Convertible Settle Table Chair
These convertible settle table chairs offer dual function in solid timber, combining a seating bench with a practical surface.
Convertible Settle Table Chair
When you search for a convertible settle table chair, you are looking at dual-purpose furniture designed to serve as both a seat and a table. These pieces transition from a high-backed bench or armchair into a flat-topped table by pivoting or folding the backrest.
The versions you are most likely to meet on this page span several eras, from the 17th Century up to the Art Deco period of 1930. Oak is the predominant timber found across these items, often shaped into monks benches, hall seats, and chair tables.
Makers through the centuries utilised heavy solid woods, frequently incorporating carved panels, storage boxes beneath the lift-up seat, and occasionally drawers. Styles range from plain vernacular country pine pieces to heavily carved Victorian and Jacobean Revival examples.
What varies in quality
Quality in these convertible seats is judged by the crispness of the timber carving and the structural integrity of the pivoting mechanism. Finer examples display thick oak panels with well-defined joinery, whereas simpler items rely on plain timber boards.
The presence of integrated storage compartments, such as drawers beneath the seat or lift-up lids, adds to the complexity and desirability of the piece. The proportion between the seat height and the table surface also dictates how successfully the dual function operates.
Convertible Settle Table Chair Retail Price Guide 2026
Typical asking prices for convertible settle table chair 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.
The Convertible Settle Table Chair Glossary
- Settle
- A wooden bench with a high back, solid arms, and often a box base for storage. It provides draught protection in older hallways.
- Monks bench
- A specific form of convertible furniture that transforms from a chair or bench into a table by folding the backrest forward. It is frequently associated with domestic spaces where floor space was at a premium.
- Jacobean Revival
- A style popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries that mimics the heavy, dark oak and geometric carving of the early 17th century. Pieces in this style often feature robust turned legs and panelled backs.
- Vernacular
- Furniture made by local craftsmen using regional materials and traditional techniques, rather than following high-fashion metropolitan designs. These items often utilise pine and display straightforward construction.
Convertible Settle Table Chair: Frequently Asked Questions
How does a convertible settle table chair work?
The high backrest of the bench pivots or folds forward on wooden pegs or iron hinges to rest horizontally across the arms, creating a table surface.
Lifting the seat often reveals a concealed storage box underneath for household items.
What rooms suit a monks bench best?
These dual-purpose seats sit well in hallways, entrance porches, or smaller living spaces where surface space is needed intermittently.
Their solid timber construction allows them to handle daily use as both seating and an occasional table.
How do I date an oak monks bench?
Dating relies on examining the timber grain, tool marks, joinery methods, and the style of any carved ornamentation.
Pieces range from authentic 17th-century examples to later Victorian and 20th-century revival interpretations.
Are all convertible benches made of oak?
While oak is the primary material used across the majority of these pieces, pine also appears in country vernacular examples.
Iron fixings and hardware are frequently incorporated to support the moving top mechanism.