top 5 side tables  

You mean the low LTR? I have...
You mean the low LTR? I have one in my lounge, love it.
My top 5 in no particular order would be:-
- Tulip
- Nelson pedestal
- Richard Schultz
- Eames LTR
- Warren Platner

I find
I find the Platner and the Shultz to be a little too busy for me. The Eames LTR is great, but very low and very small surface-wise.
Other additions:
Aalto Stool 60
Eames Walnut Stool
Risom Amoeba (more of a coffee table)
Risom Side Table
Or you could just buy one of Sol Le Wit's Open Cube series and slap a piece of glass on it 🙂

For your game room would you...
For your game room would you want something with a drawer? I guess not .... if you mentioned the LTR.
I love the LTR, but where is this table going to live? Next to a sofa with arms? Next to a low lounge chair?

Games room...makes me think you'll want something practical...
I have used this for years. Ultra useful. Set as shown you can use it for a side table and hold books/magazines. Stand it on the side and it becomes a workspace for a laptop or a chessboard or whatever.

Some ideas
Ekstrom Lamino
Albert Larsson tables
Fritz Hansen Willumsen tray table
Risom side table

olive?
Olive I like that. I'm not being sarcastic but it's kinda similar to the birch plywood stool Ikea make )minus the magazine bit). Maybe that would be a less expesnive alternative. I visited Ikea yesterday and although most of their stuff is rubbish, the solid ply stuff was okay.

Olive's table is made by...
Olive's table is made by Offi I believe. the stuff is light years better than ikea! And at around $150 a good deal for something made well. It's heavier ... nicer ply..

Yes
I have IKEA's bent ply side table. It's a nice piece. Too bad they don't sell it anymore.

Actually
The IKEA side table is thicker than the Offi tables. The Offi designs are nice though. I have the mag stand.

Of all the classic choices,
the Herman Miller, George Nelson pedestal side table is the best choice, and there's often someone selling one on eBay (and it's never been knockoffed, that I know of).
A Saarinen Tulip table is beautiful, as well as the Florence Knoll side tables, but finding one or two real ones at a reasonable is difficult.
I'd stick with the nelson....I did - I have two with black tops.

walnut or birch
Thanks Olive and Whitespike for putting me onto the Offi brand. I found a distributor right here in Australia! Lovely stuff. What do you think looks nicer in the flesh, the birch finish or the walnut?

Walnut
The walnut veneer is pretty light when new. But it will gradually darken over time. I think it just depends on your own preference and the aesthetics of the room.

I love the walnut as well....
I love the walnut as well. Both are nice, but their walnut has a nice grain....

Offi / Ikea
The finish is what's bad on Ikea pieces. I have that same little Ikea stool and the finish is buckled and warped. I also have the Wave desk by Offi and the finish is still smooth as glass.