Deep Buttoned Armchair Pair
A deep buttoned armchair pair offers matched seating with characteristic tufted upholstery, drawing together periods from the Victorian era to the 1930s.
Deep Buttoned Armchair Pair
A deep buttoned armchair pair brings together matching upholstered seats designed for formal rooms, libraries, and studies. These dual configurations frequently appear as Chesterfield club chairs, library armchairs, or French salon seats originating from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
The selections span distinct regional traditions, encompassing traditional English leather wingbacks, French walnut armchairs, and Swedish club chairs. Buyers find everything from low bedroom chairs to high curved back armchairs and captains desk chairs.
Makers such as Howard and Sons and Gillows emerge in the records alongside Victorian and Edwardian interpretations. Many examples feature matching footstools or form part of larger lounge suites alongside sofas.
How They Were Made
Frames rely on sturdy timbers including mahogany, walnut, and general wood construction to support heavy internal padding. Artisans shaped these structures into wingbacks, tub chairs, and low lounge forms.
Upholstery combines traditional fabrics like pure silk, velvet, calico, and h&s ticking with durable leather, Rexine, and brass detailing. Deep buttoning secures the padding directly through the upholstery materials to create the characteristic tufted surface.
Listings feature frames constructed from mahogany, walnut, and mixed timber, upholstered in leather, silk, calico, and Rexine.
What Varies in Quality
The integrity of the internal frame construction and the depth of the woodwork carving dictate the standard of the piece. Master makers employ robust timber frameworks that maintain stability across decades of use.
Upholstery execution separates standard production from superior workshops, visible in the precision of the tufting and the selection of materials such as fine leather, silk, or heavy velvet. Matched pairs require consistent wear and uniform fading across both chairs to retain their visual symmetry.
Howard and Sons·Gillows
The Deep Buttoned Armchair Pair Glossary
- Chesterfield
- A classic upholstered seating style characterised by rolled arms and deep button tufting. These chairs typically feature leather or fabric coverings.
- Wingback
- An armchair featuring protective side panels designed to shield the sitter from draughts. This form frequently appears in leather library and club configurations.
- Rexine
- A brand of leathercloth made from fabric coated with nitrocellulose paint and oil. It serves as an alternative to natural hide on twentieth-century pieces.
- Calico
- A plain-woven cotton textile used traditionally as an internal lining or upholstery base. Pieces often retain their original ticking or calico foundations.
Deep Buttoned Armchair Pair: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I identify Howard and Sons chairs?
Howard and Sons pieces often display specific maker marks, stamped brass castors, or signature ticking under the upholstery.
The frames are built with distinct proportions and quality timber work typical of their nineteenth-century London workshop output.
What is the difference between club and library chairs?
Library chairs generally offer upright seating suited for a desk or reading table, utilising mahogany frames and leather upholstery.
Club armchairs provide deeper, more relaxed lounge seating designed for comfort in studies and smoking rooms.
Are matched pairs from the same period?
Most listings show genuine pairs constructed together in the Victorian, Edwardian, or early twentieth-century periods.
Some collections represent near pairs gathered for their similar dimensions, materials, and upholstery styles.
How should I care for antique leather upholstery?
Natural leather requires regular conditioning to prevent drying and cracking across the deep buttoned indentations.
Keep these armchairs away from direct heat sources and strong sunlight to preserve the colour and integrity of the hide.