Atable is a piece offurniture with a raised flat top and is supported most commonly by 1 to 4 legs (although some can have more). It is used as a surface for working at, eating from or on which to place things.[1][2] Some common types of tables are the dining room tables, which are used for seated persons to eat meals; thecoffee table, which is a low table used in living rooms to display items or serve refreshments; and the bedside table, which is commonly used to place an alarm clock and a lamp. There are also a range of specialized types of tables, such as drafting tables, used for doing architectural drawings, andsewing tables.
Common design elements include:
Top surfaces of various shapes, including rectangular,square, rounded,semi-circular or oval
Legs arranged in two or more similar pairs. It usually has four legs. However, some tables have three legs, use a single heavy pedestal, or are attached to a wall.
Several geometries offolding table that can be collapsed into a smaller volume (e.g., aTV tray, which is a portable, folding table on a stand)
Heights ranging up and down from the most common 18–30 inches (46–76 cm) range, often reflecting the height ofchairs orbar stools used asseating for people making use of a table, as for eating or performing various manipulations of objects resting on a table
A huge range of sizes, from small bedside tables to large dining room tables and huge conference room tables
Presence or absence ofdrawers, shelves or other areas for storing items
Expansion of the table surface by insertion ofleaves or locking hingeddrop leaf sections into a horizontal position (this is particularly common for dining tables)
Etymology
The wordtable is derived fromOld Englishtabele, derived from theLatin wordtabula ('a board, plank, flat top piece'), which replaced the Old Englishbord;[3] its current spelling reflects the influence of theFrenchtable.
History
Roman dining table:mensa lunataLarge 17th-century English folding tables
Some very early tables were made and used by theAncient Egyptians[4] around 2500 BC, using wood andalabaster.[5] They were often little more than stone platforms used to keep objects off the floor, though a few examples of wooden tables have been found in tombs. Food and drinks were usually put on large plates deposed on a pedestal for eating. The Egyptians made use of various small tables and elevated playing boards. The Chinese also created very early tables in order to pursue the arts of writing and painting, as did people inMesopotamia, where various metals were used.[4]
TheGreeks andRomans made more frequent use of tables, notably for eating, although Greek tables were pushed under a bed after use. The Greeks invented a piece of furniture very similar to theguéridon. Tables were made ofmarble orwood andmetal (typicallybronze orsilveralloys), sometimes withrichly ornate legs. Later, the larger rectangular tables were made of separate platforms andpillars. The Romans also introduced a large, semicircular table toItaly, themensa lunata.Plutarch mentions use of "tables" byPersians.[6]
Furniture during theMiddle Ages is not as well known as that of earlier or later periods, and most sources show the types used by the nobility. In theEastern Roman Empire, tables were made of metal or wood, usually with four feet and frequently linked by x-shaped stretchers. Tables for eating were large and often round or semicircular. A combination of a small round table and alectern seemed very popular as a writing table.[7]
A dining scene in medieval Germany
In western Europe, although there was variety of form—the circular, semicircular, oval and oblong were all in use—tables appear to have been portable and supported upontrestles fixed or folding, which were cleared out of the way at the end of a meal. ThusCharlemagne possessed three tables of silver and one of gold, probably made of wood and covered with plates of the precious metals. The custom of serving dinner at several small tables, which is often supposed to be a modern refinement, was followed in the Frenchchâteaux, and probably also in the English castles, as early as the 13th century.[8]
Refectory tables first appeared at least as early as the 17th century, as an advancement of the trestle table; these tables were typically quite long and wide and capable of supporting a sizeablebanquet in thegreat hall or otherreception room of acastle.
Shape, height, and function
Tables come in a wide variety of materials, shapes, and heights dependent upon their origin, style, intended use and cost. Many tables are made of wood or wood-based products; some are made of other materials including metal and glass. Most tables are composed of a flat surface and one or more supports (legs). A table with a single, central foot is apedestal table. Long tables often have extra legs for support.
Dinner table and chairs
Table tops can be in virtually any shape, althoughrectangular,square, round (e.g. theround table), andoval tops are the most frequent. Others have higher surfaces for personal use while either standing or sitting on a tallstool.
Many tables have tops that can be adjusted to change their height, position, shape, or size, either with foldable, sliding or extensions parts that can alter the shape of the top. Some tables are entirely foldable for easy transportation, e.g.camping or storage, e.g., TV trays. Small tables intrains andaircraft may be fixed or foldable, although they are sometimes considered as simply convenientshelves rather than tables.
Tables can be freestanding or designed for placement against a wall. Tables designed to be placed against a wall are known aspier tables[9] orconsole tables (French:console, "support bracket") and may be bracket-mounted (traditionally), like ashelf, or have legs, which sometimes imitate the look of a bracket-mounted table.
Types
A combination of a table with two benches (picnic table) as often seen at camping sites and other outdoor facilitiesA formally laid table, set with a dinner serviceNested tables
Tables of various shapes, heights, and sizes are designed for specific uses:
Bedside tables,nightstands, ornight tables are small tables used in abedroom. They are often used for convenient placement of a smalllamp,alarm clock,glasses, or other personal items.
Drop-leaf tables have a fixed section in the middle and a hinged section (leaf) on either side that can be folded down.
Gateleg tables have one or two hinged leaves supported by hinged legs.
Coffee tables are low tables designed for use in aliving room, in front of a sofa, for convenient placement of drinks, books, or other personal items.
Refectory tables are long tables designed to seat many people for meals.
Drafting tables usually have a top that can be tilted for making a large ortechnical drawing. They may also have aruler or similar element integrated.
Workbenches are sturdy tables, often elevated for use with a high stool or while standing, which are used for assembly, repairs, or other precision handwork.
Nested tables are a set of small tables of graduated size that can be stacked together,[10] each fitting within the one immediately larger. They are for occasional use (such as a tea party), hence the stackable design.
Specialized types
Chess tableCompetitive table tennisPoker table
Historically, various types of tables have become popular for specific uses:
Billiards tables are bounded tables on which billiards-type games are played. All provide a flat surface, usually composed ofslate and covered with cloth, elevated above the ground.
Drum tables are round tables introduced for writing, with drawers around the platform.
End tables are small tables typically placed beside couches or armchairs. Often lamps will be placed on an end table.
Loo tables were very popular in the 18th and 19th centuries ascandlestands,tea tables, or small dining tables, although they were originally made for the popular card gameloo or lanterloo. Their typically round or oval tops have a tiltingmechanism, which enables them to be stored out of the way (e.g. in room corners) when not in use. A further development in this direction was the "birdcage" table, the top of which could both revolve and tilt.
Overbed tables are narrow rectangular tables whose top is designed for use above the bed, especially for hospital patients.[11]
Pembroke tables, first introduced during the 18th century, were popular throughout the 19th century. The main characteristic of thesedrop-leaf tables was a rectangular or oval top with folding leaves on each side. Most examples have one or more drawers and four legs, sometimes connected by stretchers. Their design meant they could easily be stored or moved about and conveniently opened for serving tea, dining, writing, or other occasional uses. One account attributes the design of the Pembroke table toHenry Herbert, 9th Earl of Pembroke (1693–1751).[12]
Work tables were small tables designed to holdsewing materials and implements, providing a convenient work place for women who sewed. They appeared during the 18th century and were popular throughout the 19th century. Most examples have rectangular tops, sometimes with folding leaves, and usually one or more drawers fitted with partitions. Early examples typically have four legs, often standing oncasters, while later examples sometimes have turned columns or other forms of support.
Sofa tables are similar to Pembroke tables and usually have longer and narrower tops. They were specifically designed for placement directly in front ofsofas for serving tea, writing, dining, or other convenient uses. Generally speaking, a sofa table is a tall, narrow table used behind a sofa to hold lamps or decorative objects.
Table tennis tables are usuallymasonite or a similar wood, layered with a smooth low-friction coating. they are divided into two halves by a low net, which separates opposing players.
^Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things. Reader's Digest. 27 November 2009. p. 13.ISBN978-0276445699.
^Plutarch, "Plutarch's Morals", GEORGE BELL AND SONS, 1898, translated by "Arthur Richard Shilleto",online access, "[Persians] nor use their tables [for that purpose]".
.jpg)
_MET_DP105403.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
