Emerging in reaction to industrialization and mass production, the Arts and Crafts movement celebrated handcrafted design as a part of daily life. The history of Arts and Crafts furniture has roots in 1860s England with an emphasis on natural motifs and simple flourishes like mosaics and carvings. This work is characterized by plain construction that showcases the hand of the artisan.
The earliest American Arts and Crafts furniture dates back to the start of the 20th century. Designers working in this style in the United States initially looked to ideas put forth by The Craftsman, a magazine published by Wisconsin native Gustav Stickley, a furniture maker and founder of the Craftsman style. Stickley’s furniture was practical and largely free of ornament. His Craftsman style drew on French Art Nouveau as well as the work he encountered on his travels in England. There, the leading designers of the Arts and Crafts movement included William Morris, who revived historical techniques such as embroidery and printed fabrics in his furnishings, and Charles Voysey, whose minimal approach was in contrast to the ornamentation favored in the Victorian era.
American Arts and Crafts work would come to involve a range of influences unified by an elevation of traditional craftsmanship. The furniture was often built from sturdy woods like oak and mahogany while featuring details such as inlaid metal, tooled leather and ceramic tiles. The style in the United States was led by Stickley, whose clean-lined chairs and benches showcased the grain of the wood, and furniture maker Charles Rohlfs, who was informed by international influences like East Asian and French Art Nouveau design.
Hubs in America included several utopian communities such as Rose Valley in Pennsylvania and the Byrdcliffe Arts and Crafts Colony in New York, where craftspeople made furniture that prioritized function over any decoration. Their work would influence designers and architects including Frank Lloyd Wright, who built some of the most elegant and iconic structures in the United States and likewise embraced a thoughtful use of materials in his furniture.
Find antique Arts and Crafts chairs, tables, cabinets and other authentic period furniture on 1stDibs.
An Arts and Crafts Cotswold style oak gate leg drop leaf tea or side table
Located in London, GB
An Arts and Crafts Cotswold style oak gate leg drop leaf tea or side table with pierced heart shaped decoration to each end, and chamfered details throughout, stood on a sledge style...
Oak
Drexel Heritage Carved And Finished Arts and Crafts Style Side Table
By Drexel
Located in Bridgeport, CT
Raised on four square legs with a shaped stretcher acting as lower tier with openwork gallery. One long drawer over two short drawers with brass knobs. Table top with two hinged end...
Brass
Heals, Attributed, An English Arts & Crafts Oak Drop Leaf Hexagonal Dining Table
By Heal's
Located in London, GB
Heals. Attributed. An English Arts and Crafts Cotswold style oak drop leaf dining table with a hexagonal top when fully open and a good arrangement of the eight octagonal shaped leg...
Oak
Arts & Crafts Oak Drop Leaf Pembroke Dining Table with Wild Grain to the Top
Located in London, GB
A good quality English Arts & Crafts oak drop leaf dining or Pembroke table with wild-figured grain to the top and square tapering legs. Very sturdy. When closed it will store away ...
Oak
Liberty and Co (attributed). A good quality Arts & Crafts oak drop-leaf table
Located in London, GB
Liberty and Co attributed. A good quality Arts & Crafts oak drop-leaf table with A frame design and lower stretchers to the shaped feet.
Oak
A Good Quality Arts & Crafts Oak Drop Leaf Side Table by Liberty and Co.
Located in London, GB
Liberty and Co. A quality Arts & Crafts oak drop-leaf table with subtle curves to the flaps and a lower shelf. With original Liberty Ivorene label. Measures: Height 24 1/2&q...
Oak
Solid Tiger Oak Oval Drop Leaf Gate Leg Dining Table Clean!
Located in Rockaway, NJ
Solid Tiger Oak Oval Drop Leaf Gate Leg Dining Table Clean!
Oak
Arts and Crafts Cotswold School Drop Leaf Dining Table With Lattice Work Ends
Located in London, GB
An Arts and Crafts Cotswold School drop leaf dining table with lattice work ends and exposed tenons to the top, the legs united by twin floor stretchers. Made from London Plane...
Wood
Large Oak Gate Leg or Wake Table This is a very rare and magnificent table
Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight
Large Oak Gate Leg or Wake Table This is a very rare and magnificent table, the table is hand made from solid Oak, the table has double gate leg at both sides to support the long d...
Oak
Gateleg Table – Jacobean Style – Thos Turner Manchester – Solid Oak
Located in NAVILLY, FR
Gateleg drop leaf table in solid oak, stamped Thos Turner, Manchester, English manufacturer active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The oval top is made up of wide planks ...
Oak
$3,150
H 27.5 in W 28 in D 11 in
Antique English Drop Leaf Side Table Horse Equestrian Chinoiserie Petite Oak
Located in Choudrant, LA
Antique English Drop Leaf Side Table Horse Equestrian Chinoiserie Petite Oak. Direct from England, a beautiful hand-decorated English chinoiserie petite drop leaf table featuring ho...
Oak
19th Century Country English Oak Drop Leaf Farmhouse Table
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Rustic 19th century country English drop-leaf farmhouse table or console crafted from oak. The table features a rare rectangular shape with drop leaves on each side supported by turn...
Oak
Antique Italian Walnut Drop Leaf Dining Table, Trestle Base, 1900
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
An antique Italian small oval dining table with hand waxed finish. This Tuscan table is made of hand crafted Walnut and supported by a substant...
Walnut
Drop leaf gateleg Burl Walnut side table by Theodore Alexander
Located in Miami, FL
Drop leaf gateleg Burl Walnut side table by Theodore Alexander
Wood
Swedish Drop Leaf Gate Leg Table
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Classic Swedish style gate leg table with one drop leaf. The top can be separated from the base by pulling out a peg on each end. Table is 28.5" tall, 40" long and 36" wide when open...
Pine
Midcentury Drop-Leaf Dining Table with Rattan Base
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Danish style Mid-Century Modern drop-leaf dining table featuring an unusual gate leg base that has been covered with split rattan, giving the table an or...
Brass
19th Century Drop Leaf Gate Leg Dining Table
Located in Bridgeport, CT
A 19th century heavy, solid drop-leaf gateleg table featuring a mechanism where the leaves are supported by hinged legs that swing out. The table with a bull-nose edge, scalloped fri...
Mahogany
$2,400
H 28.75 in W 27.75 in D 27.75 in
Antique Faux Bamboo And Birdseye Maple Triangular Drop Leaf Gate Leg Table
Located in Bridgeport, CT
Antique Faux bamboo and burled maple triangular drop leaf gate leg table. The burl table surface trimmed with bamboo and the top surmounted on X form stretcher supports with verti...
Faux Bamboo, Birdseye Maple
Antique Queen Anne Style Oak Drop Leaf Table
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Antique Queen Anne style oak drop leaf table, 19th century. With a single board top and two D shaped drop leaves, resting on turned tapered legs that end in pad feet. Dimensions of t...
Oak
Jacobean Style Rosewood Gate Leg Drop Leaf Table, 19th Century
Located in Astoria, NY
Jacobean Style Rosewood Gate Leg Drop Leaf Table, 19th century, the oval top above turned wood legs and single drawer. Closed: 27" H x 33" W x 14" D. Provenance: From a Connecticut...
Rosewood
19th-C. English Barley Twist Petite Gate Leg Drop Leaf Oak Side Table
Located in Kennesaw, GA
This is a 19th century English oak barley twist drop leaf side table. Each leaf adds 10.5 inches. It has a unique size that I really like. There is general wear. When you look at one...
Oak
$1,525
H 29.75 in W 57.5 in D 42 in
Vintage Federal Style Triple Pedestal Drop-Leaf Dining Table, circa 1940s
Located in Germantown, MD
Very practical Vintage Federal Style Triple Pedestal Drop-Leaf Dining Table. Triple pedestal terminating with antique brass lion paw feet. Original...
Brass
Antique Signed Gustav Stickley Small Drop Leaf Table (Model 67) - W8380
Located in Shamokin Dam, PA
Antique Signed Gustav Stickley Small Drop Leaf Table (Model 67) This is a great looking small round drop leaf table made by Gustav Stickley in...
Oak
Antique Arts & Crafts Small Drop Leaf Table - Stickley Era
Located in Shamokin Dam, PA
Antique Arts & Crafts Small Drop Leaf Table This is a very nice smaller Arts & Crafts Antique Drop-Leaf Table made in the early 1900s (Stickley...
Oak
English Arts & Crafts Cotswold School Gate Leg Oak Dining Table
By Ernest Gimson, Gordon Russell
Located in Leicester, GB
A beautiful Arts & Crafts Cotswold School drop leaf table in solid oak. This table has the most beautiful details and patina, with chunky octagonal shaped legs in a honey toned oak. ...
Oak
Sold
H 29 in W 32 in D 17.5 in
Antique English Corner End Table Handkerchief Drop Leaf Carved Tiger Oak Square
Located in Choudrant, LA
Antique English Corner End Table Handkerchief Drop Leaf ORNATE Carved Tiger Oak Square. Direct from England, a gorgeous antique corner or “handkerchief” drop leaf end table! Lavish...
Oak
Sold
H 26.5 in W 27 in D 10 in
Antique English Table Drop Leaf Gateleg Turned Post Carved Top Oak Oval
Located in Tyler, TX
CHARMING Antique English Oak Drop Leaf Gateleg Oval Table~~CARVED TOP~~Turned Post Legs ~~c. 1920s Always in high demand~~hard-to-find drop leaf table with turned post ...
Oak
Arts and Crafts Oak Centre table by Charles Limbert
Located in Portland, OR
Model 1148 circular drop-leaf table by Charles Limbert. Made in Michigan circa 1910. Quarter-sawn oak with wonderfully patinated brass and iron hardware. Drawers at each side of center. A delightful example of prarie school American arts and crafts movement furniture...
Oak
Sold
H 27 in W 32 in D 36.5 in
Arts & Crafts Mahogany Drop-Leaf Sutherland Table, Labeled, British, ca. 1900
Located in Banner Elk, NC
Arts and Crafts drop-leaf Sutherland table, the narrow tabletop in mahogany (slight sun fading), with two canted-form mahogany drop-leaves, on an Arts & Crafts, slated and flared bas...
Mahogany
Sold
H 29.5 in W 28.5 in D 13 in
Antique English Table Drop Leaf Gateleg Turned Post Carved Top Trestle Base Oak
Located in Tyler, TX
CHARMING Antique English Oak Drop Leaf Gateleg Oval Table~~CARVED TOP~~Turned Post Acanthus Legs with Carved Trestle Base~~c. 1920s Always in high d...
Oak
Sold
H 30.25 in W 66.5 in D 48 in
Gustav Stickley Mission Oak Arts & Crafts Gate Leg Drop Leaf Dining Table
Located in South Bend, IN
A rare and exceptional Mission oak Arts & Crafts gate leg drop leaf dining table By Gustav Stickley USA, Circa 1900 Measures: 66.5"W x 48"D x 30.25"H (fully extended). 19.75...
Oak
English Arts & Crafts Oak Narrow Small Tuck-a-Way Dropleaf Table
Located in Lambertville, NJ
This is a great little tuck-a-way side table. Will fit any ware and opens to 30" round. Closed only 9 1/4" deep by 31" long by 27" tall. Professionally refinished.
Hardwood, Oak
Sold
H 19 in W 22.5 in D 12 in
Antique English Table Drop Leaf Trestle Base Petite Oak Pegged Oval End Table
Located in Tyler, TX
Charming and petite antique English oak drop leaf oval table with trestle feet~~c. 1900 Always in high demand~~hard-to-find petite size drop leaf table~~old pegged construction~~wonderful rustic or farmhouse style Solid and sturdy~~nice oak patina 19" tall x 22.5" wide x 12" deep (with both leaves down) 26.5" deep (full table top size with both leaves extended) Great for use as an end table, lamp table or small night table...
Oak
Sold
H 27.75 in W 30 in D 15.5 in
Antique English Table Drop Leaf Gateleg Turned Post Legs Oval Oak Carved Top
Located in Tyler, TX
Charming antique English oak drop leaf gateleg oval table~~Carved top~~Turned post legs~~c. 1920s Always in high demand~~hard-to-find drop leaf table with turned post legs Solid and sturdy~~very nice oak patina Versatile size 27.75" tall x 30" wide x 15.5" deep (with both leaves down) 29" deep (one leaf extended and one leaf down) 41.75" deep (full table top size with both leaves extended) Great for use as an end table, lamp table or small night table...
Oak