A Console Table Behind a Sofa: Height, Length and Depth That Work
By Furniture1004 min read
A sofa pulled away from the wall, floating in the room or dividing an open-plan space, has one problem: from behind, all you see is the back of it. A console table fixes that. It gives the sofa a finished edge, a place for a lamp to light the seats from behind, and a surface for a book or a drink within reach of the person sitting nearest.
It only works if the proportions are right. Here are the three measurements that matter.
Height: level with the sofa back, or just below
A console behind a sofa should never stand taller than the sofa back. Level with it, or a few centimetres below, looks right: the console reads as part of the sofa rather than a separate table that happens to be behind it.
Measure your sofa's back at its highest point before you choose. Our consoles stand between 75cm and 85cm high:
- Adrienne: 75cm
- Ancuta, Belgravia, Lilesville and Mayfair: 78cm
- Upney: 80cm
- Cotswold: 82cm
- Bankside and Hoxton: 83cm
- Fitzroy: 85cm
If your sofa has a low back, the lower consoles are the ones to look at. A console that rises above the sofa back blocks the view of the sofa from behind and looks perched.
Length: no longer than the sofa
A console should not overhang the ends of the sofa. Between two thirds of the sofa's length and its full length looks right.
Behind a three-seater. The long consoles are made for this. The Hoxton is 180cm, the Cotswold 160cm and the Bankside 140cm, all in rustic wood-effect finishes. At these lengths a pair of lamps, one at each end, suits the table and lights both ends of the sofa.
Behind a two-seater or a smaller sofa. Look at 100cm to 120cm: the Upney at 120cm, the Lilesville at 118cm, the Beaumont at 101.6cm and the Ancuta and Belgravia at 100cm. One lamp at one end, balanced by a plant or a stack of books at the other, suits this length.
Measure your sofa end to end, arms included, and work from there.
Depth: as shallow as you can find
Behind a sofa, depth eats into the walkway, so shallow is better. Most of our consoles are 30cm deep, the Beaumont is 29cm, and the Hoxton and the Adrienne are 35cm. The Mayfair is the deepest at 40cm, which suits a sofa with plenty of room behind it.
If people walk behind the sofa to get through the room, leave a comfortable path between the console and whatever is behind it. If the sofa backs onto a wall with space to spare, depth matters less.
Open frame or solid base
Behind a floating sofa, the base of the console is on show from the rest of the room, and it changes how heavy the arrangement looks.
- Open frames let light and the floor show through. The Bankside on open black supports, the Upney on a gold lattice and the Ancuta on a slim rod frame keep a large sofa from looking like a solid block.
- Solid or sculptural bases make more of a statement. The Belgravia's fluted disc and the Mayfair's fluted pedestal are designed to be looked at, which suits a sofa in the middle of a room where the console is seen from the entrance.
- Storage is useful behind a sofa too. The Beaumont's two drawers take remote controls, chargers and coasters, and its lower shelf takes a basket of throws.
Tight against it, or a gap
A console can sit right up against the sofa back or a few centimetres away. Check whether your sofa back slopes backwards before you decide: a raked back leaves a gap at floor level, so measure at the bottom as well as the top.
Power for a lamp
The one practical snag is the lamp cable. Run it down a back leg of the console and along the floor under the sofa to the nearest wall socket, or use a floor socket if you have one. A cable tidy along the floor keeps it out of the way.
Find yours
Free UK delivery and 30-day returns on every console, and you can Make an Offer on any of them.
For how to dress it once it is in place, read how to style a console table, and for other places to use one, console table ideas beyond the hallway. Browse all the console tables, or the sofas to go in front of one.
Frequently asked questions
How high should a console table be behind a sofa?
Level with the top of the sofa back or a little below it, never above. Measure your sofa's back height at the highest point and choose a console at or just under it. Our consoles stand between 75cm and 85cm high, with the height stated on every product page.
How long should a console table be behind a sofa?
No longer than the sofa. Somewhere between two thirds of the sofa's length and its full length looks right. A console that overhangs the ends of the sofa looks like a mistake.
How deep should a console table behind a sofa be?
As shallow as you can find, especially if people walk behind the sofa. Most of our consoles are 30cm deep, which leaves the most room. Allow a clear path behind if that side of the sofa is a route through the room.
Should the console touch the back of the sofa?
It can sit tight against it or a few centimetres away. Check whether your sofa back slopes backwards: a raked back leaves a gap at the bottom, so measure at the floor as well as at the top before you decide where the console stands.
How do I power a lamp on a console behind a sofa?
Run the cable down a back leg and along the floor under the sofa to the nearest wall socket, or use a floor socket if you have one. A cable tidy along the floor stops it becoming a trip hazard.
