What is a deep button chair?

A deep button chair is nineteenth-century upholstered seating featuring tufted buttons pulled deep into the padding to form diamond shapes. This method secures the internal stuffing and creates a firm, supportive surface. Such chairs appear across various domestic forms, including reading armchairs, low nursing seats, and gentleman's club chairs.

How were these chairs used originally?

These chairs served as principal seating in Victorian libraries, drawing rooms, and studies where comfort and formal appearance mattered equally. Heavy leather versions suited masculine smoking rooms and offices, while velvet or fabric models filled domestic parlours. Low varieties like nursing chairs were placed in bedrooms and private family spaces for ease of sitting.

How do I care for leather upholstery?

Leather-upholstered examples benefit from regular dusting with a dry cloth and occasional treatment with appropriate leather balms to prevent drying out. Direct sunlight and heat sources should be avoided to preserve the hide. Maintaining a stable room climate prevents the natural timber frame from shifting and loosening the joinery.

How can I tell Victorian pieces apart from later copies?

Original Victorian pieces display period construction methods, including hand-carved solid mahogany or walnut frames, traditional joinery, and horsehair stuffing beneath hessian covers. Examining the underside often reveals age-darkened timber and hand-hammered tacks. Later reproductions frequently utilise modern synthetic webbing, machine-made screws, and lighter modern woods.