Accent Night Tables
These accent night tables and bedside lights bring character to a room, offering practical bedside illumination and display surfaces.
Accent Night Tables
When you search for accent night tables, you encounter a mix of small bedside tables, occasional tables, and decorative night lights designed for low-level illumination. These pieces range from eighteenth-century English painted lamp tables to early twentieth-century Art Deco lighting figures.
The selection on this page relies heavily on French and English pieces, spanning periods from the eighteenth century through the 1930s. You will find small kidney-shaped occasional tables alongside specialised bedside lights featuring materials like frosted glass and marble.
How they were made
Construction relies on traditional cabinetmaking timbers such as mahogany and ebonised wood, alongside painted wood surfaces. Metal elements involve cast spelter, brass, and bronze, frequently mounted directly onto marble bases.
Decorative detailing incorporates hand-carved conch shell cameos, porcelain figures from makers like Ernst Bohne and Sohn, and moulded frosted glass for specialised night lights.
Accent Night Tables Retail Price Guide 2026
Typical asking prices for accent night 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.
Materials utilised across the current selection include conch shell, frosted glass, spelter, ebonised wood, and marble.
What varies in quality
Quality rests on the precision of the carving and the integrity of the materials, whether in the fine detail of a conch shell cameo or the casting sharpness of a spelter animal figure. Painted surfaces show refinement through careful application and preservation over time.
The choice of secondary materials dictates overall substance, such as heavy solid marble bases supporting bronze or glass figures, contrasted against lighter occasional tables of mahogany or painted wood.
Ernst Bohne and Sohn
The Accent Night Tables Glossary
- Spelter
- A zinc alloy commonly used as a substitute for bronze in decorative figural lamps and night lights during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It takes patination well to simulate heavier metals.
- Grand Tour
- A nineteenth-century style inspired by the educational travels of wealthy young Europeans across the continent. Items often incorporate classical motifs or local craftwork, such as carved shell cameos.
- Kidney shaped
- A curved, asymmetrical form popular for small occasional and bedside tables during the revival periods. This shape allows the piece to fit neatly beside a bed or in a corner.
- Night light
- A small decorative lamp designed to provide low-level illumination rather than bright room lighting. They often feature figural subjects in glass, bronze, or porcelain.
Accent Night Tables: Frequently Asked Questions
What is an accent night table?
An accent night table is a small piece of furniture or lighting designed to sit beside a bed or in a compact space. They provide a surface for small items or low-level illumination.
These pieces often combine decorative figures with functional lighting or surface space, drawing on styles from the eighteenth century to the Art Deco era.
How do I date a night table?
Dating relies on identifying the construction materials, joinery techniques, and stylistic influences present in the piece. Revival styles often borrow motifs from earlier centuries.
Examination of the wood, metal casting quality, and electrical fittings helps narrow down the period of manufacture, distinguishing nineteenth-century work from later Art Deco pieces.
Where were these pieces made?
The pieces originate primarily from workshops and factories across England, France, and Germany. Each region contributed distinct materials and stylistic traits.
French makers favored painted finishes and Art Deco figural designs, while German manufacturers produced detailed porcelain pieces and English makers focused on traditional painted wood.
How do I live with antique lighting?
Living with antique lighting involves placing small accent lamps and night lights on stable surfaces near power outlets. Their primary function is atmospheric illumination rather than reading light.
Care should be taken to inspect older wiring for safety while preserving the original decorative mounts, shades, and figural components.