Traditionally in the Chinese house, side (altar) tables were placed against a wall, and for this reason the side facing outward was usually more elaborate than the rear, and carved accordingly. The terms ‘side table’, ‘altar table’ and the more European ‘console table’ are these days used interchangeably, although traditionally they had specific functions. Altar tables, often in nested sets of two or three, held religious statues and objects and had a shrine-like function. Secular uses included holding musical instruments and displaying possessions of wealth and beauty, so it was important that the design of the side or altar table add sophistication when framed against a wall. Hand-carved scrolled edge and face embellishments played an important part in this, as did the everted curved flanges at each end. The side or altar table is usually long and narrow, perfect for an entry hall or corridor, or a living room accent. It exemplifies perfectly the subtlety of Chinese classical furniture, with the negative space being as important as the positive space.
Derived from this old tradition, a new generation of contemporary side tables and consoles display clean straight lines and eye-catching geometric shapes. They feature waisted construction and a floating panel top finished with elegant lacquer, and by taking space and simplicity into consideration they enable the visual focus to remain on simplicity of line and on the beauty of the materials used. In a practical sense, they are also perfect for keeping everything close to hand, and even provide valuable display sections for those attractive accessories and collections that the owners want on view.
A console table in black and gold lacquer designed by elisabeth de Brabant for her home. The raised edges and corners are sanded down to give the duotone effect. Displayed are glass swedish lamps, a terracotta figure on horseback and a box of miniature handwoven chinese paper books.
A Ming altar table used as a display for various tibetan religious objects and a rootwood sculpture. On the floor is a rootwood jar used as a plant container and a floor-level writing desk.
A simple desk in stripped wood in the kitchen of gallerist Li Liang, three of whose ink/collages hang above.
Set against a glass wall looking out onto the main courtyard of the Shao Fan house, one of the artist’s constructions is a Ming altar table with everted flanges divided and connected by a Perspex section, on which are displayed ancient tomb figurines.
An art deco wooden side cabinet in the dining room of a modern apartment in singapore, displays some of the white Mao Zedong figurines and busts in the owner’s extensive collection.
A small, ornately carved Qing side table is backed by a scroll painting of a tigress with cubs.
A black and gold lacquer cabinet by elisabeth de Brabant in front of a photograph by Wang Xiao Hui supports a hand sculpture.
This classic Ming altar table with everted flanges, in huanghuali wood, forms a simple but elegant statement in an apartment entrance hall.
In this Hong Merchant longtang house in shanghai, a nineteenth-century Korean chest with extensive brass fittings fills an under-stairs area, and carries a neolithic chinese jar and brush pots in wood and bamboo.
Below a classic eighteenth-century altar table, a colorful stool with similar flanges designed by Harrison Liu makes a playful contrast.