What is the difference between a Console Table and a Sofa Table?
The terms describe the same basic piece of furniture. A wide table that is shallow in depth, and roughly table or desk height. They can have legs, sides, or pedestals for support and can also have shelves or stretchers below the top surface or just be open underneath. They are usually rectangular but not always. They can be curved or shaped.
One thing they usually are not is closed as in a cabinet, commode or chest. Those fall into another category, and are considered casegoods. The Console & Sofa table are inspired by tables and therefore usually have a horizontal top upon which objects can be placed, and they tend to be more open underneath than a chest or cabinet. 
Console tables are traditionally placed against walls as in Foyers or Hallways. Sofa tables are traditionally placed behind sofas as in Living Rooms, Family Rooms and Libraries. Traditionally consoles had two legs and were attached to the wall, but these days most stand on their own with legs or a base of some sort. They tend to be more dramatic and less practical. Sofa tables are frequently practical and have storage space. They may be lower in height because they are to sit behind the sofa and not really project above it.
Many of the tables shown here could be described as either a Sofa Table or Console Table and could be used in a variety of ways. Prices range from inexpensive to extremely high-end based on the materials used and quality.
