The French draper’s table was a main feature piece of furniture in cloth merchant’s shops, particularly in the 18th and 19th centuries. These lovely tables were usually made in French oak, occasionally later on in pine, and were always of a substantial length which was perfect for unrolling cloth and cutting long pieces of fabric, be it dressmaking or upholstery fabric too. Often polished, these draper’s tables may have had a single drawer or a pair of drawers for storing that ever important measuring tape and sharp shears or scissors. Some had plain legs whilst others were made with barley twist legs. Always with a lower shelf for storing rolls or folds of cloth on, these draper’s tables invariably come in lengths of 250 centimetres or can easily be up to 3 metres long.

Invariably when hunting for antique draper’s tables to buy, although we do still find polished ones, quite often they are sanded back to their original pale oak patina which suits both the modern-day interior as well as working very well in older properties. They can create a stunning statement piece in an entrance hall, a beautiful display and storage item in a dining room or dining room area, and of course look great in a kitchen, whether a modern and sleek kitchen that lends itself to an antique piece of furniture juxtaposing the modern look, or in a country kitchen. Within a kitchen, again, a draper’s table can work well as a display or serving table for crockery, glassware and decorative items, or if deep enough can look amazing as a kitchen central island area.

We are constantly on the look out for lovely draper’s tables from France and current stock can be found on https://www.louisehalldecorative.com/furniture

Draper’s Tables – the history