59DECOR May 4, 2020
Consider a piece of furniture that has a singular focus
By Monica Khemsurov
Photograph by Janelle JonesTable for One
Ata mere9 inchesacross,theLilytable
lookslikeit mightbemissinganextra
sectionortwo.Butwelcometothe
worldofdrinktables.Popularizedin
the1920s,whenpeoplebeganenter-
taining at homemore often, these
smallsurfacesarejustbigenoughfor
onecocktail—maybe two.
Prized for its portability, the drink
table has made a comeback in recent
years as interest in decorating has
grown and home sizes have
shrunk. “There’s a high demand
for small-space solutions, partic-
ularly for flexible items that make
a big impact visually and functionally,”
says Jeff Hannoosh, vice president
for design at West Elm. The company
introduced its bestselling Martini table
in 2009 and has since added almost a
dozen other styles.
Even those with plenty of room
are embracing the diminutive item.
Many clients of San Francisco interior
designer Lauren Geremia are tech CEOs
who had increasingly been interested
in entertaining at home. “We’ve been
working on a lot of residential bars,
wine rooms, and seating vignettes fea-
turing drink tables,” she says.
Designer Kelly Wearstler placed one
on either side of the door to a client’s
walk-in bar on Manhattan’s Upper East
Side. “I see them as destination points
for guests to gather,” she says.
Of course, we aren’t entertaining
much these days, but the drink table is
useful in a pandemic, too. It fits in tight
corners where bigger side tables
aren’t within arm’s reach, so there’s
no need to stretch for your phone
or coffee while working from the sofa.
“Drink tables are incredibly useful
because they’re so easy to pick up,” says
London designer Tom Faulkner, who
was inspired by the shape of lily pads to
create his Lily table. It can come topped
in copper ($1,370, as shown), marble, or
brightly colored Venetian glass to give
rooms a more textured glow.
Faulkner has found an almost end-
less list of uses for it. “My mum has four
for her bridge parties,” he says. “I keep
one next to my bathtub.” <BW>