Sheraton Style Buffet Table
When you want a sheraton style buffet table, you are looking at elegant dining furniture defined by fine veneers, subtle stringing, and balanced proportions.
Sheraton Style Buffet Table
A sheraton style buffet table encompasses sophisticated serving furniture designed for the dining room, drawing heavily on eighteenth-century aesthetics. You will encounter pieces spanning the Georgian period, the nineteenth century, and later revivals from the Edwardian era.
The forms vary between bow front shapes, serpentine profiles, and pedestal designs. Many examples function as sideboards, servers, or console tables intended for display and dining storage.
Materials and Construction
Cabinet makers built these pieces primarily using solid mahogany and flame mahogany veneer, often enhanced by contrasting boxwood and satinwood inlay. Craftspeople utilised wood inlay and marquetry to create geometric borders and delicate floral or classical motifs.
Hardware typically includes cast brass pulls and handles that complement the rich tones of the polished timber. Crossbanding and satinwood inlay define the edges and drawer fronts, demonstrating precise joinery and veneering techniques.
Listings feature mahogany, satinwood, and burr elm across pieces spanning the Georgian, Victorian, and Edwardian periods.
Assessing Quality and Craftsmanship
Quality rests in the crispness of the wood inlay and the selection of figured mahogany timbers. Superior examples display symmetrical flame patterns across the drawers and seamless banding that follows complex curved fronts.
The depth of colour in the timber and the finesse of the secondary woods used inside the drawers indicate the skill of the workshop. Pieces from the Georgian period generally show hand-cut dovetails, while later revivals exhibit precise mechanical sawing alongside traditional assembly.
The Woodworkers Ltd Kilkenny·Howard And Sons
The Sheraton Style Buffet Table Glossary
- Serpentine
- A front shape curving inward centrally and outward at the ends in a gentle 'S' wave. This contour requires immense skill from the cabinet maker.
- Bow Front
- A convex curved front projecting outward in an arc. It softens the rigidity of a dining room wall.
- Crossbanding
- A strip of veneer applied perpendicularly to the grain of the main surface. It creates a neat framing border around drawer fronts.
- Satinwood
- A pale, lustrous exotic timber used extensively for contrasting stringing and marquetry. It provides a bright golden accent against dark mahogany.
Sheraton Style Buffet Table: Frequently Asked Questions
What is a sheraton style buffet table?
These pieces are sophisticated dining room furniture items designed for serving food and storing tableware. They originate across the Georgian period and later revival eras.
Characterised by straight tapered legs, delicate stringing, and balanced proportions, they serve as both practical storage and focal display furniture.
How do I date a sideboard?
Dating relies on examining construction methods, timber choice, and decorative motifs such as inlay patterns. Georgian pieces display hand-worked joinery while Edwardian revivals often incorporate machine-cut elements.
Hardware styles and secondary timbers inside the drawers also provide reliable clues to the exact decade of manufacture.
Where were these tables used?
They belonged primarily in grand dining rooms and formal parlours for holding silver, linen, and serving platters. Servants placed dishes upon the top surface during large meals.
Today they function equally well in hallways and living spaces as decorative console storage.
How do I care for mahogany?
Protect the polished wood surface by keeping the piece away from direct sunlight and sudden temperature changes. Regular dusting with a soft, dry cloth preserves the finish.
Applying a traditional beeswax polish occasionally maintains the natural lustre of the flame veneer.