Gold Side Tables

Gold, brass and what the finish really is

Almost nothing in this range is solid brass, and that is not a criticism. A brass-plated or brass-finished steel frame is stronger, lighter and far less expensive than the solid metal, and on a slim frame the strength is what lets it stay slim. The finish varies from a bright polished gold to a warmer antique brass, and the two sit very differently in a room: bright gold reads as modern, antique brass as older even on a new piece.

Marble and glass tops

A gold frame is usually paired with a top that lets it show. Marble is the most common here and gives the table its weight, both literally and visually, with the warm metal against cool stone doing most of the work. Glass is the lighter option and leaves the frame fully visible from every angle, which is the point if the frame is the reason you are buying. Both suit a small room better than a solid timber top would.

Beside a sofa, beside a bed

Beside a sofa the top wants to sit near the arm height so a glass does not need lifting, and the footprint matters more than the surface area. Beside a bed the height should be close to the top of the mattress and the surface has to take a lamp, a book and a glass without them touching. Gold works particularly well beside a bed, because a lamp on a metal frame throws light back off it rather than being swallowed by a dark surface.

How much gold a room can take

One gold piece in a room reads as deliberate. Three read as a scheme, which is fine if that is the intention and awkward if it is not. The usual approach that works is to let the metal repeat somewhere smaller, such as a lamp base, a mirror frame or a set of handles, rather than on another piece of furniture of the same size. Mixing gold with black is easier than mixing it with silver, which tends to read as an accident.

Keeping the finish

A plated finish is thin by design, so the one thing to avoid is anything abrasive, including the scrubbing side of a sponge and most cream cleaners. A dry or barely damp cloth is all it needs and all it should get. Fingerprints show on polished gold and much less on antique brass, which is worth knowing if the table will be handled rather than looked at. Wet glasses left directly on metal can mark it, so the coaster habit applies here too.

Round tops and small spaces

A good number of these have round tops, and on a side table that matters more than on a large one. There is no corner to catch a hip in a tight gap between a sofa and a wall, and a circle reads as smaller than a square of the same width, so it crowds a small room less. Where the table has to slot between two pieces of furniture, measure the gap rather than the table and leave yourself room to get a hand around it.