Best side tables for living rooms

Top pick: the 2-Tier End Table with two storage shelves. It's the one I'd buy for most living rooms: a shelf for books and a basket keeps the top clear for a lamp and a drink, and it's the best-rated of the bunch at 4.6 from 41 ratings.

Who the others suit:

• Farmhouse 3-tier sofa side table — same idea with more storage, for a room with a farmhouse or rustic look.
• Solid wood 2-tier end table — if you want real wood rather than veneer or metal.
• Mainstays Parsons end table — a plain, sturdy, no-fuss choice for a first place or a spare room.
• LEDREM round side table with wood legs — a round top softens a boxy sofa-and-armchair setup and is easier to walk past.
• Streamdale tempered glass end table — for a small or dark room where you want the table to visually disappear.
• Aibiju C-shaped set — the C shape slides over a sofa arm or chair, handy for a laptop or a plate.
• ACME Edwyn marble-top end table — the dressy option when the table should look like a piece of furniture, not a utility.

Two things to check before you buy: measure the gap between your sofa arm and the wall (most of these are around 16–20 inches wide), and confirm the height sits level with or just below your sofa arm.