Since the fables of Camelot’s Knights of the Round Table it is well understood since civilisations began that round tables were made both as meeting tables and for dining. This perfect circular form offers a great deal of sociability with everyone visible for conversation but also maximise seating in a tight space or particularly a square formed room.

In terms of the round antique dining tables available today we can probably look as far back as the 17^th Century for the oak drop leaf formed tables which mostly from the early period with be of a size to seat six people but there are the odd larger oak wake sized tables formed in the round or oval too. With simple gated legs underneath the design allowed for placing the table to the side of the room, through doorways, etc, so offer some versatility and today the larger tables of this type make for a good farmhouse looking table, perhaps in an open plan kitchen.

Towards the latter end of the 18^th Century, George III period, the more formal mahogany round breakfast tables were fashionably made for the drawing room and these typically would be 4ft to 5ft diameter, often tilting and standing on turned columns supported by sabre legs. Through into the Regency period, and the introduction of exotic timbers for veneering, rosewood and coromadel were used and the tables became a little more chunk with apron framework below and veneered facet shaped columns meeting platform bases with scroll, claw or turned feet. At the higher end of commission cost for the wealthier households brass inlays were also used to band and embellish the tables. Quite literally the breakfast table sat in the showcase drawing room where the households finest furniture was on display.

During the William the IV period and into the Victorian the rococo influenced added more curvature the bases which now typically would have a solid relief carved and turned column supported by cabriole formed legs. Once Victoria’s love of the decorative walnuts became fashionable most tables post 1850 were quarter veneered in burr walnut and the higher end models inlaid with foliate boxwood decoration. These were often now in the oval (known as ‘Loo’ tables due to the card game fashionable at the time) but there are round burr walnut tables at around 4ft diameter.

By the late Victorian period the re-introduction of English oak as the fashionable construction timber (forced by the loss of the mahogany Colonies from the Empire) all number of former influences culminated in the Arts & Crafts movement. There were now Jacobean carved centre piece tables, round extending tables and more angular hexagon and octagon shapes utilised. These tended not to be very large diameters but seating for 6 or 8 people. At the same time a revival in the Sheraton and some Regency influences had some quite large diameter tables made that we often consider were more so for hotel settings than the family homes as long rectangular tables were still the fashion in the dining room for the most part.
Through the Edwardian and into the early 1900s we see some bespoke commissions of some quite large circular tables, often within educational institutions, libraries, etc.. but also using revival of all historical designs there are quite large diameter round antique tables available at 6ft, 7ft and even 8ft sizes.

Here at Elisabeth James we typically have stock of over 50 round tables from all periods and in all sizes to select from.