A heating table is a furniture concept in which a table also functions as a heater. There are variations of the design, however the most conventional type in Western nations is where the table legs are replaced by a heater. The heating table is often used as outside furniture for terraces and balconies, however it can also be used as an inside heater like the Japanese version, Kotatsu.
Japan
A variation of the heating table, the kotatsu, is very popular in Japan and dates back to the fourteenth century. A kotatsu is a low, wooden table frame covered by a futon, or heavy blanket, upon which a table top sits. Underneath is a heat source, often built into the table itself. Kotatsu are used almost exclusively in Japan, although similar devices are used elsewhere. This early ancestor to the modern kotatsu was called a hori-gotatsu. The word hori-gotatsu (掘り炬燵) is derived from the kanji 掘り (hori) meaning ditch, digging, 炬 (ko) meaning torch or fire, and 燵 (tatsu) meaning foot warmer. There are two kinds of kotatsu used in Japan today, electric or charcoal, however the electric is more popular.