There are always one or two spaces in a home that are tricky to decorate due to their size. A narrow hallway is the most common; it won't accommodate a chair or a regular-size table. Yet, there's a call for some kind of treatment to enliven the walls. The small section that runs between two doorways is another. A seating arrangement would be awkward, but the blank wall cries out for a focal feature that ties it into the surrounding décor. Enter the console table. Console tables are a tradition in Britain, where I grew up. Although their dimensions could be grand, the most common had narrow tops about the size of a shelf. The back of the console was screwed into the wall and the front supported by two arched legs. Its slim lines easily fit into a confined space, and the surface functioned as a drop-all for keys and mail as well as a lamp and the inevitable lush plant or vase of flowers fresh cut from the garden. The tops of the console tables varied from simple painted planks to exotic woods and luxurious carved granite or marble slabs. Paint has long been used to reproduce the look of costly materials so we all can enjoy the beauty of fine wood grain or the variation of color and detail in stone. I painted a Carrara marble finish on the top of this console table. It's the most common type of marble, and if you have never tried to paint faux marble, working on a single shelf is a great way to begin. You can practice, paint it over and start again until you're happy with the results. It's very helpful to have a photograph of the type of marble you are replicating so you can study the markings close up. For Carrara marble, you will need white, black and a small amount of golden-yellow latex paint; water-based glazing liquid; a regular paint brush and a very soft, wide brush; a soft, lint-free rag; and a feather or thin artist's brush. Paint the shelf top and edges with two coats of white paint. Mix a small amount of two glazes - white and gray. First, cover the base coat with a thick layer of white glaze. Then brush on the gray glaze in 2- and 3-inch drifts all going the same way. You are creating the base for the marble. Dab over the surface with the rag to soften the gray and then lightly brush over the surface with the end of the soft brush to blur the gray into the white. To make the veins, dip the last inch of the feather into black paint and draw irregular lines that zig and zag but move in the same direction. Add just a few golden veins. Continue softening with the brush until you have a natural-looking finish. Top with two coats of high-gloss varnish. The gloss will pop the colors and bring out the depth that you would find in real marble. We carved the console legs and covered the wood shapes with pieces of faux leather. Strips of upholstery tacks highlight the pattern. The convex mirror is also a nod to my British heritage. Long ago, they were commonly placed in rooms to ward off evil spirits. The rounded shape of the mirror obscured the look of the room, hopefully confusing the spirits, and off they'd go. It's a bit of visual fun, and we surrounded this one with narrow blocks of wood nailed onto a plywood circle around the mirror, each one wedged at an angle of 35 degrees. Once the sunburst design was complete, it was finished with pewter paint. I hope this playful personal history inspires you to make the most of an overlooked spot in your home.