Leather Top Side Table
A leather top side table brings a practical writing surface and refined period character into a room.
Leather Top Side Table
A leather top side table is primarily a writing table, desk, or occasional table surfaced with inset hide, spanning Georgian, Victorian, and Edwardian eras. These surfaces often appear in mahogany, rosewood, or walnut, functioning as compact desks or library tables.
The version most commonly met on this page is the 19th-century mahogany or rosewood side table, frequently featuring a tooled leather inset. Alongside these, buyers find larger partners desks and smaller occasional or lamp tables sharing the characteristic leather writing surface.
How they were made
Cabinet makers constructed these tables using dense timbers such as mahogany, rosewood, burr walnut, and oak, often adding satinwood or yew for contrast. Surfaces were frequently enriched with cross-banding, inlay, or ebonising.
The writing surfaces feature genuine leather inset into the wood, commonly decorated with gold leaf tooling around the perimeter. Brass handles, castors, and ormolu mounts complete the construction of the structural forms.
Leather Top Side Table Retail Price Guide 2026
Typical asking prices for leather top side table among the pieces listed under this phrase on Sellingantiques today, from the lower quarter to the upper quarter. They describe what is for sale here now, not the wider market.
The site records forms ranging from nests of tables and etageres to large partners desks.
What varies in quality
The refinement of the timber selection and secondary woods dictates much of the standing, with figured flame mahogany or choice rosewood marking superior examples. Hand-tooled gold leaf decoration on the leather insert shows the level of craftsmanship invested in the surface.
Joinery execution, such as dovetailed drawer construction and the integration of original brass hardware or castors, separates standard utility furniture from pieces produced by notable makers or fine workshops.
Maple and Co·Mallett of London·Charles Andrea Nosotti·Edwards and Roberts·James Mein of Kelso·Gillows
The Leather Top Side Table Glossary
- Partners desk
- A large double-sided desk designed for two people to work opposite one another, featuring drawers on both faces.
- Drum table
- A circular library table with a deep frieze containing drawers, typically supported on a central pillar and tripod base.
- Tooled leather
- Leather decorated with heated brass tools, frequently highlighted with gold leaf to form a decorative border.
- Cross-banding
- A strip of veneer applied to the edges of a table top running perpendicular to the grain of the central panel.
- Occasional table
- A small, movable accent table intended for general use around a room rather than a specific single task.
Leather Top Side Table: Frequently Asked Questions
What periods do these leather top tables cover?
The listings encompass pieces from the Georgian, Regency, and William IV periods through to Victorian and Edwardian iterations.
Later Edwardian and early twentieth-century revival pieces also appear alongside the earlier examples.
Were these tables used only for writing?
While many served as writing desks or library tables, others functioned as lamp tables, occasional tables, or console surfaces.
Larger partners desks were built specifically for administrative work in libraries and offices.
How do I identify a Regency period table?
Regency pieces often display classical architectural lines, utilising rosewood or mahogany with restrained brass mounts and elegant pillar supports.
Proportions remain balanced, frequently incorporating Saber legs or brass-toed castors.
What is a partners desk?
A partners desk is an expansive table designed with drawer space accessible from both sides, allowing two people to work face-to-face.
These large pieces usually feature an expansive leather top surrounded by pedestal banks of drawers.