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A farmhouse table is a frame table: four legs at the corners, a frieze rail between them, and a solid top sitting on the frame. It is the plainest useful table in English furniture, and it has never gone out of use because it does everything. You eat at it, work at it, and it takes the marks.
Ours are made to order in solid oak, cherry, mahogany or walnut, to whatever length your kitchen actually is.
The Pendleton range
Our farmhouse tables are the Pendleton range. Pendleton is simple rustic country furniture with no decoration to speak of — the interest is in the timber and the proportion.
The confirmed signature details of the range:
- Quintessential farmhouse tapered legs — square at the top, tapering to a smaller section at the floor, which is why a big table does not feel heavy.
- The optional Pendleton turned leg — a softer, more traditional country look than the taper gives.
- A large top suitable for dining or kitchen use — the Pendleton top is designed to be worked on, not just eaten off.
- Various drawer options — from none, to one in the end, to two in the frieze.
- Draw-leaves, frequently specified, so clients can seat more guests without losing space day to day.
Painted bases with a pippy or standard oak top are a signature Pendleton treatment, and the most requested combination in the range.
The forms we make
Farmhouse table with two drawers, straight legs. The standard: tapered legs, two drawers in the frieze, a solid top.
Farmhouse table with two drawers, turned legs. The same table on the Pendleton turned leg.
Farmhouse with drawleaf. Two leaves stored under the main top, drawn out level at either end. See drawleaf tables.
Farmhouse drawleaf with cabriole legs. The cabriole — the S-curved leg that sweeps out at the knee and in at the ankle — dresses the form up without changing what it does.
Round farmhouse with one leaf. A round top on turned or tapered legs, with one leaf that takes it out to an oval.
Round farmhouse, fixed top. The same without the leaf. Good in a square kitchen.
Oval farmhouse extending. The oval seats more than a round of the same width, and is kinder in a narrow room.
Square-legged with painted legs and a pippy or standard oak top. The painted-base treatment on the plainest frame. We also make a parquet-top farmhouse and the Thailand fixed-top table.
For the chunkier, timber-led alternative, see the Oakamoor range, which also offers drawleaf and fixed-top tables.
Sizes
Made to your length. Allow about 24in of table edge per person and about 36in of clearance behind the chairs.
| Seats | Typical length (in) | Typical depth (in) | Height (in) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4–6 | 60–72 | 33–35 | 30 |
| 6–8 | 72–84 | 35–39 | 30 |
| 8–10 | 90–108 | 35–39 | 30 |
Round tops work from about 48in for four. Any size is possible — these are the sizes we make most often, not a menu.
Timbers
Oak, cherry, mahogany and walnut are standard, and every Pendleton table is priced in all four. Oak is the usual choice.
Specials, on application: character oak, with knots and movement left in, so a new table reads as an old one; pippy oak in light, medium and heavy grades, for tops — the classic partner to a painted base; oak selected for medullary ray, within or without the timber; and clean timber with no knots at all.
Finishes: polished, painted, limed, sand-blasted, rub-through paint, natural, or colour matched to a sample. Rub-through paint on a farmhouse base — the colour worn back at the edges as chair legs would wear it — is worth seeing in person.
Order free timber and finish samples before you choose a paint colour.
Made to your size
Length, depth, height, leg pattern, drawer arrangement and overhang are all yours to set. Common changes: a length cut to fit between an island and a wall to the inch; a greater overhang at the ends so a carver can pull in; drawers deepened for cutlery; legs set further in so a bench settle fits underneath; leaves added to a fixed-top design.
If it is a new design rather than a variation, our designers draw it first. See bespoke and commissioning.
Chairs to go with it
Farmhouse tables are most often specified with Windsor chairs or ladder backs, a carver at each end, and often a long stool or bench settle.
Prices
Every table is quoted to its size. Tell us the length, the depth, the leg, the timber and the finish and we will give you a guide price. Special timbers, colour matching and natural finishes are priced on application. Standard lead time is typically ten to twelve weeks.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a farmhouse table and a refectory table?
A farmhouse table is a frame table, with legs at the corners and usually drawers in the frieze. A refectory table has legs set in at the ends, a low stretcher between them and generally a heavier planked top.
Can a farmhouse dining table in solid oak extend?
Yes. The Pendleton drawleaf carries two leaves under the main top, so you get the length without a loose leaf to store. Round and oval versions extend with a single leaf.
Are painted farmhouse tables as hard-wearing as polished ones?
Yes, on the base. We would not normally paint a top that is going to be worked on: a bare or polished oak top over a painted frame is the combination that lasts.
Can you match a farmhouse table to a dresser I already own?
Usually. Send photographs and, if you can, a sample of the finish. See matching antique furniture.
