The Little French Farm Table that Could
Posted on Apr 24, 2009 by Buzz Kaplan
Today Decorati welcomes our newest blogger- expert antique consultant and author of The Buzz on Antiques blog, Buzz Kaplan. In his first post, Buzz discusses the appeal of the quintessential French farm table. Keep reading to learn more about the history, style, and useful tips to help you make a wise investment.
What is it with people and French provincial farm tables? They eat them up like termites. But why?
Well, antique farm tables personify the “rusticated” quality that many designers are looking for these days. And they are typically really beat up so the kids can spill, scratch, or even heave on them and it just adds more character to the finish. Look at the top of this one. It’s a mess but that’s what makes it so great:
They’re are also very versatile: I have one at home that I use as my desk. A client of mine has one that she uses as a workstation for her art projects. And another client uses hers as a breakfast table.
I should mention that “farm table’ connotes a variety of country tables that were used for multiple purposes in modest French country farmhouses. Farmers in the 18th and 19th c. didn’t have the resources to dedicate one table to eating, another to a dry martini, and another to just sit there and look pretty next to their sofa. Life was a bit simpler then.
Farm tables don’t all look the same because each was custom made and typically reflects the region in which it was created. Take this one for example:
The look is pretty modest right? Well, yes, but the history of this (and other) farm tables is actually really interesting: French provincial traveling carpenters (”joiners”) and their country clients loved the curves and modern (at the time) look of the Rococo. This farm table is an excellent example of this. It has curvy saber legs and a shaped apron but both have the naivete and chunkiness of a provincial piece. My legs are similarly chunky and naive. Small world.
Anyhow, this farm table is cherry wood, most likely from the property of the original owner who commissioned the piece. From its style, we can tell that it was created in the south of Brittany. Brittany is located on the Midwest coast of France and is its Celtic region, a wild and poetic province. You can pretty well tell that the table is from the southern part of Breton because of its simplicity. A northern Brittany farm table of this period would be much more refined and less “countrified”.
This table has a drawer at one end (always a sign of quality) to hold table cloths and eating utensils as well as other items.
Now look at this detail shot of the table:
Notice the wide planks and pegged construction. The pegs “stand proud” (that is, beyond the surface) as a result of being squeezed out by the expanding planks and years of polishing/cleaning the top. Also of interest (at least to me) are the unusually large wormholes and tracks. These large wormholes are unique to French country furniture. For some reason, French worms produced larger bores than their European cousins, the lore being that French country cherry tasted better.
The last topic we want to cover on farm tables are the condition of the legs. With this table, the dampness of the Brittany coast created dry rot, mold, and other wood problems that destroyed the bottom portion of the original legs.
This, along with the fact that the legs of all antique furniture suffer the worst from hundreds of years of kicking, dog chewing, insect proximity, and kids, explains why the lower portions of the legs are cut off and replaced. This is called “tipping” and detracts from the table’s value so always check the legs carefully if you’re thinking of buying a farm table.
Buzz Kaplan is a graduate of UCLA where he earned both Bachelor’s and Juris Doctorate degrees. Buzz began collecting antiques in the late 1970’s, while he was still practicing law and for the last 28 years has been a principal of Kaplan & Co., a consulting firm specializing in antique and other investment grade tangible asset collections. His clients have included dealers, major banks, foundations and other institutions seeking guidance in the acquisition and deaccession of 17th and 18th century European antiques as well as investment portfolios in gold, silver and platinum commodities.
![[Post to Twitter]](http://access.decorati.com/wp-content/plugins/tweet-this/icons/tt-twitter-big3.png){kind=icon}
![[Post to Digg]](http://access.decorati.com/wp-content/plugins/tweet-this/icons/tt-digg-big4.png){kind=icon}
Nice sensibility Steven!...
BRAVO DECORATI for finally providing some meaningful commentary on ANTIQUES along with all the other valuable design info I get from you. I’ve been collecting antiques (furniture and silver) for more than 5 years and actually own a farm table similar to the one on this Buzz on Antiques post.
Mine is more rectilinear but the background story on how it was made fascinated me. What shocked me was that I’ve owned my table for 3 years and have NEVER noticed that one of the legs have been cut off and replaced just like your guest blogger said! I never thought to look. Although it makes me a little sad that I hadn’t read this article before I went antique table shopping, I still love my farm table and now understand how it’s “peg-leg” came to be.
More posts like this please for those of us learning about antique collecting.
Jennifer
This is great! LOVED the story on antique farm tables . . . what an interesting history! My farm table is used as a desk, and guests always comment on how lovely, unique and functional it is. Thank you Decorati and Mr. Kaplan for the excellent exposure of my favorite (and utilized) antique in my home.
Anne
Ps. The authors blog, ‘The Buzz on Antiques’ is a wealth of knowledge on antiques- very resourceful.
Thank you Mr. Kaplan and Decorati for the rememberance of farm tables. I love this article. My parents have one in their home is Massachusetts, which was wonderful, having nine children running around all day, and jumping on furniture. It still looks great today, and adds character to the house! Everyone always compliments on the table when they come into their home, which, as a designer really encourages me to find these for my clients homes.
What a great article. Although I’ve always admired the farm table, I too had no knowledge of its history. In addition to learning quite a bit, I caught myself smiling at Mr. Kaplan’s charming sense of humor which was scattered throughout the piece. What a pleasure to learn AND be entertained.
I was just discussing with a friend that I wanted to find a table that could be scratched up- and yet, have this ADD to its character and history. This was a fine example of how daily occurrences can create beauty to your furniture pieces! Thanks for posting this!
nice article on antique collecting!
This is a great article! I work in a showroom and we have a lot of request for the farm table look. It’s great to see an article revealing the history behind them, and what a rich history it is. I am an interior design student and I will definitely be back to read more from this blogger to learn more and be entertained at the same time!
I want one!
This is a great article. Being a student Interior Designer and having a mother that loves to purchase antiques and shopping all around Berkeley, I really enjoyed learning about the sorts of things my mother looks at when she purchases an antique she might have found and brought home. GREAT!
This blog truly captures the craftsmanship of an era by showcasing a beautiful piece furniture. I love learning about 18th century French country…it’s my favorite!!
Very interesting and informative. Thank you for the useful info as I have started looking for a farm table for our new home. I’ll definitely be aware now of possible ‘tipped’ legs - I never knew about that before!
In facebook, visit “COTTART”
Ahh.. the good ‘ol days when furniture was actually made from quality materials! After taking furniture construction I can tell you that making a table like that is no easy task.. I love the way these antique pieces tell a story and provide us with a glimpse of the time period from which they originated. Great article!