Why we love any and all skirted tables

As my close designer friends know, I love a skirted table and never shy away from using one in my clients’ projects and my own home. A skirted table adds softness, color, pattern and texture. It can relax a formal space or lift up a casual one. It’s like that perfect blazer that makes any outfit better whether you want to dress up or down.

Sometimes we go big with fringe and tape and other times it’s all about the pleating and/or fabric pattern and color. In the photo above, this skirted center table provides a welcoming focal point in this large foyer, adding softness to a room filled with hard finishes. Having a full-length skirt is a striking visual anchor to contrast the high ceilings without weighing down the space. The custom octagonal shape looks fantastic from every direction, as this foyer is visible from the dining room, main living room, front door and the primary bedroom hallway.

Not only are skirted tables great in a foyer, but also they make out to be beautiful bedside tables, sofa side tables, console tables and desks and can also be an excellent solution for a sideboard/cocktail bar in a dining room. They pair well with art hanging above or tucked behind a sofa topped with lamps and books. The possibilities are limitless.

We’re designing a room for a large family right now, and a skirted table will be balanced by a gorgeous antique chest on the other side of the sofa. Just because a room serves a lot of children (four in this case!) doesn’t mean it can’t also be beautiful. No doubt toys will be stored under that skirt, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.