Antique Danish Dining Tables

In order to understand early 1800's Danish antique furniture tables its good to understand a bit about Scandinavian preferences. Up until the late 1500's Scandinavian homes featured many built in pieces of furniture. The idea of a large number of movable items was foreign to them at this point. Even wall and mantle clocks were often built into the walls. The overwhelming theme was functionality over beauty.

This ideal was passed down for generations and when they did begin to make more moveable furniture there was still a lot of emphasis on function. Take for example the tea or candle tables of the era. These tables commonly had a tilt top so they could easily be stored away when not in use and some of the tea table tops would actually spin to make serving much easier.

Even full size Danish antique furniture tables sport a functional design. During the 17^th century, the gate leg refectory table was a popular Danish dining table. These tables were long and somewhat thin and had a center with leaves that could be folded up or down.

Danish antique furniture was not always painted but when it was, they tended to stick to light airy colors. Scandinavian winters can be dark and gloomy so the lightly painted furniture was likely an attempt to alleviate the dullness. This was most probable for homes in the extreme northern city of Norway, which experiences polar night, very little if any sunlight, for up to 1500 hours each year.

A Danish antique dining table is a lovely addition to any home. The simplicity of the design and absolute functionality of the pieces are a nice departure from some modern furniture you will find available today. The internet is full of places where you can find images and links to this lovely furniture.