Milan Nest of 2 Tables: both sizes, and the step between

Most nests on this shelf give one size line and leave you guessing about the second table. The Milan Nest of 2 Tables gives both: 50x50x45cm and 40x40x40cm. That makes it one of the easier pieces here to plan around, because you can work out exactly what each table will and will not do before it arrives.

The two tables as listed

The figures are printed without labels. Taken the way the rest of this shelf reads them, that is a top of 50cm by 50cm at 45cm high and one of 40cm by 40cm at 40cm high. Confirm the reading with the shop if a centimetre matters to you, because nobody on either side benefits from a table that does not fit.

What the step between them is for

A nest works on two gaps at once. The smaller top is ten centimetres narrower in both directions, which is what lets it pass under the larger one, and it stands five centimetres lower, which is what stops the tops fouling each other on the way in. A five centimetre height difference is modest, so expect the pair to look close to level when they are both out, rather than stepped like a staircase.

Read that way, both tops measure the same in both directions, which is the difference between this nest and the long shallow ones alongside it. The listing does not describe either top shape outright, so confirm it if the shape matters, but on those figures the larger one takes a tray or a laptop properly and the smaller one is a drinks table, and an honest one: a lamp with a wide shade will overhang it.

Heights against your seating

At 45cm and 40cm these are both low tables by side-table standards, and that governs where they work. Beside a low, deep sofa they land at a natural height for putting a glass down without reaching up. Beside a high-armed traditional suite they sit well under the arm, which makes the larger one a better occasional table in front of a chair than a lamp stand beside it. If you specifically want a lamp at reading height, the taller single tables on this shelf are the better answer.

One other thing worth knowing: two low tables of these sizes are the most useful pair in a room where people eat in front of the television. The small one goes to whoever needs it and goes away again, which is the whole case for a nest over a second permanent side table.

What the listing leaves out

There is no material, finish, colour, base description, weight or assembly note recorded, and no specification rows. The two photographs are the only evidence of the look. Ask the shop what the tops are and how the bases stand, because on a thick carpet the clearance that lets the smaller table slide under is the first thing to suffer.

The nearby options, and ordering

For a shallower pair in a tight space, the Lucca Nest of 2 Tables is listed at 54x37x50cm, and the Torino Nest of 2 Tables quotes the same narrow footprint. For one table at reading height instead, the BK-Milan Lamp Table is listed at 50 x 50 x 55cm on a cross pedestal. The full shelf is in Side & Lamp Tables, and the larger centre tables are in Coffee Tables.

This is a piece the shop supplies, so ask for current timings when you order. Delivery is free within 50 miles of our Glasgow store and £50 beyond. Check both sets of figures against your floor, and the Milan Nest of 2 Tables page carries the two photographs of the set.