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How Did Tables Evolve as Furniture

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In the early Medieval period, tables once again lost some of their prominence. Household furniture often did not emphasize large tables and multiple types of furniture, such as chests, would be substituted for tables as they were required. However, wealthy classes or individuals began creating long tables that they could put all or many guests on. Tables began to represent a type of social bonding that guests would come together around physically but also socially. Benches and chairs now began to be associated with long tables. Thus, long tables in prominent halls became symbolic as wealth and social status, where one can dine many guests at once as a way of showing social status and power. Desks were differentiated by this time from tables, where monks and others who worked with written documents required tables have drawers or different design to make writing and reading easier, such as a slightly angled table.<ref>For more on Medieval furniture in Europe, see: Diehl, D., & Donnelly, M. (1999). <i>Medieval furniture: plans and instructions for historical reproductions </i> (1st ed). Mechanicsburg, Pa: Stackpole Books.</ref>
One aspect of tables was they became ways in which social rank was displayed. Those from prominent families or status ate at the head of the table, sometimes on a raised dais, while others were further way away from the raised part or front of the table. If anything, it was only later in the Medieval period that dinning tables began to reduce in size again. This was seen, in part, due to the Black Death and declining larger gatherings held. Uprisings and political instability, in part due to split the schism between Catholics and Protestants in the 16th century, led to smaller dinning gatheringsin general, as it was seen less beneficial to have too many large banquetsas divisions emerged in society. This led to a reshaping of dinning into more intimate type gatherings and smaller tables becoming more fashionable. Round dinning tables also began to be seen as giving a more intimate gatheringthan traditional long dinning tables.<ref>For more on dinning around tables and rank in society, see: Weiss Adamson, M. (2010). <i>Food in medieval times.</i> Westport, Conn. [u.a.: Greenwood Press.</ref> <dh-ad/>
In the Renaissance period, there was renewed interest in all things Classical. Tables were among the many types of items and furniture where they were created to resemble Roman or Greek style ornate tables. Highly elaborate designs found in wealthy households from the Roman period began to be copied and reproduced. There were innovations though by the 17th century. As the urban elite and rich began to imitate Roman or Greek designs, the trestle table was a development of this period in the countryside. It was seen as a simple but elegant design for dinning.<ref>For more on the trestle, see: Sparkes, I. G. (1980). <i>An illustrated history of English domestic furniture, 1100-1837: the age of the craftsman.</i> Bourne End [Eng.]: Spurbooks.</ref>
In the 18th century, the idea of men drinking around tables after dinner led to more "masculine" style tables in Europe. As tables began to be associated with drinking and male social comradery, the social setting was reflected in the design of the period where decorative elements and thick tables resembled more masculine forms. Coffee and tea culture also began to become important in much of Europe and Britain. As these drinks often were consumed by themselves or with a small portion of snack or sweet, tables required tended to be small. However, it was uncomfortable to be seated low, so this gave the rise of high standing but narrow tables used in cafes throughout Europe. In effect, it was a new form of table used for the increasing role of coffee and tea houses as social gathering places. However, for the home, coffee tables did evolve to have shorter legs, as more people in the family were expected to gather around it , seating was lower such as on couches, and making the higher design less suitable for larger numbers of people.<ref>For more on socializing and tables, see: Koda, H., Bolton, A. (2006). <i>Dangerous liaisons: fashion and furniture in the eighteenth century</i>; [Exhibition “Dangerous Liaisons: Fashion and Furniture in the 18th Century” held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, from April 29 to September 6, 2004]. New Haven: Yale Univ. Press [u.a.].</ref>
==Variations of Designs==
More activities within the home and at work led to new types of tables being designed. Console tables, pier tables, side tables and hall tables were all variations of tables that were put along the walls of homes or larger buildings for activities ranging from eating, socializing, working, and drinking. Darker tables became more fashionable from the 19th century, including the use of heavy woods such as rosewood and mahogany. Coffee tables, with shorter legs, became features of the home by the 19th century. It was also during the renaissance and later centuries that tables were used for different types of games, including chess billiards.<ref>For more on activities and table design, see: Cohen, M. F. (2005). <i>Professional domesticity in the Victorian novel: women, work, and home.</i> Cambridge, U.K. ; New York: Cambridge University Press.</ref>
In the mid to late 19th century, tables began to be simpler in design and less elaborate in general, as mass production increased, leading to new concepts of faster construction of tables where parts were pre-made and put together after being shipped to shops or furniture sellers. By 1890, Art Nouveau style tables began to replace the more classical appearance of tables, which helped to diminish their central importance in homes. Table design was now seen to be inspired by influence outside of the Classics or the past. In the early 20th century, there was more of a desire to remove the cluttered look of Victorian style homes in the UK and elsewhere, leading to simpler designs for tables and smaller tables.<ref>For more on design and decor that became popular in the late 19th and 20th centuries, see: Binstead, H. E. (2007). <i>The furniture styles: Design from Elizabeth I to Art Nouveau.</i> JM Classic Editions.</ref>
In the 20th century, table designs began to apply sometimes more color or variation in design from traditional shapes. This reflected society's increase access to leisure time where the home became a place to entertain and enjoy ones time in. Tables, became less formal and, often, more associated with informal gatherings and activities as well as retaining the traditional dining role they had.<ref>For more on modern furniture design, see: Quinn, B. (2004). <i>Mid-century modern: interiors, furniture, design details.</i> London: Conran Octopus.
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