Vintage American Dining Room furniture is one of the most enduring of all traditional pieces of American made furnishings. Even today most people want their dining rooms to have a traditional look. Dining room furnishings don’t change much.
Maybe it is because people have fond memories of meals in their own parent’s dining rooms or maybe they are trying to emulate the aristocracy or the wealthy estate look.
Expandable Mahogany Double Pedestal Table
This mahogany double pedestal table is the most sought after type of table in the US.
Some of the more ornate double pedestals have one or more rows of satinwood banding on the edges. The rest of the table may be made of solid mahogany or it may have figured or flame or crotch mahogany veneered onto the top. The legs on the pedestals may be plain, or cabriole ( curved) or claw foot (the claw of an animal or bird clutching a ball). Furniture companies that made gorgeous double pedestal tables were Baker, Kittinger, Henkel Harris, Statton and Stickley. Henredon still manufactures lovely dining room pieces today.
Queene Anne table
Another type of table is the Queene Anne table which could be made of cherry or mahogany. It has four pretty legs on each corner but you can only squeeze in as many chairs as will fit between the legs. The double pedestal allow for more chairs because the legs don’t get in the way. Henkel Harris made a beautiful Queen Anne table our to cherry or mahogany. Pennsylvania House also made high quality solid cherry Queene Anne tables from cherry wood from Pennsylvania.
Colonial Williamsburg licensed a form of dining room tables that were manufactured by Kittinger furniture company. These were museum reproductions and are still very valuable and sought after today.
Traditional dining room furniture also can include the Breakfront, a hutch, a sideboard, huntboard or server.
Chippendale Chairs and Dinning Room Tables
Dining chairs that are most appreciated in the formal dining room are Chippendale Chairs,
Shield Back chairs and Queene Anne chairs. The legs on these chairs can be straight, ball and claw or cabriole. Straight leg chairs are a little smaller and you can fit more chairs around the table. The chairs with stretcher bases are sturdier than those without. When buying vintage chairs check that they are sturdy. Often the glue dries and the chairs may need to be refurbished a bit. Move the chairs back and forth to be sure they’re sturdy. Vintage or antique hairs which have upholstered seats usually need the fabric updated. If you can unscrew the seat you can reupholster them yourself with just a staple gun. Chairs with upholstery that goes over the seat and down the sides will usually need to be redone by a professional which adds to the cost.
all vintage and antique chairs can be renewed with a wipe down with Howard’s Wood restorer which you can buy at any store that sells stain.
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