Dos Gallos Reclaimed Wood Console

Based in Los Angeles, Dos Gallos Studio is a labor of love, brought about by Gail and Charles Boswell. Using materials like walnut, mahogany, bronze, railroad spikes, rattan and driftwood, the studio finely crafts a wide array of timeless tables, armoires, chairs and bedroom sets. Additionally, their Dos Gallos gallery holds a collection of one-of-a-kind, antique, vintage and folk art and design pieces from around the world, with a special emphasis on Guatalman works.

Back in the early 1990s, while on an afternoon stroll with Charles, Gail saw an antique table from Guatemala in a shop window. Altman, who ran her own antiques store at the time, had an immediate appreciation for the piece’s craftsmanship and became obsessed with Guatemalan art and furniture.

The duo flew to the Central American country, rented a pickup truck and began to search for authentic objects. Charles relates, "We would go to small villages in the countryside and ask them if they have anything they want to sell." Over the course of their journey, they amassed a trove of rare pottery, rustic wooden furniture, metal chocolate pots and other uncommon goods.

The Boswells shipped the treasures home, and opened Dos Gallos in 1993. The gallery flourished, as notable interior designers and architects like Martyn Lawrence-Bullard and Marc Appleton often purchased rare artwork and furniture to adorn the spaces they designed. As Dos Gallos’ popularity grew, the partners introduced Japanese antiques into the collection.

Clients began to request custom-built furniture to accompany the well-aged works they picked up at the gallery. So, the Boswells started producing chairs, benches and many other types of furniture and collectibles in modern or rustic silhouettes, often inspired by their favorite Latin American and European pieces. Their warehouse is also their office, and a showroom displays the eclectic array of unusual objects they've collected alongside their own creations.

On 1stDibs, find seating, storage pieces and tables by Dos Gallos Studio.

Few pieces of furniture are celebrated for their functionality as much as their decorative attributes in the way that console tables are. While these furnishings are not as common in today’s interiors as their coffee-table and side-table counterparts, console tables are stylish home accents and have become more prevalent over the years.

The popularity of wood console tables took shape during the 17th and 18th centuries in French and Italian culture, and were exclusively featured in the palatial homes of the upper class. The era’s outwardly sculptural examples of these small structures were paired with mirrors or matching stools and had tabletops of marble. They were most often half-moon-shaped and stood on two scrolled giltwood legs, and because they weren’t wholly supported on their two legs rather than the traditional four, their flat-backed supports were intended to hug the wall behind them and were commonly joined by an ornate stretcher. The legs were affixed or bolted to the wall with architectural brackets called console brackets — hence, the name we know them by today — which gave the impression that they were freestanding furnishings. While console tables introduced a dose of drama in the foyer of any given aristocrat — an embodiment of Rococo-style furniture — the table actually occupied minimal floor space (an attractive feature in home furniture). As demand grew and console tables made their way to other countries, they gained recognition as versatile additions to any home.

Contemporary console tables comprise many different materials and are characterized today by varying shapes and design styles. It is typical to find them made of marble, walnut or oak and metal. While modern console tables commonly feature four legs, you can still find the two-legged variety, which is ideal for nestling behind the sofa. A narrow console table is a practical option if you need to save space — having outgrown their origins as purely ornamental, today’s console tables are home to treasured decorative objects, help fill empty foyers and, outfitted with drawers or a shelf, can provide a modest amount of storage as needed.

The rich collection of antique, new and vintage console tables on 1stDibs includes everything from 19th-century gems designed in the Empire style to unique rattan pieces and more.