The Manhattan Nesting Side Tables - Set of Two

Nested, the pair takes the floor space of a single 50cm table.

Beside a sofa or armchair. The usual guide is a surface roughly level with the arm, and most sofa arms sit between 55cm and 65cm. The large table at 62cm lands squarely in that range, and the small at 53.5cm suits a lower-armed seat.

As a drinks table. The large is the right height to stand and reach comfortably, which is why a round 50cm table works so well pulled into the middle of a room when people are over.

The round shape earns its keep in tight spaces. No corners to catch a shin or a bag, which matters beside a sofa in a narrow room or at the end of a bed.

The gold edging is what separates this from a plain black metal side table.

Matte black iron on its own is a common enough finish. The antique gold edging introduces warmth against it and gives each table a considered edge line that catches the light. It is a small detail that does a disproportionate amount of work, and it is the reason the pair reads as more expensive than it is.

The mirrored tops do something no solid or glass top can. They reflect whatever is above them, which means a lamp, a window or a ceiling adds light and depth to the table rather than the table simply sitting there. In a darker corner this genuinely lifts the space.

And nesting is the practical half of it. The smaller table slides beneath the larger, so you get two surfaces when you need them and one footprint when you do not. In a small living room or a bedroom where surface space is welcome but floor space is short, that is the whole argument.

• Two tables, one footprint when nested together
• Antique gold edging that warms up a matte black frame
• Mirrored tops that reflect light and add depth to a dark corner
• Iron frames, solid and stable rather than lightweight
• Round with no corners, which suits a tight space beside a sofa
• Two useful heights, 62cm and 53.5cm, for different seats
• Genuinely versatile: side table, drinks table, plant stand, bedside
• Splits up easily, so the two can live in different rooms

Kept together they read as one considered object. Left apart permanently in a small room they read as two tables that did not quite find a home.

A mirrored top facing a blank ceiling does very little. Position it under or near a table lamp, or where it can pick up a window, and the top comes alive.

Black and gold can tip cold if everything around it is hard. A timber surface nearby, a throw over the sofa arm or a woven basket keeps the corner from feeling severe.

On a mirrored surface, one or two low objects work far better than a tall arrangement. A small dish, a stack of two books, a candle. You are looking at the reflection as much as the object.

They nest, but nothing says they must. The large beside a sofa and the small as a bedside works perfectly well, and gives you the same finish running through two rooms.

Not a styling point so much as a practical one. Mirrored glass shows a water ring instantly, and a tray or coasters solve it permanently.

Mirrored tops show everything. Fingerprints, dust and water rings are all more visible on mirror than on timber or stone. That is the trade for the light they give back, and it is worth knowing before you buy rather than after.

Spray the cloth, never the table. Glass cleaner running to the edge will work under the mirror and lift the silvering over time, which is the one thing that permanently ruins a mirrored top. A microfibre cloth, lightly damp, buffed dry.

Use coasters. A wet glass left standing on mirror leaves a mark that is difficult to shift once the moisture has sat.

The black frame takes a dry cloth. Nothing abrasive on a matte finish, and nothing abrasive near the gold edging, which is a surface treatment rather than solid metal.

Lift them, do not drag. Metal feet on a hard floor will scratch it, and dragging a table with a mirrored top is how the glass gets stressed.

Interior use only. Damp will corrode iron and get behind the mirror backing, so not a conservatory or a bathroom.

The set ships packed to protect the mirrored tops in transit. Current timescales and charges are set out on our delivery page.

Not sure whether 62cm is right beside your sofa? Send us the height of the arm and we will tell you. Reach us via our contact page or live chat.

If they are not right once they are in the room, our returns process is straightforward, and everything is covered by our guarantees and warranties.

0% interest-free finance is available at checkout, and our price match promise stands if you find the same piece for less elsewhere. Furnishing a holiday let? Ask about trade accounts.