Discover Mid-America — May 2012
Will it fit? – Coping with traditional dimensions
Assume for a minute that you have found an interesting piece of older or antique furniture that looks like it might do quite nicely in the new family room/den/bedroom/study. It appears to be a style you feel you have correctly identified and can get comfortable with. The finish is in “pretty good” to “acceptable condition.” The piece appears to have all the right pieces and parts in all the right places and seems to have been well cared for. The price is within range and transportation is not an issue. Time to write the check? Not quite yet.
By some definitions furniture is functional art. While a little art is definitely a nice touch, functional is the key word here. It has to work to be worth the cost and space it requires. Over hundreds of years we have grown accustomed to certain dimensions in our furniture without even being aware of it but put one of those dimensions out of whack and the result can be uncomfortable or even unnerving.
This Rococo Revival side chair is from a parlor set in the Henry Ford pattern by J. and J.W Meeks, circa 1850. While it is an imposing chair it is quite diminutive in size. The front seat rail is only 16 inches high. The “pinched waist” of the lower back is only 11 inches wide and at the widest part the back is only 18 inches wide. (Photo compliments of Three Sisters Antiques, Crystal River, FL.)
Imagine a mental picture of a small seven-year-old child sitting in a full-size dining chair at a full-length banquet table. The table is much too high for comfort for that child. His chin barely reaches above the table and his arms are not long enough to reach the edge of the plate. Or picture the opposite situation where an adult takes a seat at a child’s table on a child’s chair. Both cases are exaggerations of course but that can be the feeling if one of the critical dimensions of our prospective piece is out of our comfort range, even if we didn’t know we had one.
Over the years the norms of furniture dimensions have changed subtly as the sizes of the people have changed. The average Civil War soldier, North or South according to some sources, was 5 ft. 7 in. tall and weighed in at a low 140 pounds. If you have the chance to view in person any of the elegantly carved Rococo Revival works of the period by such masters as J. H. Belter or J. and J.W. Meeks you will be startled at the scale. They are smaller in person than they appear to be in photos. The average 21st century American would have trouble getting comfortable on a Belter couch or a Meeks side chair.
Today’s standard dining table height as well as executive desk height ranges from 29½ to 30½ inches. Anything more or less will feel awkward when used with modern chairs. On the other hand I have a late 18th century table that is only 28 inches high even with the large brass casters. However, I have a set of early 19th century Regency chairs that are somewhat lower than today’s chairs and make the table seem comfortable.
Legroom under a table is another consideration. A table skirt that is more than four or five inches deep will cause discomfort under the table, especially if someone tries to cross their legs. Spacing around a table is also very important. A turn of the century oak pedestal table designed to seat six will not comfortably accommodate six 21st century Americans. At least 29 inches elbow to elbow needs to be reserved for each diner sitting side by side with at least 18 inches allowed between a side sitting diner and one sitting on the end. In addition, with the chair in a dining position there needs to be at least 24 inches between the back of the chair and the wall. This allows adequate room for a waiter to serve or for a diner to leave the table without disrupting the entire seated group.
Chairs have preferred dimensions also but they are more forgiving than table dimensions because chair-seating height can be adjusted by the addition or subtraction of cushions or pads. Modern dining chairs have a seat height ranging from16 to 19 inches and a seat width of 16 to 22 inches. The chairs that fit correctly under my late 18th century table have a compressed seat height of 16 inches and are 19 inches wide at the widest front portion. A set of Depression era chairs with 18-inch high hard seats would not be comfortable if used with that table.
Beds also have traditional sizes or least the bedding that goes on them does while the actual bed frames wander all over the lot in size. According to Fine Woodworking standard mattress sizes are twin 39 by 75 in., double (full) 54 by 75 in., queen 60 by 80 in., king 76 by 80 in. and California king 73 by 84 in. Most antique beds do not fall exactly in those guidelines but they can be made to fit. One common problem is the so-called “three quarter” bed, the one between a twin and a double. Technically a three quarter bed would be 48 by 75in. but almost none of them fit that size. Each three quarter bed is an opportunity for a custom-made mattress, not as expensive as you may think.
Keep all of these traditional dimensions in mind when contemplating the purchase of an antique piece of furniture. Use your trusty tape measure to be sure it will fit in the space you have in mind and also make sure that it also will fit you.
Send your comments, questions and pictures to me at P0 Box 215, Crystal River, FL 34423 or info@furnituredetective.com
Visit Fred's website at www.furnituredetective.com. His book "HOW TO BE A FURNITURE DETECTIV"? is available for $18.95 plus $3.00 S&H. Send check or money order for $21.95 to Fred Taylor, PO Box 215, Crystal River, FL 34423.
Fred and Gail Taylor’s DVD, ‘IDENTIFICATION OF OLDER & ANTIQUE FURNITURE’, ($17.00 + $3.00 S&H) and a bound compilation of the first 60 columns of "COMMON SENSE ANTIQUES by Fred Taylo" ($25.00 + $3.00 S&H) are also available at the same address. For more information call (800) 387-6377, fax (352) 563-2916, or e-mail info@furnituredetective.com.