Furniture 101: Brass Sabots

I think this a great term to learn about this week. It took me quite a bit of googling to actually find the correct term, so I’m really excited. I’m so into these!

Sabot: A French term for metal fitting or casing often brass on the bottom of antique furniture. Most commonly found on tables and chairs in the mid-century modern period.

The word sabot literally means shoe, however when talking about furniture it is referring to these yummy metal bits that act as the “shoes” of furniture. I don’t know about you but I’m crushing hardcore on that record cabinet in the picture above and for just $9,400 it can be yours! Unfortunately for me that’s just about $9,355 to much. Le sigh. Anyways, the purpose of a sabot is first and foremost to protect the furniture legs. You know, in case you’re a clumsy vacuumer like myself. There are also decorative sabots but I don’t find those quite as enticing as the clean look of a smooth brass sabot.

So you want to add them to your furniture? Yep so do I! I trolled through the internet looking for places to buy them and found a company called Pampco Inc. Apparently it’s as simple as sanding down the area of the furniture leg that you intend on fitting with the sabot, slipping it over the furniture leg, and tapping what is called an escutcheon pin in the back with a soft rubber mallet. Viola! Instant antique. Well not really but it’s going to add some interest to your furniture.

What do you think? Are brass sabots your jam? No? Either way at least we all learned something! Anyways, comment on this post and I’ll give away some of these nifty gadgets to  hold documents for you while you’re typing on your computer.