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Key Styles in Antique Tables and How to Recognize Them

You’ve always admired the antique tables in your grandmother’s kitchen or the one featured on your favourite old daytime television show

By Kevin TaylorPublished 2 years ago 5 min read
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You’ve always admired the antique tables in your grandmother’s kitchen or the one featured on your favourite old daytime television show, but you’ve never been able to find one to bring home because you can’t figure out what type to seek for, no matter how hard you try. If only identifying antique furniture was as simple as falling in love with its appearance; however, this list is here to assist you get more familiar with the various types of antique tables available.

Medieval Tables

There are very few tables from the Medieval period that are still available for purchase. Some Medieval table forms, on the other hand, have been made for hundreds of years, so you can locate 18th and 19th century examples of these Medieval-inspired items to add to your dining room rooms.

Trestle Table

Trestle tables are long, rectangular tables with boards placed on two or more trestles as tabletops. Trestles are horizontal bars supported by two pairs of slanted legs and exist in both ‘T’ and ‘V’ designs. These tables are often larger in size and made almost entirely of wood.

Hutch Table

You may be more familiar with china hutches and their display + cabinet setups, but the hutch table is unique in that it can be used as a table and a chair. The tabletops on these hutch tables are meant to descend from a horizontal to a vertical position, revealing a hidden seat beneath.

Bidsquare is the place to go if you’re looking for antique end tables or vintage end tables. You may bid on antique and vintage end tables and receive the greatest rates via an auction site. Alternatively, you will receive a list of results from which you can purchase it online.

18th Century Tables

Interior design in the 18th century was extremely productive, since a large number of innovative table designs were created in a relatively short period of time, many of which may still be found at online and in-person auctions today. Many of you have probably drooled over photographs of these antique beauties in all their lighted grandeur.

Tea Tables

Tea time was a social event that necessitated the creation of specific tea tables. These tea tables were small, usually with a round top, and when not in use, they may be used as side tables to hold attractive vases and bouquets.

Pedestal Tables

The central pillar on which the tabletops of pedestal tables sit is their most distinguishing feature. The majority of these tables are circular, while there are a few unusual specimens of ancient square pedestal tables.

Piecrust Tables

Because of the crimped edges on the tabletop, which inspired the table’s culinary name, these tables are extremely distinctive. Because of the one post upon which these piecrust tables rest, they are frequently referred to as pedestal tables.

Pembroke Table

Two drop-leafs – parts of the tabletop that are hinged to allow them to slide away from the centre of the tabletop – were included with these wooden tables, allowing customers to easily store them in tiny areas.

Drum Table

Drum tables have a similar construction to pedestal tables, but their tabletops are different. The tabletops of this table are thick and resemble a drum or tambourine from the side.

Tilt Tables

Tilt tables are one of the most entertaining antique table designs available; hinges in the table’s centre column allow the table to tilt from a horizontal to a vertical plane, taking up significantly less room than other tables.

Demilune Tables

These tables get their name from the French word for half-moon, which reflects the crescent shape of these modest antique furniture items. These tables are particularly easy to decorate with because one side of the tabletop is completely flat; place them against a wall or piece of furniture and they’ll blend right in.

19th Century Tables

Many of these 18th-century tables were still in use in the 19th century, while the Victorian Era inspired a few new pieces of furniture that reflected the late-nineteenth-century society’s sophisticated and decorative tastes.

Farmhouse Tables

Farmhouse tables, which look a lot like trestle tables but don’t usually come with trestles, were popular in rural areas because of their simple construction and huge surface area. Look for an antique farmhouse table if you’re looking for something practical rather than spectacular.

Cricket Tables

Despite the fact that these tables were first constructed in the 16th century, they gained popularity in the 19th century due to their small design. Cricket tables have three legs and a second tier underneath the tabletop that stretches between all three legs, giving you double the room for your succulent collection or magazine rack.

Trumpet Tables

Trumpet tables are maybe the most Victorian tables available, with their phonograph trumpet type bases and rounded tabletops echoing the period’s overt decorative style. The bases of these tables are frequently embellished with finishes, carvings, and even enamelling. Another unique feature of the trumpet table is that the tabletop flips up to reveal a concealed compartment where small items such as sewing notions or gaming pieces can be stored.

Early 20th Century Tables

The early twentieth century responded to the Victorian period’s extremely ornate, almost baroque styles by creating simpler, more streamlined furniture. This period’s pieces were made of wood, sometimes stained, sometimes painted, but always designed to highlight the raw beauty of the carpentry at hand.

Shaker Tables

Shaker tables, which are constructed by the Shaker Amish group, are designed for function rather than decoration, according to most people. Take note of how the perfection of each of the joints and finishes on these hardwood tables demonstrates the carpenters’ abilities.

Arts Crafts/Mission Tables

Although the Arts and Crafts Movement and the Mission Movement are not synonymous, the two table designs are commonly used interchangeably to describe wooden furniture with a similar objective to that of the Shaker community. Clean, straightforward lines, as well as handcrafted mortise and tenon construction, were devised as a direct response to Victorian people’s predilection for overdecorating, resulting in items that would survive a long time.

The Tableau of Antique Tables Never Ends

When you start looking into antique furniture, you quickly discover how many different types there are, and this list only scratches the surface of the myriad specialised tables that have been created over the centuries. Thankfully, once you know what you’re looking for, most antique tables that have survived are straightforward to recognise, and this list should help you get started.

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