An accent table is an inherently decorative piece.
While they are functional, offering a place for you to toss your keys, or place a stray personal item, in general they are intended to be used to beautify a space, and so shouldn't be cluttered down with a lot of random items.
Instead many people use these pieces as pedestals, to display an attractive vase or a lamp without having to take up space on other, larger, and more prominent shelves.
An accent table can really be placed anywhere that you have a small gap.
This can be between two couches, or next to a dresser, or beside a large potted plant, or really anywhere that you notice a space that seems empty.
Part of the goal of decorating is to fill a space.
A home or apartment is empty, until you start to put things into it.
How you do that, and how you arrange those items, is the process of creating an atmosphere for the space.
However the other half of this is that you don't want to fill a space too much, creating clusters of clutter that cause chaos to rein supreme within the space.
The art of objects is one which requires balance.
As with everything in life, if you go too far, there will be negative consequences.
In certain cases, it is acceptable to use an accent table as a bit of a clutter drawer.
For instance when you place a table next to the bed in your bedroom, you want to use it as a place to store objects before going to sleep.
In this case it is fine to use this table to store your day to day accessories.
However the more you pile on there, the worse the space is going to look.
One way to combat this is to purchase a table which has a small drawer set into its side.
Accent tables are wonderful accessories that can help to fill the gaps in a room.
You should be careful however, because they are clutter traps, which tend to collect a chaotic pile of useless trinkets and accessories.
However with a little moderation, they can be attractive and functional piece for the home.