Types of Tables

The function of tables is simply to hold things up off the floor, but this basic function has been the root for the creation of a dizzying variety of table forms. Tables exist in virtually any size and shape imaginable, and serve purposes ranging from meals for 100 people down to holding up your reading glasses next to your bed.

Dining Tables

Dining tables tend to be fairly large and often have a set of four, six or eight matching chairs. They are used by families and groups of people for eating meals. Dining tables are usually located in a formal dining room, but can sometimes be found in kitchens as well.

End Tables

End tables are usually somewhere between 18 and 24 inches square, and are used next to couches and chairs to support books and reading lamps, or next to beds in bedroom sets. End tables often have drawers built into them to hold small items. End tables are sometimes built with the same wood and style as a couch or bed to create a matching set.

Coffee Tables

Coffee tables are usually about 18 inches in height and sit in the middle of a living room in front of the couch. They are, as the name implies, designed to hold coffee while people are socializing or sitting in the living room. Coffee tables can range from informal affairs to ornate and beautiful works of art.

Massage Tables

Massage tables are a specialized form of table that support a client who is receiving a massage from a massage therapist. The two unusual features of a massage table are that it is padded, and that it has a hole in the center of one end for the client's face to rest in while he is laying on his stomach. This is so he can lay face down without turning his head, keeping his spine straight for the massage. Some massage tables are collapsible so they can be easily moved from place to place allowing a massage therapist to make house calls.

Games Tables

Games tables exist in a number of forms but frequently resemble folding card tables. Many games tables from the nineteenth century are beautiful examples of custom woodworking. They feature inlaid marquetry in the form of backgammon and chess boards. Games tables usually have a removable top that can be placed with either side facing up, each side featuring a different game. They sometimes also have a felt cover that can be placed over the top for playing card games.