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At Anthemion Auctions in Cardiff, for both general and fine art auctions, one of the most commonly catalogued goods is the dining table. Monthly sales will typically display an assortment of dining room furniture, ranging from formal and elegant, highly-decorated Victorian dining suites to the more simplistically-stylish G-plan furniture of the ’50s and ’60s, which has seen a recent resurgence in popularity.
During the 19th century, the dining room was a formal eating space, requiring appropriate dress, tableware and etiquette. Meals in wealthier homes enjoying the privileges of cooks and servants could be lengthy and sociable affairs, consisting of many courses, and dining tables would not infrequently have seated 10 or more guests.
Furniture was often fashioned from timbers such as oak and mahogany, with a focus on carved details, artful form and the expression of refined opulence.
During the 20th century, the cost and availability of timber and other materials in the period of austerity following World War II, necessitated the creation of the Utility Furniture Advisory Committee, which aimed to produce solidly designed, durable furniture with the limited means av ailable. The ut ilitarian designs were softened toward the end of the era, as the makers began to incorporate elements of popular contemporary Swedish design to their pieces, however, as the rationing of materials ended, the post-war styles quickly fell out of favour.
Today, furniture from the most contemporary and popular makers feature dining tables a fraction of the size of their Victorian counterparts. To some degree, by necessity of the diminishing size of the average home, the emphasis for dining furniture remains function over form, with furniture designed to have a smaller footprint and to be incorporated into and around busy family lives; often operating as multi-purpose apparatus.
In the auction room at Anthemion, modern Swedish brands nestle alongside polished mahogany that has witnessed hundreds of years, and many generations of family use. Younger couples visiting for the first time are often surprised at the variety and choice that is available when auction lots are considered as a highly individual way of furnishing new homes.
Modern tastes in furniture tend to favour simplicity, and with the continued popularity of open plan living, a dining “room” per se, often does not exist. Recent research, however, has shown the importance to children of a regular family mealtime, as a means of providing routine, building relationships and improving social and linguistic development. With ever increasing developments to technology, and the near constant interruption from smart devices and media, something as simple as the family dining table, whatever its form or location, could represent some valuable constancy in our modern lives.
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