Anyone who has ever read James Michener’s novel Hawaii can picture the original pupose of the narrow piece of furniture that came to be known as a mission console table. That narrow table helped the missionaries to carry out their mission–the job of getting the natives to convert from their “heathen” beliefs to Christianity.

That thin item managed to serve as an “altar” in the make-shift church put together by the missionaries. Today, of course, no homemaker attempts to put an altar in her home. However, the same “altar-like” article of furniture can serve many other functions.

The item once known as a console table can put a touch of usefulness in a small, previously unused spot. For example, a hostess might want to provide her guests with an aditional place for setting down their drinks. She could place a console like piece next to the wall in a confined area of the room.

In a library or study, a mission table supplies a book lover with added space for storing hard or softback volumes. In a bathroom that lacks any cabinet space, the same item can serve as a place for keeping towels and soap. In a nursery, a new mother might want to put all the needed baby care supplies close to the crib. If space is limited, a narrow table by the wall should do just fine.

Because this “altar like” structure normally fits under a window, it can be used for holding and displaying potted plants. That way, each plant receives plenty of sunshine. The area under the plants can serve as the storage space for an attractive watering can. By placing a cloth under the plants, a homemaker could conceal that same object.

Alexander Graham Bell helped to expand this list of possible uses. A thin table next to the wall represents the ideal spot for a telphone, especially if that spot happens to lie in a hallway.