Produced in the 1950s and ’60s, this AT-33 sewing table was designed by Hans J. Wegner. (The “AT” is for manufacturer Andreas Tuck, and “33” is the model number.) The frame is oak, and the tabletop and shelf are made of teak.
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Up top, the design is straightforward and conventional. There are two drop leaves. The drawer is compartmentalized for sewing notions. The rightmost compartment features two types of wooden pins, for holding both cylindrical and conical spools of thread.
Moving down below reveals a couple of design details that will seem strange to modern eyes. The first is the slide-out, removeable basket, handwoven out of rattan, for holding skeins of yarn.
The second is more puzzling, and concerns the shelf at the bottom. From the front, the shelf appears to be captured between the two stretchers.
However, from an angle we can see that the ends of the shelf protrude through the stretchers.
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In this shot from the bottom, we can see it’s fastened in place with screws.
So the stretchers have each had a long slot routed through them to capture the shelf. I can’t think of any benefit this arrangement would provide to the manufacturer or the end user. We can conclude it was done purely for visual effect.
This piece was mass produced and is widely available on secondhand sites (though occasionally with the basket missing).
Source: core77