How did people use a flip top games table?

Families and guests utilised these tables during social evenings for card games, chess, and social conversation. By day, the folded top served as a side table for tea sets, books, or decorative objects against the drawing room wall.

How do I tell a Georgian table from a Victorian one?

Georgian tables tend to feature restrained elegance, straight or cabriole legs, and understated mahogany or walnut timber. Victorian pieces often display heavier proportions, elaborate rosewood grain, scroll pedestals, and more robust turnings.

What is a concertina action?

A concertina action is an expanding wooden frame that pulls outward as the table top unfolds. This provides solid structural support beneath all four corners of the opened leaf rather than relying on a single swinging leg.

Where should I place one in a modern home?

These tables sit particularly well against a hallway or living room wall in their closed position, acting as a console or side table. When you entertain, pulling them into the centre of the room reveals their original folding purpose and beautiful timber top.