Questions & Answers
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Why is it called a console table?
1 Answer
Why it is called a console table comes down to the history of this type of furnishing. The very first consoles produced in France during the 16th and 17th centuries were not freestanding. Instead, owners anchored them to walls. This anchoring method strengthened the console top, allowing it to support heavy loads. The name “console” comes from the French word "consolide," which means to reinforce or strengthen. It was likely chosen because of the anchoring system that lends strength to and reinforces consoles. Shop a diverse assortment of console tables on 1stDibs.
1stDibs ExpertNovember 13, 2024
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Shop for Console Tables on 1stDibs
Mid-20th Century Chinese Ming Style Elm Altar Wine Table Hall Console 35"
Located in Dayton, OH
Mid-century Chinese elm altar table. Showcasing a compact, provincial silhouette rich in rustic character. The rectangular top is constructed with traditional thick elm planks set fl...
Category
Mid-20th Century Chinese Chinoiserie Console Tables
Materials
Elm
$1,400 Sale Price
30% Off
Early 20th Century French Pitch Pine Draper's Table or Silk Trader's Table
Located in Fayetteville, AR
At 83.5 inches in length, this long draper's table was originally used in a French fabric store to lay out and cut fabric at the turn of the twentieth century. Constructed of solid p...
Category
Antique Early 1900s French Console Tables
Materials
Pine, Ash, Cherry
19th Century Italian Walnut Hand Carved Console Table
Located in Nijlen, BE
An Italian walnut console table that originally served as a cutting table in a commercial setting.
The console is hand-carved. Years of use have given the tabletop a beautiful, velv...
Category
Antique 1870s Italian Country Console Tables
Materials
Walnut
Long Slim Burgundy Giraffe Console Table by &New
Located in Leicester, GB
Ex Display piece - discontinued size - excellent condition - no significant marks - available now. RRP £2,693
This piece is can be finished in any of our colour combos as its current...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Console Tables
Materials
Steel
3.3m 19th century Walnut Italian drapers table
Located in Malton, GB
A remarkably rare 19th century Italian drapers table, made entirely from solid walnut and beautifully proportioned on an unusually grand scale.
Originally designed as a working table...
Category
Antique 19th Century Console Tables
Materials
Walnut
Antique Chinese Elmwood Altar or Console Table, Late Qing Dynasty, circa 1900
Located in Casteren, NL
This long and narrow Chinese altar table was made around 1900, during the late Qing dynasty. The piece is crafted entirely from solid elmwood, a timber widely used in China for its s...
Category
Antique Early 1900s Chinese Qing Console Tables
Materials
Elm
