A table is a commonly found design piece, composed of a flat or horizontal surface that rests upon one or more supports (legs, trestles, etc.). In Western culture, tables are commonly used to serve and eat meals.
During the latter half of the Middle Ages, dining tables were composed of a simple tabletop, a board, or a flat plank, and the supports were typically wooden trestles. Supports from this period varied in terms of style, some were roughly made, while others were highly decorative for the time. The expression “setting the table" derives from the literal act of installing heavy furniture that either needed to be moved or added to the dining table, in order to eat the meal.
The Renaissance period resulted in the birth of a true piece of furniture, the Western table. This table was invented as a replacement for the flying tabletop. This is because the new table provided a fixed, stronger, and more durable alternative. Previous tables had been mobile, allowing people to take them from place to place, most specifically used by nomadic peoples. Seats at this time were benches with backs.
Centuries later, and as the appearance of dining rooms became more and more present, furniture became increasingly more important. However, in the 18th-century, tables, in comparison to other pieces of furniture, were not fixed, as they needed to be easily removed so that dining rooms could be converted into salons or ballrooms for events. In the centuries that followed, especially with the creation of mass production, tables have become more and more accessible, universally. Over the last century, designers have used tables as a vessel to communicate their artistic expression. Discover a collection of designer tables, made from an array of materials!
