BH | Studio Volterra Marble-Base Side Table

The small table on a single stem has a long French pedigree. The guéridon, a round stand made to carry a candlestick, appeared in seventeenth-century salons, and its descendants have stood beside armchairs ever since, light enough to move and just big enough for what you need. Setting warm wood on a heavy base of pale stone suits a Tuscan name: Volterra has carved its local alabaster since Etruscan times.

This one has a round top of solid hardwood with a raised lip around the edge, like a tray, so a cup, a set of keys or a pair of glasses stays put. A slim black iron stem drops from its centre into a heavy cylinder of white marble, which keeps the whole table steady and adds a cool note under the warm wood. It is rated to hold 99 lbs, a non-marking pad sits under the base, and it needs simple assembly.

Set it at the arm of a sofa for a lamp-lit evening with a book and a glass of wine, in a home office for a mug and a phone, or in a guest bedroom as a narrow bedside table. By the front door it holds keys, mail and a candle or a small plant. Warm wood, black iron and white marble feel modern and clean, perfect with oatmeal linen, a black lamp and a sculptural vase.