Antique Quartersawn Oak Library Table with Drawer, Carved Apron & Cabriole Legs, c. 1900

A turn-of-the-century oak library table with the tiger-stripe figure that only quartersawn oak has, running across the whole top. The apron is carved with a band of fan and scroll work on all four sides, the drawer front carries a matching pattern, and the cabriole legs are chip-carved down the outside edge to a shaped lower shelf.

It has been refinished, so the grain reads clean and warm, and the single drawer runs on its original wood runners.

Small tables like this are the easiest antique furniture to live with. Use it as a writing desk under a window, an entry table with the keys and mail on the shelf below, or a side table next to a sofa. It carries a room the way a bigger piece would, without taking up the floor.