Draenert Adler

Light, sound and 180 million-year-old fossils are just some of the adventurous concepts furniture maker and designer Peter Draenert played with across his career. He creatively expanded the definition of a table beyond form and function, while including many different materials, ranging from marble and glass to granite, wood and travertine. 

In 1968, Draenert and his wife Karin started the Draenert Company in Friedrichshafen, Germany. During the 1970s, the company made tables from oil slate with help from the state and research teams in Holzmaden, Germany. Using other materials like steel and natural stone, Draenert emphasized the artistic qualities of his furniture while adding functional aspects like drawers and hidden compartments. 

Each of his dining tables included easy-to-use extensions, while his coffee tables featured a swivel plate or multiple levels for extra storage and display. In the 2000s, he experimented with light. Some of his tables doubled as alternative light sources, while others, like those made with German artist Walter Giers, used changing lights and patterns.

While best remembered for his tables, a range of furniture manufactured by his company has been collected by museums, including an armchair at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and a cabinet at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

On 1stDibs, find a collection of vintage Peter Draenert seating and tables.

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.