Glass Top Console Table
These glass top console table designs combine transparent surfaces with heavy timber, iron or giltwood frames to anchor a hallway or sitting room.
Glass Top Console Table
A glass top console table serves as a narrow surface against a wall, frequently paired with a matching pier mirror or trumeau frame in French styles. The selections on this page span the nineteenth century through to the art deco era, encompassing both gilded display pieces and industrial ironwork frames.
Buyers encounter forms that function purely as side furniture alongside specialised bijouterie and display tables with glazed panels for holding small objects. Materials range from walnut and mahogany to cast iron and wrought metal supporting the upper glass or marble surfaces.
How they were made
Frames rely on traditional cabinetmaking in mahogany, walnut and giltwood, alongside metalworking techniques using cast iron, brass and wrought iron. Gilding is applied to carved timber enrichment, while marble and plate glass form the horizontal surfaces.
Inlaid details, carved foliage and painted finishes decorate the wooden structures, while metal frames utilise riveted or cast joints typical of early twentieth-century industrial and art deco production.
Materials span clear glass, marble, tapestries, ormolu mounts and wrought iron across various European revival styles.
What varies in quality
Quality rests in the crispness of the timber carving or metal casting, and the depth of the original gilding or paintwork. Pieces attributed to workshops influenced by makers such as François Linke show superior precision in their mounts and decorative details.
The integration of matching elements, such as original glass plates, intact marble slabs and corresponding wall mirrors, distinguishes exceptional examples from standard surviving furniture.
François Linke
The Glass Top Console Table Glossary
- Bijouterie table
- A glass-topped display table specifically designed for showing jewellery, miniatures and small curiosities. These pieces often feature hinged lids and velvet-lined interiors.
- Trumeau
- An architectural wall mirror or panel designed to sit directly above a console table. It frequently incorporates painted or carved pastoral scenes within the wooden frame.
- Giltwood
- Timber that has been coated with a thin layer of gold leaf. This finish is characteristic of formal French revival furniture from the nineteenth century.
- Demilune
- A half-moon shape used for table tops and frames designed to sit flush against a wall. The form appears frequently in art deco and neoclassical designs.
- Vitrolite
- An opaque pigmented glass popular during the art deco period. It provides a dense, glossy surface alternative to traditional marble or clear glass.
Glass Top Console Table: Frequently Asked Questions
Where should I place a glass top console table?
These narrow tables suit entrance halls, living room perimeters and narrow corridors where floor space is limited. Their reflective glass surfaces help to bounce natural light around smaller rooms.
Matching mirror sets look best mounted directly above the console to create a cohesive focal point against a blank wall.
How do I clean antique glass and gilded frames?
Use a soft, dry microfibre cloth to remove dust from gilded wood and delicate carved elements without disturbing the finish. Avoid commercial chemical sprays on antique giltwood as moisture can lift the gold leaf.
Clean the glass top with a mild solution applied directly to the cloth rather than the surface to prevent liquid seeping into surrounding wooden joints.
What is the difference between a console and a bijouterie table?
A standard console table provides an open surface for decorative objects, lamps or mirrors, fixed firmly against a wall. A bijouterie table incorporates a glazed compartment with a lift-off or hinged lid for displaying small valuables.
While both serve similar spatial functions in a hallway, the display table prioritises the exhibition of collections beneath the glass.
Can these tables support heavy lamps and books?
Timber and iron frames from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries offer sturdy structural support for everyday items. However, plate glass and marble tops require care with heavy impacts rather than static weight.
Heavier items should be placed centrally on frames with robust cabriole legs or cast-iron stretchers to maintain balance.