Families often used to keep a small table next to the sofa that had a top that could tilt up vertically when they were not using it. What was the point of making them do that?

Tilt-top mechanisms saved floor space. Rooms in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries were often cleared for different activities like dancing or games. Servants could fold the top vertically and push the table back against the skirting board. The flat profile meant dozens of them could be stored neatly around the room.

Do occasional tables ever come in pairs?

Rarely from the Georgian period. Most were made as single items. By the late nineteenth century you start finding matched pairs or sets of nesting tables.

The three legs on the base of these small tables sometimes have little metal wheels on them and sometimes they sit flat. Was that an optional extra for the buyer?

Castors were added to heavier designs. A solid mahogany drum table requires them so people can drag it towards a chair without snapping the legs. Lighter tripod tables usually lack castors because they weigh very little. A person can just lift them by the central column and carry them across the room.

What is the wood underneath the top called?

Dealers call that the secondary wood. It is usually a cheaper, locally sourced timber like pine or oak. Cabinetmakers used it for the structural parts that nobody would see. Imported materials were saved for the visible surfaces.

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Chippendale Occasional Tables

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These are small, freestanding tables meant to sit beside chairs or in empty corners, designed for putting down a teacup or a book rather than dining or working.