Chippendale Style Console
These chippendale style console tables bring formal carved mahogany and giltwood from the eighteenth century into later revival interiors.
Chippendale Style Console
A chippendale style console delivers architectural presence to a room, appearing in forms that span side tables, serving tables, and card tables. You will encounter these pieces across eighteenth-century origins and subsequent revival periods including the Victorian, Edwardian, and early twentieth-century eras.
The primary forms on this page include console tables, side tables, and card tables alongside wall brackets and lowboys. These pieces reflect the enduring influence of eighteenth-century design vocabulary interpreted through later cabinet-making traditions.
Distinctions in Execution
The depth and crispness of hand carving separate standard production from superior work, distinguishing shallow mechanical cuts from sharply chiselled foliage and moulding. The choice of timber grain, particularly figured mahogany or burr walnut, dictates the visual impact of the primary surfaces.
Structural integrity in the joints and the precise movement of fold-over mechanisms mark the standard of construction. Pieces retaining original gilding or undisturbed patination on the timber demonstrate superior preservation through successive periods.
Listings feature mahogany, oak, burr walnut, and giltwood across pieces dated from the eighteenth century to the 1930s.
Elkington and Co·Edwards and Roberts
The Chippendale Style Console Glossary
- Chippendale Style
- A design classification drawing upon eighteenth-century patterns associated with Thomas Chippendale, featuring characteristic carved ornament and polished timber surfaces.
- Console Table
- A table designed to stand against a wall, frequently secured to the vertical surface or supported by front legs.
- Card Table
- A specialised table featuring a hinged fold-over top that opens to reveal a baize-lined surface for gaming.
- Giltwood
- Timber that has been coated with gold leaf or metallic powder to create a lustrous decorative finish.
- Lowboy
- A small kneehole dressing table or side table typically fitted with drawers beneath the work surface.
Chippendale Style Console: Frequently Asked Questions
What is a chippendale style console used for?
These tables function as surface furniture placed against walls in halls, reception rooms, and dining spaces. They provide a display area for decorative objects or serve as adaptable surfaces during gatherings.
Fold-over variants additionally transform from slim console depth into larger playing surfaces for card games.
How do I identify the period of a console table?
Dating relies on examining timber selection, construction methods, and secondary woods used in the interior framing. Eighteenth-century pieces exhibit period-specific joinery and hand-worked surfaces, while revival pieces from the Victorian and Edwardian eras show nineteenth- or twentieth-century tool marks.
Stylistic quirks and secondary materials often clarify whether a piece originates from the Georgian period or subsequent revival movements.
Where should I place a console table?
Console tables suit entrance hallways, living rooms, and dining rooms where wall space permits a shallow furnishing. Placing a mirror or artwork above the table completes traditional room arrangements.
Freestanding placement depends on the finished appearance of the back edge and the structural design of the legs.
What woods are typical for these tables?
Mahogany forms the predominant timber across both eighteenth-century originals and later revival examples, valued for its stability and grain. Burr walnut and oak also appear frequently in specific regional or period interpretations.
Giltwood surfaces occur on decorative brackets and serving tables where carved pine or hardwood supports gold leaf application.