If you've ever tried to squeeze another chair or two around a traditional kitchen table, an obstacle-or rather, four obstacles-may get in the way. You can only fit so many chairs between the legs of the table. But if I add a pair folding chairs, I can fit another couple of people around my kitchen table.
You see, I have a pedestal table tucked in my breakfast nook. The oval table top means I have no sharp corners to deal with, and the pedestal that the top rests on means I have no table legs to get in the way when a few extra teenagers show up at my house for pizza.
My dining room contains one of these tables, too. It's a transitional-style table in an espresso finish with a square base and a round table top. This pedestal construction requires that my dining room table's unique leaves be attached to the circumference of the table in quarter-round segments; the top of the pedestal table expands into a larger circle, rather than an oval, which is what you'd expect to see with a round table with the standard four legs. Again, the table in my dining room is meant to set eight at most, but I can usually squeeze in a pair of small chairs if the crowd is bigger than usual.
I looked around again, and I realized that my favorite accent table is also a pedestal table. It sits between a pair of club chairs in my family room, and it's the perfect place to place a cup of tea or the remote for the TV. It's got a carved base and a small glass top that protects a painted design in green and copper, the accent colors in the most-used room in my house. This little pedestal table barely registers on the dog's radar, and she regularly passes underneath when she moves from under our feet to the back door. She couldn't do that with a multi-legged table in that space.
Another table sits inside the front door in my foyer. Its rich cherry finish coordinates well with the dining room furniture in the next room. It's got a tambour door on the apron that slides open and closed, and it's the perfect place to store a spare set of house keys, or an envelope that needs to go out in the mail. This table holds my favorite crystal lamp, and sometimes an orchid plant or a holiday decoration.
If you want to add an unusual piece of furniture, you can add an accent pedestal table. If you have a traditional decor, adding a small table with contemporary lines is a way to keep your room from looking like a museum or a period movie set. Or if you want to break up the look of an all-wood furniture suite, choose an accent pedestal table in a rich material like granite or marble, for the table top. You can freshen up your decor by adding a plant stand, which is a small pedestal table that you can tuck into an empty corner and top with some greenery.
A pedestal table is a popular piece of home furniture. But they have many commercial applications, too. School cafeterias have been outfitted with these familiar tables; they are topped with durable laminate and supported heavy steel bases. Many corner pubs are outfitted with a tall pedestal table or two, the perfect height to pull over a barstool for a casual drink or a quick bite to eat.
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