Antique Tables

Dining Tables

Many antique dining tables have the same convenient features that we look for in contemporary furniture. As far back as the mid 1600s, the makers built tables with drop leaves (ends that could be raised to add more room at the table or lowered for more intimate dining or to minimize the space the table takes up), table leaves (pieces that could be added or removed for the same purposes), or tilt tops (the entire top could go from vertical to horizontal to make more room). Most of these tables have movable legs, either gate legs (which swing in or out like a gate) or swing legs (attached with hinges along the table rail).

Before the 1650s, dining tables were commonly made of a single solid piece of wood over fixed legs. Occasionally for larger tables, the wood was made of multiple pieces but solidly joined. These tables, sometimes called stretcher or refectory tables, usually have elaborately carved legs. These are among the most expensive antique tables with prices usually starting in five figures. If you like the look and want an antique but don't have the budget, look for Victorian-era reproductions.

Most antique dining tables were made of oak or mahogany with brass for any moving parts. However, you can also find walnut, rosewood, or pine. While most 18th and early 19th century antique dining tables available today were built by artisans for the upper classes, you can also find farm tables from the same periods. These are more likely to be made from more common woods such as elm, sycamore, or pine and are much simpler in design and form, with no moving parts or carving on the legs. Dents or scratches that would be serious flaws in other pieces are much more acceptable in farm furniture, though it should still show signs of care and polishing.

The older the antique dining tables the more expensive. Georgian and Queen Anne pieces usually start around $10,000, with prices increasing based on quality, materials, and in some cases, the maker's name. Farm tables of any period and Victorian pieces start around $3,000.

Smaller Tables

Small antique table and chairs is perfect for tea

Today, we tend to think of non-utilitarian tables as coming in two or three varieties: dining tables, side tables, and coffee tables. Not so for antique table makers, who produced lamp tables, tea tables, writing tables, side tables, card tables, library tables, and more.

Many of these smaller tables were painted, inlaid, or otherwise given more details than dining tables. Tea tables, for example, which became popular in the 1700s when tea was a new and fashionable beverage in England, were often painted with Chinese-inspired designs to add to the then very exotic experience. Card tables featured drawers which were sometimes made of a contrasting wood or an inlay. A popular Russian style of the 18th and 19th centuries was a stone (usually malachite) top on a wooden table.

These smaller tables are a fairly more affordable way to bring antique furniture into your home, as well as an option for those in small spaces that don't allow for a dining table. An antique table with an antique lamp on it can add immediate period grace to a room.

Purchasing Antique Tables

Antique wooden tables, regardless of period, should have a warm, rich veneer that comes from frequent polishing and use. There shouldn't be any dents or scratches, but signs of wear are a testament to a table's long life rather than flaws. Be aware that many tables sold as antique tables are made from antique wood, such as panels or floorboards, but are not genuine antiques. Look for unusual wear patterns or for marks of previous work such as nail holes.

As with antique chairs, most antique tables available today are from the 1650s or later. Pieces from the 17th century until the Victorian period are typically the most expensive, largely because fine furniture was a luxury for the upper classes during those times, so they involved tremendous work and craftsmanship and are also rarer. During the Victorian period, when the middle classes, or at least upper middle classes, could also afford fine furniture, manufacturers produced much more furniture and also cheaper pieces.