Choose an open oak side table if you mainly need a surface for a lamp, a drink and a book, you already have storage elsewhere in the room, and you want the space to feel light. Choose a side table with storage if remotes, chargers, magazines and everyday odds and ends currently have nowhere to live, or if your room is small enough that every piece needs to do more than one job. And remember that the two are not mutually exclusive: many oak tables come with a drawer or a lower shelf, which gives you the warmth of timber and somewhere to tidy things away.
Our oak and wooden side tables UK range includes open designs as well as tables with drawers and shelves. This guide helps you work out which suits the way you live.
An open oak side table is about simplicity. Without doors or drawers, it keeps the floor and wall behind it visible, which makes a room feel more spacious. The natural grain of oak brings warmth and texture, and a well made oak table has a timeless quality that works in both traditional and contemporary rooms.
Open tables are also lighter and easier to move, simple to clean around and often more elegant in profile. They suit people who prefer minimal surfaces and who already have a sideboard, bookcase or TV unit to handle storage. For a reading chair or the end of a sofa where you only need a cup and a lamp, an open oak table is often all that is required.
A side table with storage solves a very common problem: the small items that gather around a sofa with nowhere to go. Remote controls, phone chargers, coasters, reading glasses, notebooks and magazines can quickly crowd a tabletop. A drawer or cupboard hides them, keeping the surface clear and the room calmer.
In smaller homes, storage tables earn their place by doing two jobs at once. They give you a surface and a cupboard in the footprint of one piece, which can mean you need fewer pieces of furniture overall. They are also useful in rooms used by several people, where a drawer for each person’s belongings can keep peace in a shared space.
Both styles sit comfortably within a wider scheme of modern living room furniture UK, so the choice is less about appearance and more about everyday use.
A few honest questions about how you use the space will usually make the decision clear.
In most living rooms, a combination works well. An open oak side table beside the armchair keeps that corner light, while a table with a drawer at the end of the sofa holds remotes and chargers. If your TV unit already has generous storage, two open tables may be all you need.
Beside a bed, storage is often more useful than people expect. Medication, glasses, tissues and books accumulate quickly. If you prefer an open oak table here, consider a small box or tray to contain loose items, or choose a design with a shelf below the top.
In a compact home, storage side tables are usually the better choice. Every piece of furniture is visible from most of the room, and hidden storage keeps the space looking ordered. A table with a drawer can double as a bedside table, a sofa table and a desk companion.
Where children play, storage tables keep small toys, games and controllers tidy and off the floor. Choose sturdy designs with rounded edges, and consider soft close drawers to protect small fingers. Our end tables with storage UK include practical designs that suit busy family spaces.
Not all storage side tables are the same, and the type matters.
If you find you need more than a side table can hold, our modern storage furniture UK includes larger cabinets and units that keep the living room tidy, freeing the side table for its main job.
For many people, the most satisfying choice is an oak side table that includes a modest amount of storage. A single drawer under the top hides everyday clutter, while open legs and a light frame keep the table from looking bulky. A lower shelf offers a place for books or a basket without the solidity of a cupboard.
These designs combine the warmth and durability of oak with practical tidiness. They also adapt well as your needs change, moving from the living room to the bedroom or hallway without looking out of place.
Visual weight is how heavy a piece looks, rather than how much it weighs. Open oak tables with slim legs have low visual weight; cabinet style tables with solid sides have more. In a room with a large sofa and a substantial TV unit, adding several heavy storage tables can make the space feel crowded. In a room with light, leggy furniture, one solid storage piece can provide a welcome anchor.
A good rule is to balance solid and open forms. If your sofa sits low to the floor, an open table with legs creates contrast. If your sofa is raised on legs, a storage table with a solid base can ground the arrangement.
It helps to picture an ordinary week with each table. An open oak table needs very little thought: a quick dust, a wipe after a spill and the occasional coat of oil if it has an oiled finish. Because everything on it is visible, though, it relies on you to keep the surface tidy. If you tend to leave things where you put them down, an open table can drift into clutter within days.
A storage table asks for a different habit. Things go into the drawer or cupboard, and the top stays clear more easily. The risk is that the drawer becomes a catch all for anything without a home. A quick sort every few weeks keeps it useful. Drawers on runners stay smoother if they are not overloaded, and oak drawers benefit from a light wax on their runners from time to time.
Neither approach is better in itself. The right one is simply the one that suits your habits rather than the one you wish you had.
Before you decide, consider a few practical points. Check the height against your sofa arm so that the top is easy to reach. If the table will hold a lamp, look for a cable hole or a gap at the back so wires do not trail across the top. For storage tables, check that drawers open fully without hitting the sofa, and that cupboard doors have room to swing.
If you are still unsure of the terminology, our guide to side tables, end tables and lamp tables in UK homes explains how these pieces differ and where each one works best.
Whichever direction suits you, you will find open oak tables, storage tables and designs that combine the two at Furniture in Fashion, with free delivery to most UK mainland postcodes.
Usually, yes. It provides a surface and hidden storage in one footprint, which can mean fewer pieces of furniture overall.
Yes. Many oak side tables include a drawer, a shelf or both, giving you natural timber with practical storage.
Solid cabinet styles can feel heavier. Designs with legs and a single drawer keep a lighter look.
Not necessarily. An open table on one side and a storage table on the other can work well if they share a finish or height.
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