Occasional Tables Buying Guide
A Brief History
Occasional tables are, as their name suggests, really just tables on which to place various miscellaneous items. If a frequently-used area of your home seems cluttered with objects that could do with being placed out of the way on a table, then an occasional table could be the answer to your needs.
This type of table, then, can trace its history back to the days of the earliest, most primitive tables of the China and Egypt of about 5,000 years ago. These tables were used for writing, painting and simply to keep items off the floor - with occasional tables having become more common over the last few centuries.
How and where might you use your occasional table?
You can use an occasional table in the living room, dining room, bedroom or hallway - to name just a few potential areas.
Occasional tables can be used for storage, perhaps as somewhere to stack books or magazines, or you may also use them to display items such as vases, candles, telephones and lamps. They can also be used simply as accent pieces, perhaps serving as the practical and aesthetic focal point of the otherwise bare part of a particular room.
Popular types of occasional table include nests of tables, which are ideal if you have guests who may benefit from having smaller tables on which to place down their drinks.
How to choose the right occasional table
When you are choosing from the available range of occasional tables, you will need to ask yourself where you intend to place it, so that you can be sure of choosing a table that fits in with the rest of the given room's wood colour and decor - as well as that is the right size.
Next, you'll need to ask yourself how you intend to use the occasional table, as this will influence which features you require - from drawers and cupboards to shelves.
How to clean and maintain your occasional table
Heat is a real hazard to an occasional table, as it threatens to shrink it and in the process loosen its joints and veneers. To this end, you should avoid placing your occasional table either in strong sunlight, or in close vicinity to a radiator.
Good quality beeswax is otherwise all that you should need to clean and protect your occasional table.
Occasional table assembly guide
If you choose to purchase a part assembly occasional table, there are several steps that you can make to ease the assembly process. These include ensuring that neither the table itself, nor the surface on which it is to be assembled is scratched or damaged, by laying down a blanket.
You are also advised to carefully remove all of the pieces of your occasional table from the packaging and lay them out, in addition to ensuring all of the tools that you need, such as the screwdriver and hammer, are to hand.
Then, it's simply a case of getting to work!
