Styling a Console — What Goes On It, What Sits Under It, What Hangs Above It

Most people buy a console and then stand in front of it wondering what goes on top. I've done it. You put too much on, it looks cluttered. Not enough, it looks like you forgot to finish the room. And the wall above it is either empty or has something hanging there that you chose in a hurry and haven't thought about since.

A console is one of the hardest pieces to get right because it's doing three jobs at once — it's holding things, it's grounding a wall, and it's setting the tone for whatever room or hallway it lives in. Get it right and it anchors the whole space. Get it wrong and it just looks like a shelf with things on it.

Here's how I think about it.

The console itself does most of the work. If the material has presence — visible grain, reclaimed timber, hand-finished edges — you don't need to dress it up. The Marlow Console is a good example of this. It's reclaimed pine, hand-finished, and the surface has enough character on its own that you could put a single object on it and walk away. The piece earns the wall without needing to be propped up by everything around it.

If your console is cleaner or lighter —  plain timber, pale oak, something with a smoother finish — it needs more help from the objects on top. That's not a criticism. It's just how different materials work. A quiet console benefits from bolder objects. A bold console benefits from restraint.

On top: odd numbers, varied heights, and no more than five objects. A tall piece on one side — a vase, a lamp, a candlestand. Something low in the middle — a bowl, a tray, a small stack of books. And one smaller object on the other end to balance without mirroring. Three to five things total. If you're reaching for a sixth, you've gone past the point.

The materials on the console should talk to each other without matching. Ceramic next to timber next to forged iron. A hand forged candlestand in black iron next to a stoneware vase next to a linen-bound book. Three textures, no repeats. That's what makes a console look collected — like the objects arrived over time, not in a single delivery.

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Above: the mirror question. Nine times out of ten, a mirror is the right call above a console. It bounces light, it fills the wall without adding visual weight, and it gives you a reference point when you walk past. A rattan or Malawi mirror is a natural partner for timber consoles because the weave adds texture without competing with the grain below.

If the console sits in an entry, go round. It softens the corridor. If it's in a living room or dining room, you can go bigger or more rectangular depending on the wall.

The one thing to avoid is hanging the mirror too high. The centre of the mirror should sit roughly at eye level — which for most people is somewhere around 150–160cm from the floor. Too high and it reflects the ceiling. Too low and it reflects the console. Neither is the point.

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Underneath: this is the space most people forget. A basket on the floor under a console gives the arrangement weight and grounds it to the room. It also hides whatever you'd otherwise shove in a drawer you don't have. Shoes, keys, the mail you haven't dealt with.

A console done well looks like it's been that way for years — not styled, just used. That's the whole idea. Less coordinated. More collected.

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