Georgian Night Commode
These Georgian night commode pieces are timber bedside cabinets and tables that collectors prize for their compact proportions and concealed storage.
What They Are
A georgian night commode is a practical bedside table or cabinet designed to conceal chamber pots and night accessories. The pieces on this page span the Georgian and 19th Century periods, encompassing George III examples and related bedside cupboards.
Most items appear as mahogany bedside cabinets, occasional tables, or bedside tables with tambour fronts and tray tops. Forms range from simple enclosed cupboards to deceptive tables incorporating boxwood inlay and canvas elements.
How They Were Made
Cabinet makers constructed these night commodes primarily from solid and veneered mahogany, sometimes integrating boxwood inlay for decorative contrast. Structural stability relied on traditional joinery methods suited to domestic bedroom furniture.
Retail Price Guide 2026
Typical UK retail prices for georgian night commode, calculated from the Sellingantiques database of over a million retail prices indexed since 2003. This retail price guide relies exclusively on Sellingantiques data; no external sources or auction records are used, so the figures do not describe the wider market.
Period designations across the available items span the 17th Century, 18th Century, 19th Century, and Georgian eras.
What Varies in Quality
Quality rests on the crispness of the timber grain, the precision of boxwood inlay, and the integrity of moving parts like tambour doors. Finer examples maintain original brass hardware and well-fitted interior compartments without modern alterations.
The sophistication of the form also dictates standing, where versatile pieces serving as tray tops or deception tables command greater interest than plain utility cabinets.
The Georgian Night Commode Glossary
- Commode
- A movable piece of furniture containing drawers or doors, used in these instances beside the bed. It provides concealed storage for chamber items.
- Tambour
- A sliding door made of narrow vertical strips of wood glued to canvas or fabric backing. This allows flexible closure over curved or straight cabinet fronts.
- Tray Top
- A raised gallery rim around the upper surface of a bedside table or commode. It prevents items from sliding off the edge.
- Boxwood Inlay
- Contrasting light wood inserted into recesses within the darker mahogany surface. It creates fine geometric or linear decoration.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a night commode?
A night commode is a small enclosed bedside cabinet or table used historically to house a chamber pot.
Today, they function well as compact lamp tables or bedside storage units in modern bedrooms.
How do I spot a tambour front?
A tambour front consists of narrow vertical wooden slats attached to a flexible backing like canvas.
This allows the door to slide smoothly around a curved track rather than swinging outward on hinges.
Are these tables mahogany?
The listings show that the vast majority of these pieces are constructed from mahogany timber.
Cabinet makers valued this wood for its rich colour, durability, and fine grain.