Why do these tables tilt?

The tilting mechanism allowed the large oval tops to be stored flat against a parlour wall when the room needed to be cleared for dancing or other evening activities. This practical design feature also made it easier to move the heavy furniture between rooms in grand nineteenth-century houses.

Loo was a popular eighteenth and nineteenth-century card game played around these very tables, often involving stakes and multiple players. The tables were specifically dimensioned to accommodate the players comfortably during these social evening gatherings.

How do I date a walnut table?

Dating relies on combining the timber choice, such as burr walnut, with the structural form of the base, pillar, and edge banding. Most examples on record cluster tightly within the Victorian period from 1850 to 1880. Cabinet-making techniques and the complexity of the marquetry inlay also offer strong clues to the exact decade of manufacture.

Can I use one as a dining table?

Many six-seater and large oval examples served historical domestic functions that easily translate to modern dining or kitchen use. Their sturdy pedestal bases provide ample leg room for guests seated around the perimeter. Care must be taken with the polished wood surfaces, requiring protective mats during everyday meals to preserve the delicate marquetry.

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Inlaid Loo Table

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When you search for an inlaid loo table, you enter a world of mid-nineteenth-century walnut and marquetry designed for evening card games and parlour gatherings.