At 1stDibs, there are many versions of the ideal butler s table for your home. A butler s table — often made from
wood,
mahogany and
metal — can elevate any home. There are 344 variations of the antique or vintage butler s table you’re looking for, while we also have 6 modern editions of this piece to choose from as well. Your living room may not be complete without a butler s table — find older editions for sale from the 18th Century and newer versions made as recently as the 21st Century. A butler s table is a generally popular piece of furniture, but those created in
Georgian,
Mid-Century Modern and
Victorian styles are sought with frequency. You’ll likely find more than one butler s table that is appealing in its simplicity, but
Lewis Butler,
Knoll and
Svend Langkilde produced versions that are worth a look.
A butler s table can differ in price owing to various characteristics — the average selling price 1stDibs is $1,800, while the lowest priced sells for $249 and the highest can go for as much as $22,500.
The popularity of antique and vintage tray tables owes mostly to the 1950s, when the first TV dinners made their way into the freezers of American kitchens.
At a time when televisions were increasingly becoming fixtures in the living rooms of most homes in the United States, the tray table was impossibly convenient. With a deft merging of function and style, the table, positioned in front of your sofa or plush armchair, was a place to rest your Swanson-brand TV dinner, a compartmentalized supper issued on a disposable tray that required minimal preparation. The technological advances of the mid-century kitchen included programmable ovens, so TV dinners were quick and easy, particularly when home-cooked meals were out of the question.
When one had finished the last bite of this square meal, which was packed into sections that assumed various geometric shapes in their own partitioned aluminum tray, the tray table could be easily folded up and tucked away until needed again.
Eventually, designers took to exploring iterations of the widely loved tray table that would better suit household needs. Once a simple, foldable furnishing that was confined to use at mealtime, tray tables are now somewhat of a budget-friendly design staple for many households. Today, tray tables are as versatile as ever, and such a wide range has been manufactured over the years that you’re likely to find a good fit no matter what your furniture style preferences might be.
Tray tables are used as side tables, nightstands, a bar tray when your space won’t accommodate that handsome vintage bar cart you’ve been looking for and desks, particularly as many of us are working from home and especially when a modest-sized apartment won’t allow for larger tables.
Tray tables vary in style, shape and size. When looking for a tray table, you should measure accordingly and ensure that wherever it will land in your space there will be room around the table to allow for easy movement.
On 1stDibs, find a collection of antique and vintage tray tables that includes mid-century modern tray tables, Art Deco versions and more.