Deep Seated Easy Chair
A deep seated easy chair brings generous proportions and supportive low seating to a room, offering a quiet place to read or rest for hours.
Deep Seated Easy Chair
A deep seated easy chair provides a low, generous seating platform designed primarily for comfort rather than formal posture. These pieces take the form of upholstered armchairs, club chairs, and low lounge seats originating from various periods.
The selections available here span from the 19th century through the Edwardian era and into the 1930s, encompassing styles such as Victorian, English Country House, Art Deco, and Napoleon III. Buyers frequently encounter low-slung lounge armchairs bearing traditional styling and deep proportions.
Makers and workshops including Howard and Sons, Gillows, and James Shoolbred appear among the pieces, alongside country house and club chair designs. Many examples retain supportive sprung seats and generous backrests built for long periods of sitting.
How they were made
Frames rely on sturdy timbers including mahogany, walnut, oak, rosewood, and general hardwood to provide a rigid structural foundation. These wooden carcasses support complex internal springing and padding systems.
Traditional upholstery techniques utilise hessian, calico, and stuffing materials beneath final top covers of fabric, leather, or buttoned textiles. Exposed wooden elements such as brass castors, turned legs, and split cane panels complete the construction.
Listings feature periods spanning from the Regency era and William IV through the Victorian period, Edwardian times, and 1930s Art Deco.
What varies in quality
The integrity of the internal wooden frame and the resilience of the original springing determine the structural longevity of the chair. Heavier, denser hardwoods provide stability that resists wobbling over decades of use.
The subtlety of the proportions and the execution of stylistic details, from buttoned backs to turned wooden legs, distinguish workshop pieces from standard commercial production. Maker attribution and retained original top covers further elevate a chair's standing among collectors.
Howard and Sons·Gillows·James Shoolbred·SF Cullen
The Deep Seated Easy Chair Glossary
- Bergere
- An upholstered armchair with enclosed wooden sides, often featuring woven cane panels. The style provides a lighter visual weight while maintaining structural support.
- Button back
- A upholstery method where buttons are pulled deep into the padding to create a uniform pattern of tufts. This technique secures the internal stuffing and shapes the profile of the backrest.
- Club chair
- A heavy, deep-seated armchair traditionally upholstered in leather. These low-slung seats originated in French and English clubs for maximum comfort.
- Hessian
- A coarse woven fabric made from jute fibres used as a foundational webbing and stuffing cover inside traditional upholstery. It conceals internal springs and provides a base layer for calico.
- Wing back
- An armchair with high side panels attached to the backrest designed to shield the sitter from drafts. These wings transition smoothly down into the armrests.
Deep Seated Easy Chair: Frequently Asked Questions
What is a deep seated easy chair?
A deep seated easy chair is a low, generously proportioned lounge armchair built for relaxed sitting rather than upright posture.
These pieces typically feature substantial padding, sprung seats, and supportive backrests designed for reading and resting.
How do I identify a Victorian armchair?
Victorian armchairs often display dense mahogany or walnut frames, button-backed upholstery, and turned wooden legs fitted with brass castors.
Stylistic cues range from heavy buttoning to Napoleon III or English Country House influences depending on the specific decade.
Are Art Deco club chairs comfortable?
Art Deco club chairs provide low, heavy seating built around deep leather cushions and solid internal frames.
Their streamlined shapes and caramel tan leather finishes suit both traditional studies and modern living spaces.
What materials were used in Edwardian armchairs?
Edwardian armchairs combine hardwood frames with traditional upholstery layers including hessian, calico, and soft fabric covers.
Open arm designs and split cane bergere panels also appear frequently within pieces from this period.
How do I style a country house armchair?
A country house armchair works well as a statement seat in a living room, study, or bedroom corner.
Its generous depth and relaxed proportions invite pairing with low side tables and reading lamps.