The tall but tiny French table was first seen in the 18th century and in the last 300 years it has served various purposes.
In the 1920s it became a martini table where seated folks placed their single drink. In the 1960s and 1970s when smoking was popular, it became a free-standing ashtray.
Now designers think the martini table should be back, but it has been missing in the marketplace, says San Francisco's Jay Jeffers. He has created a collection of five of them with Arteriors (arteriorshome.com).
The useful auxiliaries with a small footprint could hold a remote or a book, or hold your drink with style, according to Tom Gavan of The Wall Street Journal.
At Anteriors, Jeffers' Simone Accent Table ($1,350) has a height-adjustable brass base and engraved black top.
At 1stdibs.com, William Eubanks' Square Peg Accent Table ($750) is black with a great base and top design.
The One-Drink Table, $225 at katyskelton.com, is slightly taller, narrower, and lighter colored.
The best buy is the glass-topped Modernist Side Table for $149 at Westelm.com.
At $2,075, Alfredo Haberli's all-wood Birch April Table can be found at Morlen Sinoway-Atelier.