TABLES OF ALL SHAPES AND SIZES

by | Jan 3, 2021

One of
the most used items of furniture in the home is a table. Whether the table is in the kitchen, dining
room, living room or outdoors, no home is complete without one.

According
to the Oxford Dictionary, the word table comes from the Latin word tabula,
which means “a board, plank, flat top piece.”

Throughout
history, tables have been used, starting as low platforms to keep food and
other items off the floor. The earliest
platforms were made from stone, although archeologists discovered wooden tables
in tombs. Therefore, we know that tables
date to 2500 BC. Other locations where
there is evidence of tables used for eating and writing, and painting include
China and Mesopotamia. The Egyptians
utilized small tables and taller platforms for board games.

The
practice of using a table for eating took hold in Greece and Rome. Most tables were one complete piece, made
with marble, wood or metal. These tables
had one solid piece in the center.
Later, the Greeks and Romans made rectangular dining tables in two parts
– the platform separate from the pillar.
No doubt this made transporting or moving it much easier than the heavy
one-piece table.

  

During
the Eastern Roman Empire, we see another change to the design of the dining
table. Tables were made with four feet
and linked by stretchers in the shape of an “X.” Large, round or
semicircular tables were popular and used for dining. Most tables in this period were made from
wood or metal. More sophisticated
joinery, using intricate designs to hold wood together, is evidenced starting
in the 15th century.

In the
middle ages, the refectory table was a common type of table used for banquets
in great halls of castles and monasteries.
The refectory table is known for its great length and width since it was
meant to seat many people at one time.

Today, we
use tables for more than just eating and dining. In our living rooms, we use coffee and side
tables to put refreshments and display decorative items. We situate night tables beside beds where we
place lamps, an alarm clock and charge our phones. We see board room tables, drafting tables,
and other specialized pieces of platform furniture in the work environment.

Other
types of tables include workbenches, which have elevated platforms and can be
used while standing or with a high stool.
Workbenches are excellent for doing assembly and repairs or any work
that might require precision.
Workbenches are not the same as a worktable. The worktable was initially designed for
women who sewed and held everything needed for creating clothing, drapes,
linens and other household fabric goods.

Console
tables, which are also called pier tables, are designed for placing against
walls. Console tables used to come with
brackets, which allowed you to attach them to the wall, although this is not
common today.

Pembroke
tables became popular in the 19th century.
This table design included drop leaves so they could be stored or moved
easily when not in use. When needed, you
could easily create a full-size dining table by simply raising and supporting
the leaves. Sofa tables are like Pembroke tables in that they both are designed
to be longer and narrower. Although we
use sofa tables today primarily to hold lamps or décor, their original purpose
was for serving tea. Tables are also
used for billiards, chess, table tennis and poker or card games.Since
Victorian times, the dining table has been more than just a place to have
something to eat. Parents used mealtime
to educate their children on manners, proper conversation and religion. It also
became a place where all family members would come together regularly to share
what happened during their day. The
family dinner’s ideological concept was reinforced through popular TV shows in
the 1950s and 1960s in programs like “Leave it to Beaver.”

Are you
furnishing a new condo in Puerto Vallarta?
We offer furniture packages starting at $3499.00 USD. Visit us at www.solutionsmexico.com or our
new store at 363A Constitucion just off Basilio Badillo, where the buses are.

Sheryl
Novak is the owner of SOLutions Mexico.
She is an expert on where to find comfortable, well-made furniture for
almost any budget.

Furnishing Tips

Solutions Blog

Newsletter