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Who invented the coffee table?
1 Answer
No one knows for sure who invented the coffee table. The earliest examples of the occasional table can be traced back to Victorian-era Britain. At that time, makers like William Watt and Collinson and Lock were producing coffee tables in large quantities.
Notably, F. Stuart Foote, the designer behind the American Imperial Furniture Company, claimed to have invented the coffee table in the early 20th century. He stated that he did so by cutting down the legs of a dining table. However, it's unlikely that Foote is the actual inventor of the coffee table, as books describing coffee tables existed in the UK a decade before his birth in 1872.
Shop a wide variety of coffee tables on 1stDibs.
Notably, F. Stuart Foote, the designer behind the American Imperial Furniture Company, claimed to have invented the coffee table in the early 20th century. He stated that he did so by cutting down the legs of a dining table. However, it's unlikely that Foote is the actual inventor of the coffee table, as books describing coffee tables existed in the UK a decade before his birth in 1872.
Shop a wide variety of coffee tables on 1stDibs.
1stDibs ExpertApril 12, 2024
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Shop for Coffee Tables and Cocktail Tables on 1stDibs
Midcentury coffee tables mod. 777 by Afra e Tobia Scarpa
By Tobia Scarpa
Located in Piacenza, Italy
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Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
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Mid-Century Brass Coffee Table
Located in Austin, TX
Coffee table from mid-century France with a brass structure and thick glass top. Each of the brass square legs is held in place with a brass stretcher. We love the clean, classic lin...
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Vintage 1970s French Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
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Mid-Century Ceramic Coffee Table by Roger Capron, 1960s -France.
Located in SOTTEVILLE-LÈS-ROUEN, FR
Rectangular Garrigue coffee table by Roger Capron from the 1960s, Vallauris, France. This table features a metal frame and legs, with a ceramic top adorned with inlaid herbarium moti...
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Vintage 1950s French French Provincial Coffee and Cocktail Tables
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Brutalist Round Coffee Table in Black Stone Look Resin
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Cocktail or coffee table, resin, Northern-Europe, 1970s.
This deep black robust coffee or cocktail table is from the 1970s. The thick round top is supported by a similar but smaller...
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Vintage 1970s European Brutalist Coffee and Cocktail Tables
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vintage coffee table table 70s
Located in GRONINGEN, NL
vintage coffee table table 70s
period 70s
design unknown
condition good light signs of use
size 47 x 103 x 63 (hxwxd)
details teak; floor tiles;
article number 2417
Category
Vintage 1970s Swedish Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Materials
Stone
Ettore Sottsass Coffee Table, circa 1970, Italy
Located in Girona, Spain
DESCRIPTION: Ettore Sottsass Coffee table, can be divided into 7 parts giving the possibility of dozens of combinations. Very decorative piece made with wood lacquered in white.
CO...
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Vintage 1970s Italian Post-Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Materials
Wood
