Inexpensive Entry Hall Tables

There is only one chance to make a first impression, and when it comes to your home, the entry hall is the first thing a visitor to your home will see. Yet this room is often overlooked by homeowners, or decorated almost as an afterthought. Rather than allowing this room to become a receptacle for all the coats, umbrellas, boots and bags that never seem to make it past the front door, accessorizing the space with an inexpensive entry hall table can help to create a room that will impress, without making too much of an impression on your wallet.

Making a substantial investment in a piece of furniture that will likely undergo years of use, such as a sofa or bed, is prudent. An entry hall table does not fall into that category. Homeowners can purchase an inexpensive console table knowing that, other than serving as a glorified car key holder, the main purpose of an entry hall table is to be decorative.

An entry hall is the perfect space to risk making a strong decorative statement, one that will immediately establish the overall decorating theme of the home. Because it is a small space, furniture should be kept to a minimum. A single entry hall table is usually the room�s focal point, so choose a table that reflects your home�s style.

Consider visiting thrift stores and flea markets, where you can often find second-hand furniture along traditional lines. If the console is constructed of a quality wood, strip the old varnish or stain and refinish the piece. If not, paint or antique the table in a color that ties in with your decorating scheme.

When an old table is simply too banged up for either of those treatments, there are still other options. Consider framing the edges of the tables with glued-on seashells, sea glass, smooth pebbles, tile or molding. If the table is too far gone for even those solutions, you can attach a sink skirt curtain to the table and place a pane of glass or a slab of stone on the top. This treatment works well for non-conventional entry tables, too, such as folding desks.

For an entry hall that is short on space, you can get the effect of an entry hall table by hanging a shelf at console level.