The best nesting tables for both design purists and dupe-hunters

We're embracing nesting tables this year. Kya deLongchamps sources the most fetching form-fit designs, vintage and new

Ferm Cluster (three-element), €499, Ferm Living, Par4 table/trays by Bernard Vuarnesson for Sculptures Jeux (1979), Mohd;, set of four marquetry nesting tables, 1890s, signed Gallé, 1stDibs.

Here at Home, we love pouncing on fascinating side trends to put effortless form and function on the space-conscious home. Given the attention the 1970s and 1980s are getting this year, one clever family of shape-shifters has caught our attention. Remember when every home had a little neo-Georgian family of tables with gilded knees poised on tiptoe by a chintz armchair? 

You, your parents, or grandparents may have picked up a mid-century teak Dane set of boxy tables, staging them proudly by the pneumatic planes of that G-plan suite. 2026 is embracing the best of nesting tables. Whether you’re a design purist, a shameless dupe-hunter or panting for something a little different to carry that coffee, or stage a TV dinner, here are a few form-fit designs, vintage and new in doubles (2), trios (3) and quartets (4).

What you're likely to find at auction

It would be impossible to go to a typical town or country auction without finding at least one set of beautiful Georgian or Regency side replica nesting tables. Introduced in the 18th century by Thomas Sheraton and wildly popular in exotic timbers and papier-mache chinoiserie style, they were ideal for a gentrified room demanding multi-function tables for everything from card playing to sewing and taking tea. 

Ferm Cluster (three-element), €499, Ferm Living.

The vast majority of old pieces you’ll find will be revival rather than very old, as these dandies were made right up into the 1950s. 

When examining anything, make sure the leader table is stable when the others are pulled out and deployed elsewhere. 

Don't dismiss reproductions

Don’t dismiss reproduction Georgian or Victorian pieces, as they often feature superb inlays and rainforest veneers that are not legal to harvest today.

What I'd go for

In antique, my choice would be the stormy, purple patina of a rich rosewood. With legs starting under the armpits and an impossibly small top surface — true Georgians go for a bit of money (explaining why I don’t have a set). The bottom table surfaces, protected from the light, are often in stunning condition. 

A good set of Edwardian walnut or mahogany tables from the 1890s through to the 1930s made in England or France with some lovely crossbanding, brass accents and faux bamboo legs, will come in around €1200, but you could be lucky at auction as later examples are a bit Hyacinth Bucket in a slightly clunky 1980s repro. 

Word to the wise

Be wary of machine-made late 20th-century pieces — often deliberately misidentified as a century older and overpriced second-hand. Turn the tables over and look for signs of age like slightly hewn blocks, nice thick veneers and hand-made nails and screws.

More modern choices

Jumping forward into European modernist design, the other regular star second-hand is the Marcel Breuer nesting tables from the Bauhaus movement. These were produced for Thonet of Czechoslovakia in tubular steel from around 1920 to 1929. 

Way ahead of their time, Breuer pieces were heavily reproduced and copied, and still are, and once you’ve seen them, you will recognise the line immediately. I would be surprised to find originals overlooked by a seller. They are a bit stark and “1980s school desk”, if you know what I mean. 

Thonet-made tables should have an oak top, often under a hard lacquer. If you want an original set (expect to pay €1600 plus for two B9 Thonet nests in honest condition), ensure you have the tables attributed in writing by an experienced, reputable seller. Panoma.eu has a good selection.

Dupes and copies

Dupes and vintage copies? Thonet of Germany still sell a variety of very similar indoor/outdoor nesting tables on Ambientedirect.com from around €1500. In obvious replicas, look for a nice finish to the tables without prominent screws and separating cheap plywood tops. 

Elegant picks

For expressive and elegant, late art deco, explore Hollywood-Regency styles in gleaming brass — luxurious and classy with ornate laurel leafy legs, reeded stretchers and bevelled smoked glass, mirrors, or onyx tops. Values here are climbing fast for French pieces, Maison Jansen, and various American examples from the 1930s forward.

Teak mid-century

Teak mid-century English and Danish nesting tables from the 1960s and 1970s appear regularly on the sale market too. Look for identifying labels, but don’t be too fussy if they rock your boat, and the tables are well-made. Take a quick shot of the set and try a reverse search using the wonders of AI and Google Lens to ID the factory (this often works). Give your bargain buy a very light rub with fine wire wool in the direction of the grain and shine up with teak oil or beeswax (don’t just reach for the paint stripper. 

Par4 table/trays by Bernard Vuarnesson for Sculptures Jeux (1979); new prices from €1005, Mohd, Shop.mohd.it.

Rattan nesting tables from the 1960s to 1980s (careful now, not some recent conservatory furnishing) are lovely and light, adding texture to the sleek acres of a modern room. 

Shapes and legs

Asymmetric shapes in groups of three are real charmers and come up regularly at sales. Tapered legs on Scandinavian tables are highly desirable and elegant, carrying 18th-century forms right into the 1960s.

Investment idea

My favourite investment nest (completely reimagined) is the Par3 and Par4 designed by Bernard Vuarnesson for Sculptures Jeux (1979). These are low plywood coffee tables with three or four pull-out tops, available in your choice of colour palettes. Each top can come fully out to act as a tray; Par3 from €1005, Shop.mohd.it.

Check the specs

Check the height of vintage nests, as this will vary between that of a regular side (sofa) table of 70cm to 80cm, down to that of a low stool as you separate them. Do not paint any of these older dears — a disaster in terms of value, and hard to rectify.

Set of four marquetry nesting tables, 1890s, signed Gallé, around €7000, 1stDibs. In different woods, they're decorated with iris, wisteria, a frog on a waterlily and umbellifers.

Sliding, slotting, and settling into each other — two tables or a single expandable, smaller table are a versatile buy, and new classic designs are emerging. 

There are inexpensive nesting groups in every household furniture hangar and design house. It’s really a matter of settling on the quality, price, and look. 

Self-assembly options

Fragile, self-assembly nests of tables with laminate tops and slender metal frame supports start at less than €25. Just don’t expect them to last through a lot of rough handling. 

Rounder, plump, occasionally upholstered metamorphic furniture is having a moment, and this includes chic American Palm Spring-style ottomans set into a protective round table. EZLiving offers a handsome Palm two table set in this 1970s Willy Rizzo style from €649.

New buys

Ikea’s new Grytsholm is a bit of a bargain in a two-table connected slider that’s ideal for outdoors, €60, Ikea.com/ie. 

Another startling take on a typical nest, the stainless steel and mango wood Xireisa tables from Sklum come as a two-table side-table set or as a used bedside in a handsome S/S pillar that curls into each other; prices from €384, Sklum.ie. 

Xireisa two-bed side-table set, from €384, Sklum.

Finally, we love the Ferm Living Cluster tables, with random boxy shapes in slender tubular legs, all in powder-coated metal, slotted together into arty furniture in Black or Cashmere; from €499 for a set of three — look up the shattering Shard variety from €499 too, Fermliving.com (Copenhagen).