History of Dining Tables
Tables for dining purposes stem all the way back to the early Greeks and Romans, notable for their love of banqueting and feasts, it is not surprising that these two world empires started us on the creative process of explorative furniture design.
Tables in early times were designed and made mostly of marble, wood and metal, usually with four feet that were linked together with x-shaped stretchers. The shape of the tables initially started off being rectangular and very large, this allowed the head of the household to occupy the end of the table enabling him the privileged position of viewing all guests at his table. In these times families were larger, immediate and extended family almost always lived together, hence the table was the centrepiece of a dining hall and meal times as much about socialising as dining.
Time passed a little and the Romans finally introduced the circular table to Italy, an invention that down to this day has been a very popular alternative to rectangular tables. A circular and round tables allows each seated member of the party to have equal views of other diners, without the need for an obligatory host or head of the table.
When looking at the designs of dining tables in our own age, we have come a long way from the Greek and Roman days, we are now bombarded with an exciting array of varied styles, sizes and materials to adorn our dining rooms and suit all individual tastes, needs and requirements.
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