1930s Bedside Tables
These 1930s bedside tables deliver compact storage alongside striking stylistic lines, offering practical bedside surfaces built with period character.
1930s Bedside Tables
When searching for 1930s bedside tables, collectors encounter compact pieces designed to sit beside a bed, housing small evening essentials within reach. The selection includes dedicated bedside cabinets, nightstands, and low side tables equipped with cupboards or drawers.
Most examples hail from French or English workshops, appearing frequently as matching pairs. Construction styles span from streamlined Art Deco Modernist designs to revival forms like Georgian Revival mahogany cupboards.
The primary woods span walnut, burr walnut, oak, kingwood, and birds-eye maple, often finished with open storage areas or enclosed cabinet doors.
How they were made
Cabinetmakers utilised rich timber veneers such as burr walnut and birds-eye maple applied over solid wood cores to create striking grain patterns across flat surfaces. Metal accents in brass and chrome frequently appeared as drawer pulls, handles, and trim.
French workshops often combined exotic woods like kingwood and rosewood with marble tops for durability and visual contrast. Oak and mahogany served as structural foundations in English pieces, finished with fitted drawers and panelled doors.
1930s Bedside Tables Retail Price Guide 2026
Typical asking prices for 1930s bedside tables among the pieces listed under this phrase on Sellingantiques today, from the lower quarter to the upper quarter. They describe what is for sale here now, not the wider market.
Listings feature walnut, oak, satinwood, and marble across French and English tables.
What varies in quality
The standard of craftsmanship relies heavily on the selection and matching of wood veneers across the cabinet front. Master makers ensured grain patterns mirrored seamlessly across drawers and doors, whereas lower-tier pieces display random or mismatched timber grains.
Hardware integration and internal joinery distinguish superior builds from standard production. Dovetail joints in drawers and robust hinges on cupboard doors indicate careful execution by skilled cabinetmakers.
Walter Carter Harrods·Gomme
The 1930s Bedside Tables Glossary
- Burr walnut
- A prized timber cut from the abnormal growths of a walnut tree, yielding swirling, highly decorative grain patterns. Furniture makers applied this veneer to elevate the visual appeal of cabinet doors and tabletops.
- Art Deco
- A design movement spanning the interwar period characterised by geometric symmetry, stylised motifs, and sleek lines. Pieces in this style reject Victorian ornamentation in favour of modern industrial forms.
- Kingwood
- A dense, richly coloured hardwood from Brazil featuring dark violet and brown stripes. Cabinetmakers utilised this timber for high-end French bedside furniture.
- Serpentine
- A furniture front shaped with a central convex curve flanked by two concave curves. This contour requires precise carpentry and adds visual movement to bedside chests.
1930s Bedside Tables: Frequently Asked Questions
Do 1930s bedside tables come in pairs?
Many surviving bedside tables from this decade appear as matching pairs, intended to flank a double bed symmetrically.
Single examples also surface, originating from bedroom suites or smaller dressing arrangements.
What storage do these tables offer?
Configurations typically include small cupboards with hinged doors, open compartments for books, or single and double drawers.
Some designs combine an open shelf above a closed cabinet to separate nightly reading material from hidden items.
How do I identify Art Deco bedside tables?
Art Deco pieces display geometric silhouettes, streamlined forms, and decorative wood veneers like burr walnut or birds-eye maple.
They often incorporate contrasting metal handles made from brass or chrome rather than traditional wooden knobs.
Are marble tops common on these cabinets?
Marble tops appear frequently on French provincial and Art Deco bedside cabinets from this era.
They provided a durable, wipe-clean surface for water jugs and bedside lamps.