Cartoon Bear Side Table

A side table is one of the most useful pieces of furniture in a room and usually the least interesting, which is the gap this one is designed to fill. The form is a stylised cartoon bear rather than a literal one, closer to a rounded silhouette than to a model of an animal, and that restraint is what keeps it usable beyond a nursery. It reads as a piece of playful design in a living room, as a character in a child's bedroom, and as a small sculptural object in a hallway, depending entirely on where you put it and what surrounds it. Underneath the shape it does exactly what a side table should do: it puts a stable surface at seat height next to a sofa or an armchair, which is where a cup, a book, a remote or a phone otherwise ends up balanced on an arm or left on the floor. The proportions are compact by design, so it slots into the space beside a chair or between two seats without becoming furniture that has to be planned around, and it is light enough to be moved with one hand when the room needs rearranging or the floor needs a clean underneath it.

Five colours are offered, in pink, green, coffee, black and white, and the finish changes what the piece is for more than the shape does. White and coffee are the quietest and read as furniture first and character second, which suits a living room or a hallway where the table should not dominate. Black is the most contemporary and holds a strong outline against a pale floor or wall, so the silhouette does the work rather than the colour. Pink and green are the deliberate choices for a child's room or a playroom, where the table is meant to be recognised as a bear across the room and to be part of the fun of the space rather than a compromise with it. Worth thinking about is what sits next to the table rather than the room as a whole, since a side table is always seen against a sofa arm, a bed or a chair and it is those neighbours it has to work alongside. The surface is smooth and wipes clean, which matters more than it sounds in the two rooms this is most likely to live in, where spilled drinks and sticky hands are ordinary events rather than accidents.

Some practical notes, particularly if this is going into a child's room. It is a small side table rather than a step, a seat or a climbing frame, and it should not be stood or sat on. Young children should be supervised around any freestanding furniture, and it is worth placing the table where it cannot be pulled over onto a child, away from cot sides and out of the path of running feet. Keep the load light and centred rather than stacking weight on one edge, which is good practice for any small table and particularly for one with a shaped profile. Do not use it to support a television, a heavy lamp or anything that would cause harm if it came down. In an adult room the same principles apply more loosely: it is a surface for a drink, a book and a lamp, not a place to sit. Care is straightforward. A damp cloth followed by a dry one deals with almost everything, avoiding abrasive cleaners and standing water on the surface. Keep it indoors and out of prolonged direct sunlight, which will fade a coloured finish unevenly over a period of years on the side that faces the window.

• Design: Stylised cartoon bear side table
• Colours: Pink, Green, Coffee, Black or White
• Use: Sofa-side, bedside, hallway or children's room surface
• Surface: Smooth wipe-clean finish
• Load: For light items only - not for televisions or heavy lamps
• Safety: Not a step or a seat; supervise young children around freestanding furniture and place it where it cannot be pulled over
• Care: Damp cloth then dry; keep indoors and out of direct sunlight

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