Incollect Magazine - Issue 6

68 www.incollect.com Decorating a home is never as easy as it might look — there are countless decisions to be made and the bigger the home, the bigger the challenge. One of the most basic but fundamental decisions to be made is what type of furniture is needed and where it might go — living or dining room, bedroom or kitchen area. Transitional areas in the home present a particular challenge. Some people like to keep empty hallways and foyers or vestibules, decorating only with light fixtures, a mirror or artwork, but more often than not some kind of tabletop surface is required to support decorative objects. These are known as consoles and if chosen wisely for an entrance area can set the tone for the rest of an interior. A console table is, by definition, a table whose top surface is supported by one front leg or more frequently two of what are known as “corbels” or side “brackets”, rather than the four legs found on tables in general. Consoles can either stand alone as a sort of side table or as a “pier” table that is fixed to or abutting a wall. Typically consoles are used in entryways and hallways where the space is shallow but consoles actually have a wide range of applications in the home, from storage to functional surfaces used along walls or behind sofas in a living room. The editors of Incollect have selected some of our favorite consoles to celebrate the creative ingenuity and inventiveness of designers over the decades. Some designs come with drawers and doors, others are more like a table or desk. Some even dispense with functionality and exist as pieces of decorative sculpture.