Antique Slicing Machine

Industrial floor lamps, bar stools, desks and other industrial-style furnishings have experienced a resurgence in popularity with the rise of interest in minimalist design.

It's a look that celebrates the past even as it suggests vigor, productivity and brawn. The newly chic industrial style of decor repurposes the simple, sturdy furniture of an earlier world of commerce — brushed-metal storage cabinets and display shelves, task lamps and pendant lights with enameled shades, work tables with worn wooden tops and cast-iron bases — and couples them with aesthetic touches emblematic of energy and optimism, from bright upholstery fabrics to flowers.

The rise in prominence of the industrial style has come hand-in-hand with the residential repurposing of former manufacturing and warehouse districts throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. In many loft apartments created in shuttered factories, the architectural envelope has been left intact.

Industrial-style interiors feature elements like raw brick walls, exposed steel beams and oak floors whose history is written in every pit and gouge. Iron and glass transom windows give definition and interest to small kitchen areas anchored by kitchen islands made of marble, steel and brass, while taxidermy or vintage neon signs serve as wall art in living rooms dotted with leather club chairs. Patina is the keynote to a decor in sync with such surroundings. 

On 1stDibs you will find industrial furniture designs that wear their age beautifully — and were built to last.

For the culinary star in your home, an antique or vintage butcher block is an indispensable accessory. Whether it’s a stand-alone table or island, a feature atop your rolling kitchen cart or a countertop application, this is a specific type of assembled wood surface for important food prep needs.

A butcher block is a designated work surface in a kitchen. Specifically, a butcher block affords you a strong and sturdy surface on which you can butcher meat as well as slice and dice vegetables. Having a designated area for this kind of work will help keep the kitchen sanitary and prevent potential damage to countertops.

Because wood is difficult to clean, stains easily and is an ideal surface for bacteria to flourish, counters were traditionally capped with metal. Butcher block — which, as a descriptor, refers to a specific material that is biodegradable and eco-friendly — was initially used in a commercial capacity but began to materialize in the early 20th century as countertops.

Butcher block is made from straight slats of wood that are glued together into thick slabs. The varieties include cherry, walnut, maple and oak. (The latter should be varnished or lacquered.) Construction types vary for butcher block countertops: There is edge grain (parallel boards that show their “edges”), end grain (small square pieces aligned vertically so that the “ends” are visible) and blended (with no specific pattern).

And there is a difference between a butcher block and a cutting board: A board in your kitchen that is used every day for slicing fruits and vegetables is generally called a cutting board. A more robust board — specifically, those that are constructed in the manner mentioned here — is a butcher block, which will be more appropriate for chopping meat as well as deboning.

The extensive collection of butcher blocks on 1stDibs includes French Provincial butcher blocks, rustic butcher blocks and more.