Drop-leaf and Pembroke Tables
Late 20th Century Spanish Drop-leaf and Pembroke Tables
Bronze
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Drop-leaf and Pembroke Tables
Onyx, Gold Plate, Brass
Early 20th Century Spanish Baroque Drop-leaf and Pembroke Tables
Walnut
19th Century English Country Antique Drop-leaf and Pembroke Tables
Oak
1970s Italian Vintage Drop-leaf and Pembroke Tables
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary English Regency Drop-leaf and Pembroke Tables
Paint, Wood, Gesso
19th Century English Other Antique Drop-leaf and Pembroke Tables
Bone, Mother-of-Pearl, Paint, Paper
Late 20th Century Spanish Spanish Colonial Drop-leaf and Pembroke Tables
Iron
Late 19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Drop-leaf and Pembroke Tables
Leather, Mahogany
18th Century British Georgian Antique Drop-leaf and Pembroke Tables
Mahogany
19th Century British Georgian Antique Drop-leaf and Pembroke Tables
Mahogany
Late 20th Century Spanish Spanish Colonial Drop-leaf and Pembroke Tables
Iron
Early 19th Century Swedish Gustavian Antique Drop-leaf and Pembroke Tables
Wood, Pine, Paint
Late 20th Century Spanish Spanish Colonial Drop-leaf and Pembroke Tables
Iron
Antique and Vintage Drop-leaf and Pembroke Tables
Antique and vintage drop-leaf and Pembroke tables are the perfect solution for those of us in the “space-conscious” category. These furnishings have long been a smart choice for homes, particularly if you’re working with an especially modest house or apartment.
A drop-leaf table is a table with a fixed center section, but on either side of that, there are hinged leaves that can be raised or lowered according to your specific needs.
Should you need to accommodate more guests for a dinner party, a drop-leaf table’s side pieces can be raised and locked into place on their hinges, which will extend the overall surface area of the table. If you’re thinking of serving buffet-style or need a place for dinner plates and other tableware, fold one half of the table down and tuck it against the wall, console-table-style, to make more space for the guests congregating in your dining room. When your dinner companions are ready to retire to the living room for a digestif, both drop leaves can be collapsed if you need a makeshift bar cart or if you prefer to stow away the table after dinner.
The Pembroke version of these tables was a lightweight iteration that is believed to have been named for the ninth Earl of Pembroke or his wife, the countess. It is said that the countess had a drop-leaf table commissioned for their home, specifically for the purposes of serving and eating breakfast. This Georgian-era furniture had an oval or rectangular tabletop, was usually outfitted with a drawer and was frequently made of mahogany. It was a popular furnishing that was made through the Victorian and Edwardian periods.
With its convenient transformative qualities, a drop-leaf table can be put to use in every room of your home. A Pembroke nightstand would render having breakfast from the comfort of your bed easier than ever, while a casual living-room drop-leaf end table can quickly be extended in order to make room for movie-night snacks or a family game. The appeal of these tables doesn’t end at 18th-century nobility or chess enthusiasts, however.
Furniture designers of mid-century modern drop-leaf tables explored various forms and worked with a range of materials in crafting these furnishings and even integrated elements such as wheels for extra convenience. On 1stDibs, find a wide variety of vintage and antique drop-leaf and Pembroke tables that includes sleek and understated iterations crafted by Hans J. Wegner and alluring versions in teak or rosewood designed by Kurt Østervig.