vintage dining table - need help identifying period/era/style/woo
So glad to have found you guys here on this corner of the web!
This dining table was a cheap CL find, isn't in the best cosmetic shape (but is structurally sound), and I love the overall look of it. Not knowing a thing about antique furniture or historical design in general, I'm hoping for some help in figuring out the era/period/style/wood, etc. of this particular table.
There are two maker's mark tag thingamajigs, one showing it was made by THE CHATTANOOGA FURNITURE CO., the other too peeled off to make anything out (see pics, links below). The table base has got incredibly heavy legs with flat-curvy stretchers and separates into two L shapes. The tabletop has short metal dowels that sink down into simple holes in the two leg sections, and the heft of the tabletop's weight keeps it from moving much once settled properly onto the legs. I've included links to pics of all this stuff (with the assistance, you'll notice, of my zombie cat, Hopi).
It's not an example of especially intricate craftsmanship compared to some vintage pieces I've seen, so I'm not sure it was ever worth a lot of $, but I find its look lively and charming. It's way more interesting than any dining table we've ever had before!
Questions...
>> What period/era would this style of furniture fit into?
>> Any guesses on how old it is?
>> What's your best guess on the kind of wood it might be, based on the supplied impossibly fuzzy phone pics of the wood grain?
>> Since no chairs came with it, what kinds of (vintage? modern?) chairs would you suggest to make a cute dining set out of it?
>> Any thoughts on easy DIY refinishing, or shall I let her remain endearingly 'distressed'?
Thanks for all help, ideas, and wild guesses!
Here is a link that might be useful: same dining table photos (on imgur.com)
Comments (51)
calliope
11 years agoMyrnaCubeb
11 years agoRelated Discussions
Oak dining table... What era might it be from?
Comments (6)Research those casters. Those are old style with metal wheels. Admitdely, these could have been installed after the table was made, but these seem to be original pieces. The level of quality may be indicated by the wheel bearing. If the wheel has no bearing other than its own plain sleeve and some lub, it could be old or a newer wheel of low cost manufacture. If the wheel contains a low friction ball bearing, it would be a quality and higher cost item. Old casters with cast wheels had nothing special for bearings, just the rivet pin and some lubricant. Those wheels could have been made by casting or machined from solid rods. If machined, the metal could be brass, bronze, or steel. These wheels can be formed by forging, but that is expensive and overkill for this application. The trunion fork is not a sheet metal stamping. It appears to be a casting. I don't recall seeing casters made like these after 1940. By 1960, caster wheels were becoming molded plastic with larger diameters. Those old casters took a beating when the floor was cleaned, especially if the floor was wet mopped. Mop water invaded the plain bearing and later resulted in a 'squeaky' wheel having a lot of friction. Floor mopping and spills were primary sources of corrosion in the bearing....See MoreNeed help identifying antique dining set
Comments (14)The two 'master' chairs are indeed from a different set. (But I LOVE them. They are sooooo sturdy and comfortable - everyone wants to sit in them! and they have great character) I also think they're made of mahogany, not walnut like the other chairs. But the cane back chairs have carving on the legs that is identical to the feet of the sideboards. All upholstery has been replaced multiple times from looking at the underside of the chairs - I also suspect the caning is not original, but it is doubled and is very heavy grade caning. Sideboards have carved mouldings identical to the mouldings around the edge of the table. *shrugs* Even if the chairs are from a later time, they match well with it. Don't suppose anyone has any ideas on the actual age and origin of the larger pieces? I've looked all over the internet, and I've had one person from Europe suggest they're from the 1930's, 40's, or 50's and made in America, which I have to disagree with. American pieces made during the great depression era aren't large, they aren't heavy, and typically don't have the nice veneer work on them. People simply couldn't afford that sort of furniture at that time. I have several pieces from that era, they're pretty common in this part of the U.S. 1940's ushered in WWII; the ability to manufacture pretty furniture was eclipsed by building airplanes and war machines. 1950's pieces don't tend to have the thick cuts of wood for a carcass - the table top alone is just over an inch thick, same for the tops of the sideboards. They also didn't typically use mortise and tenon construction for things like mouldings around the edges of furniture. I have yet to see any American furniture from any of those decades that have wooden knobs. They usually have brass or brass plated pulls. European pieces tend to have brass hinges; the sideboards I have do have brass hinges, whereas American furniture has iron or steel. I guess I'm just going through process of elimination now. LOL The style is so eclectic, yet not as awkward and top-heavy as Victorian pieces, that I'm led to believe it might be late (very late) Edwardian - which would put it being made in the mid to late 1900's, possibly even early 20's. One other clue to its possible age: It has a servants bell underneath at the area that would be occupied by someone sitting immediately to the left of the head of the table. It was an electric buzzer type thing, with a shred of the original sheathing left around what remains of the cord and it is a woven fabric. Actual copper of the cord looks dangerously thin - as in not up to modern electric standards. The buzzer appeared to be made of Bakelite, but also appears to be added later as I removed it and the wood beneath is lighter, but not by much. It is held on with flat head screws. It came with three leaves, and it will expand just enough for the three of them. The wood has shrunk so they don't fit tightly against one another, you can see right through to the floor in some places, but the moulding still meets at the edges. It has dowels/pegs on the underside of the frame to 'stop' the table at the correct length. I haven't measured it with all three of the leaves yet, but I do know I'll have to have a table cloth that's 70x120, if not larger. Also! The leaves do not have a metal tab system to lock them into place! Or the dowel and tabs like you see on modern pieces! It has carved wooden, half circle 'tongues' which are about a quarter inch thick. They insert into companion slots carved into the next leaf. They must be inserted in order or they don't fit together at all. Each leaf is marked for order of insertion with a scratched roman numeral: I, II, and III. I believe the veneer to be of walnut, as does the antiques dealer/appraiser friend of ours that looked it over this last weekend. He has been in the business for 30 years, and he's never seen anything like them himself. All he could do is confirm they're quality pieces and were a good investment. :-) I have not inspected the underside of the stretcher as it is just too heavy to flip onto its side....See MoreRetro/Vintage 1950s/1960s style kitchens?
Comments (49)Oh ! MY then you would love to have my kitchen , I started retroing it the minute the landlord told me to go for it ,and then when she told me the age of the house , I loved it even more , it's a 1920's Sears Craftsman home ,I love the the huge cabnets not, alot of space but I like it , it's still has the sink comeing out of the wall and of course the same windows with the weight in side, so far I stubled on a 1945 Gafflers and Staller stove , pressure wash it and got all the grills and stuff cleaned and the only thing I haven't gotten to yet is finding a clock for it , i've been all over the antique store's lucky me I live in Orange County and the orange circle is just brimming with retro items, on the mirowave I simply bought a red one from Target like 60 bucks and a red coffee pot, if you have any good wills in your area hit them up , cause alot of estate things go there , I've painted my kitchen red and yellow , took the rather large drawers and took some paint remover , and some elbow grease and a paint gun which just melts the paint off , painted them red and found some little rooster decals that I put on , went to the 99 store and food some checkered red and white contact paper and put them in the drawer some plactic deviders to . Because I'm into both the retro, feista and the older pyrex , you know the different colored one with the little lids, i found scores of them in the goodwill nd also the different color pyrex bowl set , for a grand total of five bucks ,it's got a door to that leads to the laundry room , so i took out the old glass and put some screen wear the glass was and painted the door red and then found some red and white checked curtains and it looks super , even still has those old looks with the knob to open the door , I'm still trying to find the perfect frigerator , I saw one on one ad and fell in love it's a kelvanator foodarama (SP). Know i have the Idea to pull up the linolim (SP) and see what he wood looks like, maybe sand it and do the red and white checker board my self or be lazy and find the red and white checker board myself , as for the kitchen counters I hate them the tile , but i want to go for the old soda pop look , red linolem , so far. as for the arctiure of the the house it's soild and and i love the wood detailing so i'm just going to get out my magic eraser and clean , the walls do need paint has a few cracks bit i figure to paint the walls a camel color so the cracks will give off a shadow , if you go to the 99 cent store you with find alot of red if that's your color and the good will you would be amazed , I found and old ceder wood cabnits that hold plates and glasses and I store my pyrex and feista wear in there , also at the good will I found not one but 9 chrome toaster with the cloth cord for 99 cents apiece still in the box to took them home shined up a little ,put them up on ebay for 50;00 a piece and all sold except the one I kept and still use , I don't know if alot of folks go to the good will but you can find lots of stuff , I'm fixin to paint my 1945 stove red , like i said i live in what i call antique town , I just got the universal knobs to the stove , because it has the stove on one side and the broiler on the other and has the griddle in the middle , I guess the floors are pretty stonge cause that thing took 4 good sized men to get in my kitchen oh and of course , i found some old cambells soup and vegatable ad that came out of the time life magazines painted some black frames and put them on the wall above the stove , I will have to take a picture although not all toghether yet I still love my kithen even if it is in the works. Take care...See MoreNeed help identifying this table lamp
Comments (6)This was as close as I could find on ebay; presumably you've searched there? Perhaps this dealer could help you i.d. it. Antique-Onyx-Marble-Cloisonne-Table-Lamp This one popped up on pinterest, was listed on ebay for 149, but says it's out of stock. No way to know if it actually sold for that. Yours looks much finer than either of these examples. This dealer has many vintage lamps for sale. You might also contact them: https://www.ebay.com/usr/sunzza...See Morelindac
11 years agocalliope
11 years agolindac
11 years agocalliope
11 years agoDavid_Riverside
11 years agochibimimi
11 years ago
lazy_gardens
11 years agoDavid_Riverside
11 years ago
Beth Parah
8 years agoI have a depression era dining table with 6 chairs and sideboard very similar to this one. I did a lot of research on it, and it is 1930's time period. mine was nearly destroyed by my ex, when he left it outdoors in the rain for an entire winter. it did have walnut veneer on it, but was warped and peeling by time I found it sitting outside. I stripped the veneer off the tiop out of necessity in order to restore the table. It did turn out gorgeous after I was able to re-glue the base and repair the broken pieces of the table. My suggestion to you would be make sure that you also use wood conditioner on the table. It will help keep it in better condition for longer. here are some photos before and after on my table. If you ever decide to restore it , just remember to take your time and it will turn out nice.
kdavies1957
6 years agoI have two dining room suites like these. One I bought in Chickamauga at an antique store. Someone (without painting skills) painted it green and white. The table looks like the one with cat on it. It didn't have chairs and the table shimmeys. I really love it. I found another one on Craigslist. They both were $300. I was telling my neighbor about my "new" dining room suite. The china hutch sets on the buffet. The buffet seemed kind of short. She said it sounded like her grandmothers. Her grandmother had cut the legs off both the china cabinet and hutch. Sure enough the legs have been cut. My original one seems to have about four different kinds of veneer. I've been stripping it. Now I don't know which to keep or which to get rid of. I love them both. The "new" one has the matching chairs and it's all in good shape except for the fact the legs have been cut from the china cabinet and hutch.
This is a picture of my 1st one that I am stripping with all its different veneers. The drawer seems to have an oak veneer on it. The top was the ugliest green you have ever seen.
Beth Parah
6 years agokdavies1957
6 years agochibimimi
6 years agopatty Vinson
6 years agopatty Vinson
6 years agokdavies1957
6 years ago
Carrie Lentz
4 years agoHello Everyone,
I bought this table and cannot find any information on where it is from & what era. I bought it as a project to resale. Help... Does anyone recognize this look ?
Sharon Wood
2 years agoHello
Could anyone please help me to date this dining set? I’m wondering if it’s old or reproduction, what sort of wood is it, are the chairs the sort that would have been made to go with this table or possibly purchased at a different time seperate to the table and what the style of this design of table and chairs are called?
Thank you for any help 😊
maifleur03
2 years agolindac92
2 years agoSharon Wood
2 years agoWendy E
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoi have a similar question on a table? bought from a family who kept it in the barn for family shindigs outside. They said they bought it in an antique store. paid $40 and it was covered in white mold but I cleaned it with a wood cleaner and a little vinegar and then a 000 steel wool and wax. I think it’s lovely and very very solid but there are no identifying marks or labels other than what appear to be 3 lines on the inside of the leave edge. Anyone ?
lindac92
2 years agolindac92
2 years agoWendy E
2 years agoYes similar but I wonder if originally this had a center leg? Here’s some more pics
Wendy E
2 years agoWendy E
2 years agolindac92
2 years agoWendy E
2 years agolindac92
2 years agoWendy E
2 years agolindac92
2 years ago
Amy Schwab
2 years agoHello,
I’m hoping anyone might be able to help me date this dining table. I apologize if the pictures are a bit dark, the lighting is not great in our current house. The table was my grandmother’s.
When she got it, it didn’t have the original leaves and so she had someone make some, but they do not match. (She always kept a cloth on it.)
My mother loves the table. Except for the nostalgia of it being my grandmother’s I am indifferent about it. We are moving to a new home and, if I am to continue using it, I want to fix the damage and find someone to make matching leaves.
Any info is much appreciated!
lindac92
2 years agoAmy Schwab
2 years ago
Larry 902
2 years agoWould anyone know what Style/Era this dining table is from? We were gifted it and very curious to know its history. I appreciate any information. Thanks so much.
kdavies1957
2 years agolindac92
2 years agoHU-666846536
last yearHello, I just found this post while looking to identify a table I just bought. It’s very similar to these tables but has been painted and has veneer on the top. Would you say this is the same style/maker?
lindac