Dining Tables Through Time

Ah, the dining room. One of the most public spaces in the American home today – it’s the place for our formal dining for many, and almost always considered a statement room (aka…showplace room) in many homes due to its proximity off a center foyer. Due to all that wood on top of their general formality, dining rooms are no small investment to furnish. Here are some sensational dining tables – along with a brief historical jaunt on the dining room and its table.

Dining Rooms & Their Tables of Yesterday:

Back in “the day” (Europe…Middle Ages), the formal dining room of the great manor house was called the Great Hall. Located far from the kitchen, often on another floor entirely, these were large rooms that could seat the full population of the house…aka the servants as well as the family of the manor. The family would sit at the head of the table, often on a raised dais. Everybody else was seated in descending order of rank as they moved away from the family (NOW you know where to seat your 3rd cousin Phyllis who drives you crazy!).  The word “table” actually  comes from the Latin “tabula” meaning plank or flat board. That alone gives you an idea of the make-up of the earliest tables. In fact, the dining tables of the ancient world were not always made of wood – the Egyptians favored stone while other cultures preferred metal. Over the course of centuries, tables would evolve from pedestal bases with simple boards laid on top to trestles and gate legs and eventually extension tables akin to the designs you know of today.

Dining Tables Today:

Here are some low budget and splurge budget dining tables…

For great dining room ideas for your home, let us assist you. Call us for a consultation!