Consoles in the hallway: functions and features

It is possible to make an entrance to the room refined with the help of only one detail Consoles create a special atmosphere in the hallway, and their functions bring considerable benefits.

The console appeared in France. Originally called the element of architecture that supports the balcony or the eaves. At the time of Louis XIV, the console became a piece of furniture. Small tables with exquisite patterns, carvings and gilding decorated the halls of socialites.

Today, the console is still popular. She slightly modified and ceased to be a sign of luxury, but did not lose its former charm. Compact wall tables are made of various materials, and the flight of designer fantasy creates models that can fit into any interior. The console not only decorates the room, it is extremely functional.The table is used as a convenient stand for various trifles and decor items.

• Compactness. Many residential apartments can not boast of spacious hallways, and in fact sometimes you want to give a small corridor a little grace. Consoles do not need large free space. You can attach a narrow table to the wall or place a corner option at the door, while you will not lose a single precious meter, adding aesthetic appeal to the hall.

• Functionality. A small table at the front door will always have on hand keys or gloves. After returning home from the store, you can put a bag or a bag on the console, freeing your hands and allowing yourself to safely remove the outerwear. Such an original piece of furniture can easily replace a bulky chest of drawers, because the console is often supplied with drawers or shelves, which increases its functionality.
• Miniature table size will allow you to make the most efficient use of the hallway area. Above it, you can place a mirror, a shelf for a hairbrush or headgear, a key hanger, or something else. Under the table you can put a small poof.If the dimensions of the hallway allow, you can use the console and as a stand for magazines or beautiful decorative objects. It is not necessary to arrange on the table only a vault for all sorts of extraneous things. To emphasize the elegance of the situation and not litter the hallway, leave it half empty.

• Style. The console is able to transform the interior, give it lightness and expressiveness. It can become a detail harmoniously complementing the integrity of the situation or become a real highlight of the room. It is important that the style of the table coincides with the overall concept of the hallway. To enhance the effect of sophistication, you can add a console table with a mirror in a frame of a similar design, a picture or a pair of lamps. You can also use table clocks, potted flowers, framed photos of family members and similar trifles as a complementary decor.
• Mobility. If the console does not need fixing on the wall, you can easily move it to any other place. For example, with the help of such a table you can organize a romantic evening by candlelight in the living room or use it for other purposes in any part of the house.

There are several typical types of console tables.

• Attached. Such models resemble a table sawn in half. They have only one or two legs. For the absolute stability of the subject of this is not enough, so attachments are attached to the wall.
• Suspended. This type of console looks more like a regular wall shelf, the only difference is in the decorative leg, often not reaching the floor and giving the design the appearance of a table “stuck” in the air. Such models are also fixed on the wall. They are often complemented with mirrors.
• Stand alone. This type of console tables is absolutely mobile. It can have three or four legs and does not require fixing to the wall. Compact rectangular, semicircular or triangular models also assume the location of the wall, but can stand in the corner, and in another part of the hallway.

Console tables are made of different materials. Elite classic versions are made of solid wood, and expensive breeds are often used. More budget models can be made of chipboard or MDF.Here, various processing options are possible - imitation of wood texture, matte and glossy surfaces of various colors. For some products used forged metal (usually the options in the style of Provence and retro). Modern models are often made of durable plastic, glass, natural or artificial stone.

Often there are various combinations of materials, for example, a glass tabletop with legs made of chromed metal or a wooden table on a wrought-iron stand. Carving, silk-screen printing, mosaic, gold plating and so on can be used as decoration.

Console shade should blend in harmoniously with the interior. Designers recommend choosing light shades of furniture for small corridors: they visually expand the space, make the room brighter. This also applies to the console table. Versatile is white color. Such an object is able to revive the dark environment, to give it a feeling of lightness. With a bright design of the hallway such a console will balance the riot of colors,will bring harmony into the color scheme; If the corridor is furnished with pastel furniture, a snow-white table will also be an ideal addition. The white console fits perfectly in any style - classic, vintage, provence, modern trends.

Another spectacular and another contrasting option is the black console. Especially luxurious such models look glossy, but it is worth remembering that the color of the walls in this case should be fairly light, otherwise the table will simply be lost against the background of the overall interior. Typically, black console get for the hallway in the style of hi-tech, minimalism, art deco.

Natural wood shades are ideal for lovers of neutral, elegant furnishings. Usually these are noble classical products, models in eco-ethnostil, modern. In this case, the color solution is better to choose based on the tones of other furniture, details of the design of the walls and floor. Of the light colors, the “bleached oak” shade is the most popular, of the dark ones, the “wenge” is the most effective, and of medium tones, customers especially like the “nut”.

Console tables in bright colors are not very successful.This interior design option is suitable only for a dynamic, creative nature. A red or blue table will make the corridor more bright and outrageous, but it is still better to combine such objects with neutral shades to avoid excessive variegation.

Traditionally, the console has a semicircular shape. This is the kind that the famous architectural element had, which gave rise to a new trend in the design of premises. However, modern tables can have a different design. No less elegant look models with a narrow rectangular table top, while its edges can be sharp, rounded, or even have a wavy shape.

There are consoles of round, oval, trapezoidal shape. Interesting models with a triangular tabletop, which are installed in a free corner for the rational use of space at the junction of the walls. The number of legs of the console table can vary from one to four, depending on its mobility or the need for mounting to the wall.

The standard console size does not exist. Different manufacturers offer options with different dimensions. The height of the console tables ranges from 70 to 120 cm.The width of small corner models can be 40-60 cm. As for tables of elongated shape (rectangular, oval, semicircular and similar), the depth of the narrowest product can be 35 cm, and the most massive - 50 cm. The length of such tables varies from 60 to 80 cm.

Thanks to modern designers, the assortment of console tables is so diverse that you can easily choose an option for any interior.

Classic models performed mostly from wood. Since the classic includes a lot of directions, the appearance of the products can be different: both strict laconic options, and luxurious consoles in the “palace” style. Common features are only elegance and sophisticated expensive type of tables. This is usually a model of wood or its imitation. The color range includes natural shades of beige and brown, sometimes white and black are used.

As a decor the carving, gilding, a patina can be used. Often tables are supplied with boxes with figured handles, have a mirror in the set. Also in this style it is appropriate to add a console picture on the wall, decorating the tabletop with vases, lamps and other decorative elements.

Art Deco suggests luxury and originality: wooden models, metal, iridescent gloss. The color scheme includes black, white, brown, sometimes red, purple, blue and gold hues. Variations of execution are limited only by the imagination of designers. Conciseness and shocking, a combination of contrasting colors and different materials, sophistication and bizarre forms - everything is here.

Chebbi-chic and Provence evoke thoughts of a romantic french village. Natural materials, light colors, sophistication, combined with home comfort - these are the characteristics of furniture in this style. Such console tables are made of wood or materials that mimic it, and painted in light shades. More often it is white, sometimes beige, light gray, light blue, and pistachio tones are used. Often furniture is artificially given the effect of aging. The decor here is the figured carving, sometimes on the surfaces are discreet patterns.

Modern modern style based on originality, but unlike art deco there is no excessive pomp, model design is more restrained and concise.Along with a clear geometry, curved lines and smooth shapes are used. The tree of dark shades prevails, metal ornaments are sometimes used. You can also find patterns of bright colors.

Console hi-tech style have a futuristic orientation. Here are used glass, chrome-plated metal, plastic, often combined with each other. As for the color range, then choose white, black, gray, brown. Minimalism and hi-tech have much in common with each other, the only difference is that the main concept of minimalism is maximum brevity and the absence of unnecessary details. Restrained shades, simple geometric shapes - these are the distinctive features of the tables in this style.

Fusion - an unusual direction in the design, different variegated colors and expressive expression. Such consoles can have absolutely unpredictable shape and amaze with their brightness.

When choosing a console in the hallway, it is important to consider the style of the room, so that this element does not stand out from the general environment. To choose the right color you need to focus on the shade of the walls and other furniture.Remember that dark tones look better on a light background and vice versa.

Decide what you need the console for. If you want to use it as a dressing table to clean up before leaving the house, choose models of elongated shape with a mirror. If the table will be used as a bedside table for important details, pay attention to the options with built-in drawers and shelves.

Think about what items you will put on the table. Its size should be sufficient for things to be on the tabletop without the risk of falling from a narrow space. Maybe it will be a stand for a home phone or a beautiful vase, or maybe you plan to put a bag on the console table. In the second case, it should be located near the entrance door. Depending on the layout, you can choose the angular or linear option, but in any case it should be wide enough and roomy.

If you wish, you can make the original console yourself.For this you need only the usual small table. Just cut the product in length into two parts, then give it the desired color and texture. It all depends on your imagination: you can paint the product, varnish it, cover it with a patina, decorate it with stickers.

The charm of chebbi chic emphasizes a narrow wooden table with figured legs. Refined lamps and a mirror with carved frames harmoniously complete the composition.

Another interior in white, but in a modern style. Lightweight console on metal curved legs perfectly with the mirror in a beautiful frame of chromed metal. The decor in the form of a lamp and a photo in a frame bring an individuality into the minimalist setting. A black tiled floor creates a striking contrast following the latest trends in the design world.

Exquisite hallway in beige tones looks luxurious, but at the same time very comfortable. Mirror walls visually expand the space, turning the corridor into a spacious hall. White sofa brings a fresh feeling to the interior.The elegant wenge console in harmony with the dark frame of the chandelier and the decorative walls.

Another variation of the beige hallway in modern style. There is also a noble dark brown console here, but its shape is particularly original. A picture in a dark frame and lamps with crystal beads make the console table not just a piece of furniture, but a special area full of aesthetics and absolute style.

You will learn more about how to choose a console for the hallway in the following video.