What is this table?

Hello, I recently bought this table by mistake at the Bridge Foundation Estate Sale. By mistake, meaning I was shopping for serviceable quality furniture for a house and this piece needs more work than I wish to do. However, the quarter-sawn (tiger stripe) oak is amazing, and I like the design. I'd appreciate any ideas on what this was used for, it's age, value, and who might have made it. Thanks!

 

Looks to be an oak Art Nouveau era etagere ca. 1910. Used to display household objects of pride to the homeowners, with a drawer for storage. I've not seen one quite like this before, but value would probably be around $100 at auction here in the U.S. Midwest. Impossible to say who made it without a tag, stamp, or receipt.

 

Thanks. I looked everywhere but couldn't find a stamp or mark anywhere. Interesting that the two front feet appear to have been chewed by mice or rats on the bottoms, enough to make the legs a little shorter. I paid $125 at a sale where the prices all were considerably lower than retail. Like, I bought on the same day and place a Stickley four poster cherry queen bed for $150. I knew when I got the table out into the light to load into into my truck and saw it better, I had made a mistake. This regular 18 estate sale is competitive. People start lining up 3.5 hours in advance of the opening.

 

Doesn't look like it needs that much work from here. Finish is in good condition, which is the typical problem you see. Not my style, but if the only issue is the front legs are too short, then you can trim the back legs to match the height which would be a pretty easy fix.

 

It looks to me like a console, or hall side table of sorts, and it really doesn't seem to me like it needs that much work (the natural shrinkage of the back panel boards I'd fill with wax), but only you know how much is too much for you!

 

I've been thinking about this a lot and it seems clear that the shelf below the drawer is meant to store something to be concealed but remain accessible. When I realized this, my first thought was that it was for a chamber pot. But my scant understanding is that the chamber pot would be more hidden, like slid under the bed, or stashed in a closet. So, I think the table must be for washing, or shaving, and the shelf to hold the bowl. This would explain water damage on the plywood bottom of the drawer--putting the tools away not completely dry. This, as I guess, might make the table far older than 1910, as someone here speculated. As far as "the work", I am a perfectionist and I'd want to remove all the stain, which would be hard, as the first layer, the corners, are tucked out of reach of an orbital sander. I'm never used a chemical stripper. I have the table for sale on craigslist. No nibbles yet, but I am working the price down a little every day. If it gets too far below what I paid for it, I will keep it and save it for another day.

 

Another thought is that it might have been made for a hospital room.

 

Looks like a telephone table to me.

Debora

 

As a package deal, you still did amazingly well, as you said you paid thousands less than its actual value for a Stickley bed (unless of course you use the name carelessly).