French Style Table De Chevet
These french style table de chevet are compact, decorative bedside pieces bringing continental elegance and practical surface space to a bedroom.
French Style Table De Chevet
A french style table de chevet provides a low bedside surface or cabinet, designed to sit neatly beside a bed while holding a lamp and small personal items. The selections available typically date from the late nineteenth century into the early twentieth century, spanning periods from eighteen eighty to nineteen thirty.
Most examples lean into Louis XV and Louis XVI taste, employing serpentine forms, marble tops, or detailed marquetry inlay. Cabinets frequently combine small drawers with cupboards, offering enclosed storage alongside open display surfaces.
Makers drew on established continental design codes, producing both freestanding cabinets and smaller side tables intended specifically for domestic chambers. Walnut, mahogany, kingwood, and rosewood form the structural basis of these pieces, often enriched with brass mounts.
Materials and Construction
Craftsmen built these bedside pieces using hardwood carcases veneered in exotic timbers such as kingwood, rosewood, and walnut, frequently arranged in geometric marquetry patterns. Quarter veneering creates symmetrical wood grain effects across drawer fronts and top panels.
Polished marble tops, often white or veined, provide a durable and decorative upper surface resistant to water and daily use. Cast or chased ormolu and brass mounts edge the woodwork, accentuate key escutcheons, and shape the sabots on cabriole legs.
Listings feature bedside tables utilising marble, brass, walnut, and kingwood across Louis XV and Louis XVI revival styles.
Indicators of Quality
Superior examples demonstrate meticulous joinery and precision in the cut of the marquetry, ensuring patterns align seamlessly across doors and drawers. The choice of timbers matters greatly, with rich burl walnut and figured kingwood marking out the better workshops.
The weight and finish of the metal mounts separate standard production from finer work, as does the thickness and quality of the fitted marble top. Original hardware and smooth drawer action indicate careful initial manufacture and preservation.
The French Style Table De Chevet Glossary
- Marquetry
- Decorative veneer work forming pictures or geometric patterns by applying thin pieces of wood to a carcase. This technique defines the visual richness of many nineteenth century cabinet pieces.
- Ormolu
- Gilded bronze used for decorative mounts and feet on furniture. It adds bright metallic contrast to dark hardwood veneers.
- Serpentine
- A furniture front or top curving inward and outward in a continuous wave. This undulating line appears frequently on Louis XV style bedside furniture.
- Sabot
- A metal shoe fitted to the foot of a table or cabinet leg. It protects the wood and echoes the finish of other mounts on the piece.
French Style Table De Chevet: Frequently Asked Questions
What is a table de chevet?
A table de chevet is a small bedside table or cabinet designed to sit next to a bed for convenient storage and lighting.
These pieces typically feature a small cupboard, drawers, or a simple shelf surface tailored for bedroom use.
How do I date a french bedside table?
Dating relies on examining the timber veneers, construction methods, and stylistic revival cues visible in the design.
Pieces seen here range from the late nineteenth century through to the nineteen thirties, reflecting various historical French revivals.
Are marble tops original to these tables?
Marble tops are a characteristic feature of many continental bedside cabinets, providing a sturdy and decorative surface.
They were fitted during original manufacture to protect the wood from candle wax and water jugs.
How do I style a bedside cabinet?
Pair the cabinet with a small reading lamp, a ceramic dish for small items, and a book or two to balance utility and decor.
The rich wood tones and marble surfaces work well alongside both antique and contemporary bedroom schemes.