A fauteuil is a traditional French upholstered armchair with open wooden sides. The design allows generous room for elaborate historical dress. These chairs served as principal seating in formal reception rooms and drawing rooms. They combine decorative woodwork with padded comfort.

How do I style these chairs?

Place pairs of gilded armchairs flanking a fireplace or beneath a large mirror to anchor a room. Their reflective frames brighten dark corners and formal spaces. Mix them with simpler modern furniture to highlight their carved wooden details. Ensure they sit in low-traffic areas to protect delicate silk and velvet fabrics.

Are these original eighteenth century?

Most pieces found here date from the nineteenth century during revivals of earlier French styles. Makers recreated historical aesthetic vocabulary for Victorian and Edwardian interiors. True eighteenth-century examples are exceptionally scarce and require careful provenance examination. Nineteenth-century interpretations offer the same visual grandeur with greater structural availability.

What fabrics are used?

Upholstery ranges from traditional silk and velvet to heavy woven tapestry. Many pieces retain later replacement textiles chosen for interior decoration. Original covers rarely survive centuries of use intact. Historic restorations often utilise patterned fabrics that mimic period aesthetics.