Your home’s little nest

Cute, quaint, and fabulous space-savers, nest tables are a re-emerging trend as people look to maximise their rooms.

Typically, they come in sets of two, three, or four. Each table in the set gets progressively smaller in size so they can be ‘stacked’ together. So when you need it, you have the surface area of multiple tables for the tidy-away size of just one.

Traced back to the 18th Century, furniture maker Thomas Sheraton’s initial design was soon replicated and mass-produced in China, and thus nesting tables have been a staple in homes, specifically smaller ones, for decades. In his 1803 explanation of furniture terms, ‘The Cabinet Dictionary’, Thomas describes the creation as “kind of small worktable made to draw out of each other, and may be used separately, and again enclosed within each other when not wanted.”

When it comes to the finish, there are multiple to choose from. Modernist acrylic nest table sets are increasingly popular, while glass or metal styles bring a contemporary feel. For a traditional look, opt for wood in a stain that matches your existing furniture.

Given their form, nest tables add distinction to a space, offering interest through their proportions. Making a comeback, the furniture sets are reimagined as side and coffee tables in a plethora of designs. Style them as you wish – splayed out with décor atop each, or nested within each other and decorated with one statement piece.

FUN FACT

Nest tables became a symbol of the Bauhaus design approach, a German art school famous for blending artistic vision and functionality in architecture and modern design. This was after architect Marcel Breuer and artist Josef Albers crafted nested tables in the mid-1920s, combining practicality with creativity, used at the time to host bridge card parties and afternoon teas within peoples’ homes.

Main image: Sienna nest of tables, Freedom Furniture