Vintage Night Tables
These vintage night tables bring practical bedside storage and period character to a bedroom.
Vintage Night Tables
Vintage night tables encompass bedside cabinets, cupboards, chests of drawers, and side tables designed to sit beside a bed. The selection ranges from eighteenth-century Georgian pot cupboards to nineteen-thirties Art Deco designs in burr walnut and mahogany.
Buyers most frequently encounter nineteen-thirties pieces, including pairs in Art Deco styles, alongside Victorian and Georgian mahogany cabinets. Forms vary from simple single-drawer tables to enclosed cupboards and multi-drawer chests.
Origins span English, French, and Dutch workshops, utilising regional woods such as oak, cherry, and satinwood alongside imported hardwoods. Many survive as matched pairs, though single tables and occasional lamp tables also appear.
What varies in quality
The distinction between tiers rests on timber selection, such as the richness of figured mahogany or the matched grain of burr walnut veneer. Superior examples display refined proportions, careful jointing, and original hardware rather than later replacements.
Craftsmanship in secondary details, including inlaid marquetry work, hand-carved oak motifs, and smoothly operating drawers, separates standard production items from finer workshop pieces.
Materials represented range from traditional mahogany and oak to exotic hardwoods, marble, and brass.
The Vintage Night Tables Glossary
- Pot cupboard
- A small bedside cabinet originally designed to enclose a chamber pot. These typically feature a single door above a shelf or enclosed base.
- Tambour
- A flexible shutter door constructed from narrow vertical strips of wood glued to a canvas backing. This slides smoothly around a curved corner.
- Marquetry
- Decorative patterns formed by fitting together thin veneers of different coloured woods. These are applied to the surface of furniture.
- Burr walnut
- Timber taken from a tree growth or burl, yielding swirling, highly figured grain patterns. Cabinetmakers prize this for decorative veneer panels.
- Sheraton Revival
- A late nineteenth and early twentieth century style inspired by the neoclassical designs of Thomas Sheraton. Pieces often feature satinwood, inlay, and tapered legs.
Vintage Night Tables: Frequently Asked Questions
Are pairs difficult to find?
Many bedside pieces survive as matched or original pairs, particularly from the twentieth century. Single tables also appear frequently.
Matching two separate tables requires careful attention to height, timber, and period style if used symmetrically.
How do I identify a Georgian piece?
Georgian tables utilise solid mahogany, straightforward proportions, and traditional joinery like dovetails. They often take the form of pot cupboards or small bedside chests.
Later revivals from the twentieth century copy these forms but typically use modern internal fixings and lighter secondary woods.
What is a tambour door?
A tambour door consists of vertical wooden slats attached to a flexible backing fabric. This allows the door to slide along a track around a curved cabinet edge.
This mechanism appears on specific nineteenth-century night stands to conceal interior storage without requiring clearance for a swinging door.
How do I care for polished wood surfaces?
Polished mahogany and walnut surfaces benefit from occasional waxing with traditional beeswax to maintain the finish. Avoid placing damp items or direct heat sources on the timber.
Using coasters and keeping tables away from direct radiators prevents the veneer from lifting or cracking.