Short answer: Cozey's Mensa suits a low seat where you want a pull-out tray and a wood finish. Cozey's Solis suits a narrow gap or a bedside where a slim steel top that changes height matters more than storage.
Both are small tables for the end of a sofa, a reading chair or a bed, yet they solve different problems. The Mensa is a compact square built around a tray, and the Solis is a shallow table you can raise or lower. For more detail, see our guides to the Mensa tables and the Solis.
On This Page
- Which is better for a small room?
- How do the sizes and heights compare?
- Which has more storage?
- Which works better beside a sofa, a bed or as a laptop table?
- Which is easier to assemble, and what are they made of?
- Which goes better with my sofa?
- Which should I choose?
- Our recommendation
- Explore our tables
Which is better for a small room?
The Solis is the better fit for a very narrow space, and the Mensa is the better fit when you want a compact square. The Solis top is 21.7 x 13.0 inches (55 x 32.5 cm), so it is only 13.0 inches (32.5 cm) deep and stays out of the walkway. The Mensa side table is 19.5 inches (50 cm) square, so it is shorter from end to end but deeper.
Height matters too. The Mensa stands 16.3 inches (41.5 cm) high without its shelf, which keeps sight lines open, while the Solis starts at 20.7 inches (52.5 cm). Our guide to how to choose a side table covers footprints in more detail.
How do the sizes and heights compare?
The Mensa is lower and squarer, and the Solis is shallower and adjustable. Here is the pair at a glance, from the figures on our product pages and guides.
How do the sizes and heights compare?
| Feature | Mensa side table | Solis |
|---|---|---|
| Shape | Square, with a pull-out tray | Rectangular top on a steel column and flat base |
| Top or footprint | 19.5 x 19.5 inches (50 x 50 cm) | 21.7 x 13.0 inches (55 x 32.5 cm) |
| Height | 16.3 inches (41.5 cm), or 20.1 inches (51 cm) with the removable shelf | 20.7 inches (52.5 cm) to 30.7 inches (78 cm), adjustable |
| Storage | One tray, plus an optional lower shelf | None |
| Load | We do not publish a rating | Static maximum 66.1 lb (30 kg), dynamic maximum 13.2 lb (6 kg) |
| Finishes | Oak, Walnut or Black wood | Powder-coated steel in seven colours |
| Assembly | About 15 minutes, mostly tool-free | About 15 minutes, mostly tool-free |
| Best for | Low seating, a tray, a wood look | Narrow gaps, a lamp, a laptop, a height you can change |
Depths are rounded to the nearest half inch; heights and widths are as published.
Which has more storage?
The Mensa, because it has a tray and an optional shelf and the Solis has neither. The Mensa side table has one ash wood tray that slides out of the top like a drawer. Closed, it hides a remote or a notebook, and lifted free it is a serving tray or a lap desk, about 18.1 x 19.0 inches (46 x 48.5 cm) and 3.0 inches (7.5 cm) deep.
The removable shelf adds an open level for a book or a basket. The Solis is a slim top on a column, so it holds only what you set on it, and it cannot join a partner. The Mensa has a larger partner, the Mensa coffee table, 41.7 x 26.0 inches (106 x 65.5 cm) with two trays. Our guide to coffee tables with storage compares the wider range.
Which works better beside a sofa, a bed or as a laptop table?
The Solis is the more flexible choice, and the Mensa suits a low seat. A common guideline is a top level with the arm of your sofa or a little below it. The Mensa at 16.3 inches (41.5 cm) sits comfortably by a low seat. The Solis can be set to match the arm, and our side table guide notes that its base can slide under a sofa seat base, so check your own clearance.
For a bed, a common guideline is a top near the height of your mattress, so measure the mattress top and compare it with the Solis range. The Mensa has only two heights, so it suits a lower bed. For a laptop, raise the Solis, or lift the Mensa tray free for your lap.
Which is easier to assemble, and what are they made of?
The Mensa is wood over steel legs, and the Solis is steel throughout. The Mensa top is 15 mm engineered wood with a 0.3 mm ash veneer and its tray frame is ash wood. The Solis top, cylinder and base are cold-rolled carbon steel, with a plastic (PVC) handle.
The Solis steel comes in powder-coated Twilight, Eclipse, Wave, Dandelion, Thyme, Mushroom and Solstice. Eclipse is only a colour name here, and it is not our round Eclipse tables. One steel colour can work as a single accent, but for a wood look choose the Mensa.
The Mensa takes about 15 minutes, because only the legs need attaching. The Solis takes about 15 minutes: screw the cylinder into the top, fit the handle, screw on the base and add the floor protectors. Because both boxes include an Allen key and screws, we call both tables mostly tool-free.
Which goes better with my sofa?
Either can, and the main difference is seat height. At Cozey, our four sofa collections are Ciello (soft, with deep loose cushions), Gaia (a soft seat with a high back), Cassini (low and curved) and Atmosphere (medium-firm, with our deepest seat). Ciello and Gaia seats are 21.3 inches (54 cm) high, so the adjustable Solis can be raised to match. The Cassini seat is 17 inches (43 cm) high, a natural partner for the low Mensa.
See our Ciello, Gaia, Cassini and Atmosphere guides, and preview your sofa in Cozey Studio, our online configurator, then match the table to it. If the wall behind the sofa needs storage, our Themis modular wall system and Altitude wall shelves and cabinet add it above the floor. For a TV wall, the Mensa credenza comes from the same collection as the Mensa tables.
Which should I choose?
Choose the Mensa if:
- You want a tray that hides small items and doubles as a serving tray or lap desk.
- You want a low table beside a low sofa, in Oak, Walnut or Black wood.
- You want a matching coffee table or an optional lower shelf.
Choose the Solis if:
- You have a narrow gap, because the top is only 13.0 inches (32.5 cm) deep.
- You want one table that works low beside a sofa and higher at a bed or for a laptop.
- You like a steel colour as an accent and do not need storage.
Our recommendation
At Cozey, we recommend the Mensa for a living room where a tray, a wood finish and a low profile matter most, and the Solis for a tight corner or a bedside where one slim table has to change height. Measure your sofa arm or mattress, then compare the number with the heights above before you order.
Our guides to how to choose a coffee table and nesting and space-saving tables show the rest of our range.
Explore our tables
- Mensa side table
- Mensa coffee table
- Solis side table
- Mensa tables guide
- Solis side table guide
- Table finishes for a light-coloured sofa
- Cozey Studio guide
More Cozey comparisons: Stella vs Mensa, Stella vs Solis, Tessella vs Mensa, Tessella vs Solis, Eclipse vs Mensa, Eclipse vs Solis, Arca vs Mensa, Arca vs Solis, Ombra vs Mensa, Ombra vs Solis.
Product specifications can change. Check the current dimensions on the product page before ordering.