Modern Side Tables: No Small Parts, Only Smart Design

The Domino Side Table by Ford Bostwick Studio references Le Corbusier’s Dom-Ino House through a precise composition of stainless steel plates that appear to float in space. Reflective surfaces shift with light and movement, at times asserting structure, at others nearly disappearing, creating a side table that feels architectural, minimal, and quietly dynamic.

This wooden side table draws from the Zangbeto masquerade of Benin, a tradition tied to guardianship, protection, and communal life among the Ogu people. The form translates movement and symbolism into solid structure, turning ritual reference into functional design while carrying a clear cultural narrative into a contemporary context.

This limited-edition side table by LMNOH pairs a raw aluminum base with a heavy cast glass top supported by sculptural glass “paws.” The contrast between industrial metal and tactile glass gives the piece a bold, physical presence while keeping the form playful and deliberate.

Table CX-TA-01 by Robert Megel pairs baked Portuguese cork with satin-finished aluminum in a restrained, material-driven composition. The grooved cork brings warmth and tactility, while the filigree aluminum structure adds precision and visual lightness. Together, the contrast highlights function, balance, and the expressive potential of simple joinery.

Inspired by water and the malleability of metal, the Liquid Table explores reflection, texture, and movement through a fluid geometric form. Hand-chased using a traditional metalworking technique, its surface shimmers like light on water, referencing the Black Sea near Odesa. Designed to function as a side table, coffee table, or pedestal, it moves easily between roles while reading as both furniture and sculptural object.

Inter by Ieva Gudelaityté draws on personal memory and myth, translating totemic figures with distorted proportions into a functional yet symbolic object. Rooted in ancient beliefs where unusual bodies signaled spiritual power or revelation, the piece treats the body as both vessel and surface. Furniture becomes a prompt for reflection, where form carries meaning beyond use.

The Pupa Side Table by Lørdag & Søndag brings together contemporary design and traditional Mexican weaving, handcrafted by artisan Alberto Cruz Mejía in Querétaro. Its woven wicker body rests on sculptural legs inspired by stages of metamorphosis, with a concealed metal structure providing strength beneath the organic surface. The result feels tactile, symbolic, and grounded in process.

The Undress House Side Table captures the studio’s minimalist approach through a clean stainless steel form softened by subtle curves. A laser-cut motif on the front casts shifting shadows when light hits it, turning surface and illumination into part of the design. As the studio’s first piece, it sets a clear tone for material honesty and restrained experimentation.

The CHERRY table by SALAK Studio pairs a slim steel structure with a smooth, understated top. The design balances industrial clarity with a restrained profile, allowing the material to speak without excess. It works as a flexible side table that feels current without chasing trends.

This martini table plays with the tension between delicacy and strength. Its fluid, organic form feels light in appearance, while the resin construction gives it durability and easy mobility. As light hits the surface, subtle reflections animate the piece, adding movement and atmosphere without overpowering the room.

This bedside table by Foteini Noti explores harmony through line and movement. Crafted in oak, the wooden form feels grounded yet slightly offbeat, with proportions that introduce a playful, unexpected note. Functional and versatile, it fits easily across rooms while adding character through subtle design choices rather than excess.

The Mingo Side Table by Chandler McLellan focuses on refined simplicity and flexibility. Made from North American white oak, the sculptural form serves as a stool, footrest, ottoman, or compact end table. Balanced proportions and careful joinery bring warmth and ease beside a lounge chair, at the end of a bed, or set freely in an open room.

Kinoko is a series of side tables inspired by mushrooms and their organic role in interior spaces. The designs pair traditional ceramic craft with digital fabrication, finished in a Sea Cucumber glaze that gives each piece depth and texture. Three colorways reference elemental forces, while each form marks a different stage of growth and transformation.

The Tronco Drinks Table distills the Tronco series into a single sculptural pillar, drawing on the vertical geometry of tree trunks and translating it into hydroformed stainless steel. Light, hollow, and reflective, the surface holds folds and creases shaped by pressure and hand-finishing, creating a compact side table that shifts with light and movement as it moves through a space.

Two solid blocks of upcycled textile form this side table, held together by a single contrasting strap that becomes both structure and statement. The piece plays with tension and balance, pairing a concrete-like presence with a surface that feels soft and tactile to the touch. What reads as raw and weighty reveals a surprising gentleness, without losing its sense of strength.

The Trunk Table in lavender blue is a hand-extruded stoneware ceramic side table from the studio’s latest collection of vessels, tables, and lamps. Layers of glaze create a marbled surface where flashes of pink break through the lavender, giving each piece depth and variation. Shaped with minimal intervention during extrusion, every table develops its own form, making each one entirely singular.

Named SPLAV, a Ukrainian word meaning “alloy,” these tables draw on ideas of strength, memory, and continuity between past and present. Each metal base is finished by hand with molten tin applied at 232°C, a process that leaves behind an unrepeatable surface texture. The result is a piece shaped as much by material and method as by symbolism.

The FOS Hill Side Table by Daniel Orozco Estudio pairs a volcanic stone top from Jalisco with three turned Jabin wood totems finished in a natural tone. The contrast between dense stone and carved wood gives the piece weight without heaviness. It reads as grounded, tactile, and closely tied to material origin.

The emphasis of this marble side table sits firmly in its legs, which take on an asymmetrical, sculptural form with subtle ethnic references. A restrained, volumetric tabletop balances the composition, allowing the expressive base to lead without overwhelming the piece.

Crafted by Lithuanian designer Donatas Žukauskas, these minimalist side tables fuse archaic references with industrial clarity. Made from an experimental blend of paper pulp and cardboard, the material achieves the strength and texture of wood, challenging assumptions about fragility. The mottled finish softens the brutalist form, giving the tables a grounded, tactile presence that reads as both sculptural and functional.