Cassina Ds

At the turn of the 20th century, the Scottish architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh created a singular, wholly original design style that was both lyrical and sleekly modern. Within his architectural schemes for schools, private homes and restaurants, Mackintosh — frequently working in collaboration with his wife, the artist Margaret Macdonald — invented an aesthetic that blends the organic flow of the Art Nouveau style and the honest simplicity of the English Arts & Crafts movement.

Mackintosh was born into a working-class Glasgow family, the fourth of the 11 children of a police clerk and his wife. At age 15, Mackintosh began to take night classes at the Glasgow School of Art — where he would study until 1894 — and the following year started an apprenticeship with local architect John Hutchison.

At the GSA, Mackintosh befriended Macdonald, her sister, Frances, and fellow architecture student Herbert McNair. Together they formed a graphic design team known as the Four, and were admired for their illustrations featuring sinuous botanical forms and sylph-like women. Around the same time, Mackintosh was hired by the architectural firm Honeyman and Keppie. where he drafted the company’s winning design for a new GSA building. The structure, with its brooding, asymmetrical facade punctuated by soaring studio windows, would be his architectural masterwork. By 1900, Mackintosh was designing houses and began the interiors for a group of Glasgow tea parlors in which he and Macdonald would produce some of the most alluring, lushly graphic decors of the era. Mackintosh’s work became widely influential on the continent, particularly among Josef Hoffmann, Koloman Moser and other members of the Vienna Secession movement.

His work on private homes and tearooms generated the furniture designs for which Mackintosh is best known today. These include the Hill House chair, with its latticed back; the Argyle Street Tea Room chair, which features an oval head rail with a cutout that resembles a bird in flight; and several others — all instantly recognizable for their stunning tall backs.

Mackintosh’s furniture works well in both traditional and modern interiors, though by virtue of both its familiarity and striking lines it tends to stand out. Because he was much more esteemed in Europe than in Britain, relatively few antique Mackintosh works survive, and those that have are museum pieces. Recently produced examples of his designs are widely available — notably, the Italian firm Cassina has been making fine Mackintosh pieces since the early 1970s. As you will see on 1stDibs, the furniture of Charles Rennie Mackintosh is ever intriguing and engaging. His work is a historical touchstone that would be welcome in the home of any modern design aficionado.

No matter your furniture style of choice, a shared meal is one of life’s true rewards. Why not treat your family and friends to a luxurious dining experience? Browse our top picks to find the perfect antique, new or vintage dining room table for this important occasion.

Modern furniture design borrows significantly from the trends of yore, and this is especially apparent in dining tables. Ancient Egyptians made practical use of the earliest four-legged tables of wood and rock — their models bear striking similarity to the dining tables of today — while common large medieval dining room tables in England were made of oak or elm. Romans and Greeks, renowned for big banquets that involved entertainment as well as good food, used early dining room tables made of marble or wood and metals such as bronze for meals. 

On 1stDibs, find a range of dining room tables that offers no shortage of options to accommodate modest interiors, midsize family homes and even lavish banquets (entertainment not included).

Beginning in the mid-19th century, more American homes featured dining rooms, where families could gather specifically for a meal together. In the States, upper-class families were the first to enjoy dining room tables, which were the centerpiece of the dining room. 

Dining room tables of the Victorian era were created in a range of revivalist styles inspired by neoclassical, Renaissance, Gothic and other traditions. Furnishings of the period were made of various woods, including oak, rosewood and mahogany, and referenced a variety of decorative arts and architectural motifs. Some dining room tables finished in the Rococo style feature gorgeous inlaid marble tabletops or other ornamental flourishes handcrafted by Parisian furniture makers of the 18th century.

In many modern spaces, there often isn’t a dining room separate from the kitchen — instead, they frequently share real estate in a single area. Mid-century modern dining room tables, specifically those created by designers such as Osvaldo Borsani, Edward Wormley and Alvar Aalto, are typically clean and uncomplicated designs for a dining area that’s adjacent to where the cooking is done. Furniture of this era hasn’t lost its allure for those who opt for a casual and contemporary aesthetic.

If you’re of the modern mindset that making and sharing meals should be one in the same — and perhaps large antique dining tables don’t mesh well with your style — consider a popular alternative. Working with a tighter space may mean that a round or oval dining room table, a design that references the festive meals of the medieval era, may be a better fit. Round dining room tables, particularly those that originated in the Art Deco period, still endure as a popular contemporary substitute for traditional rectangular dining tables. Giovanni Offredi’s Paracarro table for Saporiti Italia is a striking round table option that showcases the magnificent Italian industrial design of the 1970s.

Find a collection of antique, new and vintage dining tables on 1stDibs.