Table (furniture)

A gilded Baroque table, with a stone top (most probably marble), from the Cinquantenaire

Museum (Brussels, Belgium)

Rococo writing table; 1759; lacquered oak, gilt-bronze mounts and lined with modern leather; height:
80.6 cm, width: 175.9 cm; Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City)

A table is an item of furniture with a flat top and one or more legs, used as a
surface for working at, eating from or on which to place things. [1][2] Some common
types of table are the dining room table, which is used for seated persons to eat
meals; the coffee table, which is a low table used in living rooms to display items or
serve refreshments; and the bedside table, which is 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, and sewing 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 of folding table that can be collapsed into a smaller
volume (e.g., a TV 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 of chairs or bar stools used
as seating 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 of drawers, shelves or other areas for storing items
 expansion of the table surface by insertion of leaves or locking hinged drop
leaf sections into a horizontal position (this is particularly common for dining
tables)

Etymology
The word table is derived from Old English tabele, derived from
the Latin word tabula ('a board, plank, flat top piece'), which replaced OE bord;[3] its
current spelling reflects the influence of the French table.

History
Roman dining table: mensa lunata

Large 17th-century English folding tables

Some very early tables were made and used by the Ancient Egyptians[4] around
2500 BC, using wood and alabaster.[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 in Mesopotamia, where
various metals were used.[4]
The Greeks and Romans 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 the guéridon. Tables were made
of marble or wood and metal (typically bronze or silver alloys), sometimes
with richly ornate legs. Later, the larger rectangular tables were made of separate
platforms and pillars. The Romans also introduced a large, semicircular table
to Italy, the mensa lunata.
Furniture during the Middle Ages is not as well known as that of earlier or later
periods, and most sources show the types used by the nobility. In the Eastern
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 a lectern seemed
very popular as a writing table.[6] In western Europe, the invasions and internecine
wars caused most of the knowledge inherited from the classical era to be lost. As a
result of the necessary movability, most tables were simple trestle tables, although
small round tables made from joinery reappeared during the 15th century and
onward. In the Gothic era, the chest became widespread and was often used as a
table.
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 sizeable banquet in the great hall or other reception
room of a castle.

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 a pedestal table. Long tables often have extra legs for
support.
Dinner table and chairs

Table tops can be in virtually any shape, although rectangular, square, round (e.g.

the round table), and oval tops are the most frequent. Others have higher surfaces
for personal use while either standing or sitting on a tall stool.
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 in trains and aircraft may be fixed or foldable,
although they are sometimes considered as simply convenient shelves rather than
tables.
Tables can be freestanding or designed for placement against a wall. Tables
designed to be placed against a wall are known as Pier tables[7] or console
tables (French: console, "support bracket") and may be bracket-mounted
(traditionally), like a shelf, 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 facilities

A formally laid table, set with a dinner service

Tables of various shapes, heights, and sizes are designed for specific uses:

 Dining room tables are designed to be used for formal dining.

 Bedside tables, nightstands, or night tables are small tables used in
a bedroom. They are often used for convenient placement of a
small lamp, 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 a living 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
or technical drawing. They may also have a ruler 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,[8] each fitting within the one immediately larger. They are for
occasional use (such as a tea party), hence the stackable design.