Patterned Upholstered Side Chairs
These patterned upholstered side chairs bring pattern and soft seating into any room, selected from various historic periods.
Patterned Upholstered Side Chairs
Patterned upholstered side chairs span periods from the eighteenth century through the Edwardian era and into the nineteen thirties, encompassing dining chairs, bedroom chairs, and occasional seating.
The selection includes matching pairs, larger sets, and individual examples formed as side chairs, armchairs, and hall chairs.
Woods such as mahogany, oak, walnut, and rosewood form the structural frames, paired with textiles including velvet, silk, and contemporary patterned fabrics.
Materials and Construction
Frames rely on dense hardwoods like mahogany, oak, walnut, and rosewood, shaped through turning, carving, and joinery.
Upholstery combines traditional fabric coverings with internal stuffing supported by wooden frames and brass details such as castors.
Decoration incorporates inlay, carved details like barley twists, and revival styles referencing earlier centuries.
Some Victorian chairs come equipped with hidden castors on turned front legs, ready to roll across the carpet at a moment's notice.
Evaluating Quality
The standard of timber framing, from plain turned legs to deeply carved mahogany or burr walnut, dictates foundational strength and visual depth.
The precision of historical revival styles and the integration of maker marks or established workshop attributions separate standard examples from finer pieces.
Howard and Sons·Howard and Co London·Waring·Angerstein
The Patterned Upholstered Side Chairs Glossary
- Side chair
- A chair without arms intended primarily for dining or occasional use around a room. These pieces sit easily against walls or beside tables.
- Balloon back
- A rounded, oval-shaped wooden chair back popular during the Victorian period. This curved form mirrors the outline of a hot air balloon.
- Barley twist
- A spiral turning carved into wooden furniture legs or uprights. The design resembles the twisted stalks of barley grain.
- Prie Dieu
- A devotional chair featuring a low seat and an upper rest designed for kneeling and prayer. They often appear in rosewood or walnut with upholstered pads.
- Inlay
- A decorative technique where contrasting pieces of wood or metal are inserted into recesses within a solid wooden surface. This creates geometric or floral patterns across the timber.
Patterned Upholstered Side Chairs: Frequently Asked Questions
What periods do these chairs come from?
The pieces span several centuries, with examples originating from the eighteenth century, the Victorian era, the Edwardian period, and the nineteen thirties.
Revival styles also reference earlier periods like the Georgian and Carolean eras.
What timbers were used for the frames?
Cabinet makers utilised dense hardwoods such as mahogany, oak, walnut, and rosewood to construct sturdy chair frames.
Some pieces also incorporate inlaid decoration and turned wooden elements.
How do I identify a side chair?
A side chair is built without arms, specifically designed to be moved easily around a room or tucked beside a dining table.
They appear in various forms including bedroom chairs, hall chairs, and salon seating.
Are the upholstery fabrics original?
Upholstery ranges from new geometric and velvet fabrics to contemporary textiles and period-appropriate materials like Zoffany fabric and William Morris velvet.
Many chairs have been re-upholstered while retaining their antique wooden frames.