italy, in very good

Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps

Materials

Lucite

Postmodern Perforated Metal Nesting Side Table from Ikea, 1980s
Postmodern Perforated Metal Nesting Side Table from Ikea, 1980s

Postmodern Perforated Metal Nesting Side Table from Ikea, 1980s

By IKEA

Located in Hamburg, DE

Postmodern metal side table from Ikea from the 1980s. A delicate design. The finely crafted frame

Category

20th Century Swedish Post-Modern Nesting Tables and Stacking Tables

Materials

Metal

Vintage Marble End Table Side Table Postmodern MCM 70s 80
Vintage Marble End Table Side Table Postmodern MCM 70s 80

Vintage Marble End Table Side Table Postmodern MCM 70s 80

By Angelo Mangiarotti, Mario Bellini, Milo Baughman, Massimo and Lella Vignelli, Stone International

Located in Palm Desert, CA

Vintage Cream Marble End Table. Made out of solid marble stone. It's in two parts. The tabletop

Category

Vintage 1970s Unknown Post-Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Marble

Postmodern Black Patinated Metal Table
Postmodern Black Patinated Metal Table

Postmodern Black Patinated Metal Table

Located in Astoria, NY

Postmodern Black Patinated Metal Side Table, with geometric tripod base and circular top. 24.25

Category

Late 20th Century Post-Modern End Tables

Materials

Metal

Postmodern Pedestal End Table
Postmodern Pedestal End Table

Postmodern Pedestal End Table

Located in Franklin Park, IL

Postmodern Pedestal End Table This side table measures: 26 wide x 26 deep x 21.25 inches high

Category

Early 2000s American Post-Modern End Tables

Materials

Wood

Postmodern Faux Coquina Mushroom Nesting Side Tables - Set of 3
Postmodern Faux Coquina Mushroom Nesting Side Tables - Set of 3

Postmodern Faux Coquina Mushroom Nesting Side Tables - Set of 3

Located in Delray Beach, FL

These Postmodern Faux Coquina Nesting Tables blend sculptural form and luxe texture to enhance

Category

Vintage 1980s American Nesting Tables and Stacking Tables

Materials

Coral

Postmodern American textured plaster / concrete side or coffee table, 1980s
Postmodern American textured plaster / concrete side or coffee table, 1980s

Postmodern American textured plaster / concrete side or coffee table, 1980s

Located in Hastings, GB

Stylish postmodern stepped textured plaster/concrete side or coffee table. USA 1980s. Zig zag lamp

Category

Late 20th Century American Post-Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Concrete

Postmodern Off White Stucco Mushroom Nesting Side Tables - Set of 3
Postmodern Off White Stucco Mushroom Nesting Side Tables - Set of 3

Postmodern Off White Stucco Mushroom Nesting Side Tables - Set of 3

Located in Delray Beach, FL

The Postmodern Off-White Stucco Mushroom Tables add sculptural elegance and tranquil texture to

Category

Vintage 1980s American Nesting Tables and Stacking Tables

Materials

Wood

Postmodern Perforated Metal Nesting Side Tables from Ikea, 1980s, Set of 2
Postmodern Perforated Metal Nesting Side Tables from Ikea, 1980s, Set of 2

Postmodern Perforated Metal Nesting Side Tables from Ikea, 1980s, Set of 2

By IKEA

Located in Hamburg, DE

Postmodern metal nesting side table from Ikea from the 1980s. A delicate design. The finely

Category

20th Century Swedish Post-Modern Nesting Tables and Stacking Tables

Materials

Metal

Postmodern “625” Coffee / Side Table by Peter Noever for Zanotta, 1980s
Postmodern “625” Coffee / Side Table by Peter Noever for Zanotta, 1980s

Postmodern “625” Coffee / Side Table by Peter Noever for Zanotta, 1980s

By Zanotta

Located in Renens, CH

Coffee / side table designed by Peter Granite for Zanotta during the 1980s. Granite top with a

Category

Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Granite

1980s Postmodern Marble Stone Executive Two Sided Desk
1980s Postmodern Marble Stone Executive Two Sided Desk

1980s Postmodern Marble Stone Executive Two Sided Desk

By Karl Springer

Located in Madison, WI

Incredible 1980s Postmodern Marble designer desk. Great for use as an executive desk or a two sided

Category

Late 20th Century American Post-Modern Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Marble

Postmodern Granite and Black Tubular Steel Base Coffee or Side Tables, a Pair
Postmodern Granite and Black Tubular Steel Base Coffee or Side Tables, a Pair

Postmodern Granite and Black Tubular Steel Base Coffee or Side Tables, a Pair

By Sottsass Associati

Located in Miami, FL

Pair of postmodern black powder-coated V-shaped tubular steel base tables with solid granite marble

Category

Vintage 1980s Unknown Post-Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Granite, Metal

A Pair of RADICAL POSTMODERN Side or COFFEE TABLES, by KAPPA, France 1970
A Pair of RADICAL POSTMODERN Side or COFFEE TABLES, by KAPPA, France 1970

A Pair of RADICAL POSTMODERN Side or COFFEE TABLES, by KAPPA, France 1970

By Kappa

Located in PARIS, FR

A pair of rare, elegant and architectural '"T" square coffee tables, Post-Modernist, Bauhaus, Space

Category

Vintage 1970s French Post-Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables

Materials

Metal

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Postmodern Side Table For Sale on 1stDibs

With a vast inventory of beautiful furniture at 1stDibs, we’ve got just the postmodern side table you’re looking for. A postmodern side table — often made from metal, wood and glass — can elevate any home. There are 68 variations of the antique or vintage postmodern side table you’re looking for, while we also have 2 modern editions of this piece to choose from as well. Whether you’re looking for an older or newer postmodern side table, there are earlier versions available from the 20th Century and newer variations made as recently as the 21st Century. A postmodern side table, designed in the Mid-Century Modern style, is generally a popular piece of furniture. Ettore Sottsass, Directional and Memphis Group each produced at least one beautiful postmodern side table that is worth considering.

How Much is a Postmodern Side Table?

A postmodern side table can differ in price owing to various characteristics — the average selling price 1stDibs is $2,000, while the lowest priced sells for $350 and the highest can go for as much as $7,450.

A Close Look at Post-modern Furniture

Postmodern design was a short-lived movement that manifested itself chiefly in Italy and the United States in the early 1980s. The characteristics of vintage postmodern furniture and other postmodern objects and decor for the home included loud-patterned, usually plastic surfaces; strange proportions, vibrant colors and weird angles; and a vague-at-best relationship between form and function.

ORIGINS OF POSTMODERN FURNITURE DESIGN

  • Emerges during the 1960s; popularity explodes during the ’80s
  • A reaction to prevailing conventions of modernism by mainly American architects
  • Architect Robert Venturi critiques modern architecture in his Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture (1966)
  • Theorist Charles Jencks, who championed architecture filled with allusions and cultural references, writes The Language of Post-Modern Architecture (1977)
  • Italian design collective the Memphis Group, also known as Memphis Milano, meets for the first time (1980) 
  • Memphis collective debuts more than 50 objects and furnishings at Salone del Milano (1981)
  • Interest in style declines, minimalism gains steam

CHARACTERISTICS OF POSTMODERN FURNITURE DESIGN

  • Dizzying graphic patterns and an emphasis on loud, off-the-wall colors
  • Use of plastic and laminates, glass, metal and marble; lacquered and painted wood 
  • Unconventional proportions and abundant ornamentation
  • Playful nods to Art Deco and Pop art

POSTMODERN FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW

VINTAGE POSTMODERN FURNITURE ON 1STDIBS

Critics derided postmodern design as a grandstanding bid for attention and nothing of consequence. Decades later, the fact that postmodernism still has the power to provoke thoughts, along with other reactions, proves they were not entirely correct.

Postmodern design began as an architectural critique. Starting in the 1960s, a small cadre of mainly American architects began to argue that modernism, once high-minded and even noble in its goals, had become stale, stagnant and blandly corporate. Later, in Milan, a cohort of creators led by Ettore Sottsass and Alessandro Mendinia onetime mentor to Sottsass and a key figure in the Italian Radical movement — brought the discussion to bear on design.

Sottsass, an industrial designer, philosopher and provocateur, gathered a core group of young designers into a collective in 1980 they called Memphis. Members of the Memphis Group,  which would come to include Martine Bedin, Michael Graves, Marco Zanini, Shiro Kuramata, Michele de Lucchi and Matteo Thun, saw design as a means of communication, and they wanted it to shout. That it did: The first Memphis collection appeared in 1981 in Milan and broke all the modernist taboos, embracing irony, kitsch, wild ornamentation and bad taste.

Memphis works remain icons of postmodernism: the Sottsass Casablanca bookcase, with its leopard-print plastic veneer; de Lucchi’s First chair, which has been described as having the look of an electronics component; Martine Bedin’s Super lamp: a pull-toy puppy on a power-cord leash. Even though it preceded the Memphis Group’s formal launch, Sottsass’s iconic Ultrafragola mirror — in its conspicuously curved plastic shell with radical pops of pink neon — proves striking in any space and embodies many of the collective’s postmodern ideals. 

After the initial Memphis show caused an uproar, the postmodern movement within furniture and interior design quickly took off in America. (Memphis fell out of fashion when the Reagan era gave way to cool 1990’s minimalism.) The architect Robert Venturi had by then already begun a series of plywood chairs for Knoll Inc., with beefy, exaggerated silhouettes of traditional styles such as Queen Anne and Chippendale. In 1982, the new firm Swid Powell enlisted a group of top American architects, including Frank Gehry, Richard Meier, Stanley Tigerman and Venturi to create postmodern tableware in silver, ceramic and glass.

On 1stDibs, the vintage postmodern furniture collection includes chairs, coffee tables, sofas, decorative objects, table lamps and more.

Finding the Right Side-tables for You

While the range of styles and variety of materials have broadened over time, the priceless functionality of side tables has held true.

Antique and vintage side tables are an integral accent to our seating and provide additional, necessary storage in our homes. They can be a great foundation for that perfect focal piece of art that you want all your guests to see as you congregate for cocktails in the living room. Side tables are indeed ideal as a stage for your decorative objects or plants in your library or your study, and they are a practical space for the novel or stack of design magazines you keep close to your sofa.

Sure, owning a pair of side tables isn’t as imperative as having a coffee table in the common area, though most of us would struggle without them. Those made of metal, stone or wood are frequently featured in stylish interiors, and if you’re shopping for side tables, there are a couple of things to keep in mind.

With respect to the height of your side tables, a table that is as high as your lounge chair or the arm of your couch is best.

Some folks are understandably fussy about coherence in a living room area, but coherence doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t mix and match. Feel free to introduce minimalist mid-century modern wooden side tables designed by Paul McCobb alongside your contemporary metal coffee table. If you think it isn’t possible to pair a Hollywood Regency–style side table with a contemporary sofa, we’re here to tell you that it is. Even a leggy side table can balance a chunky sofa well. Try to keep a limited color palette in mind if you’re planning on mixing furniture styles and materials, and don’t be afraid to add a piece of abstract art to shake things up.

As far as the objects you’re planning to place on your side tables, if you have heavy items such as stone or sculptures to display, a fragile glass-top table would not be an ideal choice. Think about what material would best support your collectibles and go with that. If it’s a particularly small side table, along with a tall, sleek floor lamp, it can make for a great way to fill a corner of the room you wouldn’t otherwise easily be able to populate.

Whether you are looking for an antique 19th-century carved oak side table or a vintage rattan side table (because rattan never went away!), the collection on 1stDibs has you covered —  find Art Deco side tables, bamboo side tables, travertine side tables and more today.

Questions About Postmodern Side Table
  • 1stDibs ExpertNovember 13, 2024
    Side tables are often simply called side tables. If positioned on either end of a sofa or loveseat, you might refer to them as end tables. General terms for side tables and other tables commonly used in seating areas include occasional tables and accent tables. On 1stDibs, shop a wide range of side tables.
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    Side tables are used next to furniture like beds and couches to provide an accessible place for keeping essential items at hand. In the living room, side tables are often used to display flower arrangements, photos or books as well as to set down a drink. In the bedroom, a side table is typically populated with items like a lamp, bedtime reading material, and a charging device for a phone. Shop a collection of vintage and contemporary side tables from some of the world’s top sellers on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    A nesting table is a set of tables designed to be stored one inside or under the other, giving them a layered or stacked appearance. A side table is a table that’s placed beside a piece of furniture. A nesting side table would be a series of side tables in graduated heights that can be stacked or nested together. Shop a collection of nesting tables from some of the world’s top sellers on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertSeptember 25, 2019

    A side table should stand one to three inches below the arm of the sofa or chair it is placed next to.

  • 1stDibs ExpertOctober 7, 2024
    The difference between a side table and a coffee table is mainly in the size and shape. Coffee tables usually feature larger tops but shorter legs. People typically place them in front of a sofa or a loveseat to rest books, drinks, remote controls and other items. Side tables also store items, but they are usually positioned beside an accent chair or at the ends of a sofa or loveseat. Shop a diverse assortment of side tables and coffee tables on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertMay 5, 2023
    There are two differences between end tables and side tables: function and size. Typically, end tables go beside a chair or at opposite ends of a sofa and have smaller tabletops, while side tables go toward the sides of seating areas or against walls and feature a larger surface area. However, many people use the words side and end tables interchangeably, so these differences may not always apply. On 1stDibs, shop a variety of end and side tables.
  • 1stDibs ExpertSeptember 28, 2021
    A tall side table may also be called a console table. While these furnishings are not as common in today’s interiors as their coffee-table and side-table counterparts, console tables are stylish home accents and have become more prevalent over the years. The popularity of wood console tables took shape during the 17th and 18th centuries in French and Italian culture, and were exclusively featured in the palatial homes of the upper class. Find console tables today on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertSeptember 23, 2024
    What tiny side tables are called varies. Some people may simply refer to them as side tables. Others describe them as end tables if they're placed on either end of a sofa or loveseat. When used elsewhere in a room, small side tables are often called accent tables. On 1stDibs, explore a large selection of antique, vintage and contemporary side tables.
  • 1stDibs ExpertMarch 25, 2024
    No, a side table shouldn't always be lower than a sofa. To make it easy to access items on a table, a sofa's arms should generally be no more than 2 to 3 inches above or below the tabletop. This rule of thumb differs from the one for coffee tables, which should be as tall or 1 to 2 inches shorter than the seat height of the sofa to ensure a balanced look. Explore a large selection of side tables on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertMay 5, 2023
    To determine whether a side table is an antique, closely examine its details. Older pieces will typically have telltale features like wood pegs, hand-cut dovetails with some slight imperfections and mortise-and-tenon construction. Tables that are a consistent color throughout or have machine-cut moldings or carvings are unlikely to be antiques. A certified appraiser or knowledgeable antiques dealer can be a helpful resource when dating tables. Shop a collection of antique, vintage and modern side tables on 1stDibs.