A great chair is more than just a place to rest your weary bones, it is a focal point in any room and helps set up the overall feeling and tone of that room. Even more, a great chair usually becomes a treasured workhorse and even a loved part of the family. And when it comes to warmth and love and feelings of security and being grounded, nothing does it better than antique furniture.
When choosing antique or vintage chairs there are naturally endless choices for you from armchairs to Windsor chairs, hall chairs to dining or kitchen chairs. But in each case rest assured these items from the past were designed to maximise their use. Kitchen chairs had wide splayed legs to minimise wobbling on the hard uneven floors, armchairs kept away the chill and dining chairs were the very epitome of elegance to impress even our most judgemental friends.
Ever wondered how to begin to date Antique Chairs yourself? Our blog post here will be able to help you.
At LoveAntiques we have one of the best selections of antique and vintage chairs on the internet to suit any of your sitting needs.
Antique Furniture Direct
Pair of Victorian Balloon Back Chairs by Gillows
£ 350
Wickersley Antiques
Very Rare Childs Windsor Chair Stamped Wheatland Rockley c.1830
£ 325
Wickersley Antiques
Quality Victorian Ladies Nursing Chair in Walnut
£ 236
Philip Hunt Antiques
Good Pair of Early Victorian Mahogany & Leather Open Armchairs
£ 2250
Penderyn Antiques
Edwardian Antique Bedroom Chair
£ 395
Merchant House Antiques
Late 19th Century Walnut Desk Chair
£ 275
Newark Antiques and Interiors Ltd
19th Century Primitive Chair
£ 1440
Gorseway Antiques
Regency Cane Hall Chair
£ 140
Hutton-Clarke Antiques
Pair of French Upholstered Fauteuil Armchairs
£ 595
Merchant House Antiques
Pair of French Open Armchairs
£ 1445
£ 295
Tom Scott Antiques
Dutch Marquetry Marquetry Armchair
£ 595
London City Antiques
Large Pair of Antique Victorian Quality Carved Oak Throne Armchairs
£ 1950
Large Pair of Antique Victorian Quality Carved Oak Throne Armchairs
£ 1950
London City Antiques
Campbell Vintage
Pair of Fan Back Upholstered Chairs
£ 760
Driscolls Antiques Ltd
Chunky Victorian Elm Smokers Bow Antique Armchair
£ 375
Lee Wright Antiques Ltd
Pair of 18th Century Italian Painted Side Chairs
£ 2200
£ 375
Millers Antiques
Comfortable 19th Century Armchair
£ 680
Lee Wright Antiques Ltd
19th Century Regency Ebonised Armchair
£ 3850
Harry Raine Antiques
Good Quality Set of Six Oak Panel Back Dining Chairs
£ 550
Windsor House Antiques
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Mahogany Elbow Chair
£ 600
Lee Wright Antiques Ltd
19th Century French Carved Wood Chair
£ 2200
£ 985
Antique Glastonbury Chair, English, Pitch Pine Armchair, Gothic Taste, Victorian
£ 985
London Fine Ltd
London City Antiques
Set of 4 Antique Victorian Quality Carved Walnut Dining Chairs
£ 1475
Tony Youll Antiques
English Leather Library Armchair
£ 895
Hutton-Clarke Antiques
Pair of French Upholstered Fauteuil Armchairs
£ 745
Harry Raine Antiques
Set of Eight Titchmarsh & Goodwin Classic English Oak Windsor Chairs
£ 775
Set of Eight Titchmarsh & Goodwin Classic English Oak Windsor Chairs
£ 775
Harry Raine Antiques
Hingstons Antiques
Victorian Leather Library Chair
£ 1875
Penderyn Antiques
Antique Painted Pembrokeshire Pine Settle
£ 1450
£ 865
Penderyn Antiques
Large Antique Carved Throne Chair
£ 695
Graham Smith Antiques Ltd
Pair of Victorian Carved Walnut Chairs
£ 495
Antique & Decorative
Pair of Vintage Italian Chairs
£ 180
Marylebone Antiques
1960's Pair of Parker Knoll 'Merrywood' Armchairs
£ 3450
Harmony Antiques
Pair Of Antique French Empire Scroll Top Armchairs
£ 695
Harry Raine Antiques
Set of Eight Classic English Oak Windsor Chairs (6 + 2)
£ 875
Hingstons Antiques
Set of 8 Regency Mahogany Dining Chairs
£ 1875
Harmony Antiques
Pair Of French Antique Button Back Armchairs
£ 495
Windsor House Antiques
A Good Late 18th Century Pair of Mahogany Hooped Back Single Chairs
£ 1280
A Good Late 18th Century Pair of Mahogany Hooped Back Single Chairs
£ 1280
Windsor House Antiques
Vintage & Antique Chairs FAQs
How do I identify an antique chair?
Chairs have been around for thousands of years so working out just how old your chair is may take a bit of experience. The best way to start is to look at a chair you already know the age of to look at how it was constructed and how it has aged. Looking at the details helps. Even classic designs such as wingbacks or dining chairs will often contain elements that were fashionable at the time. Ecclesiastical elements were popular during the Gothic Revival period c1850-1880, simple elegant oak during the Arts & Crafts Movement of c1880-1920, minimalist and modern materials such as chrome tubing from the 1920s-today. Original patina (a natural finish which emerges over time) will give you a clue about how old the chair is but just because the chair is dark don’t assume it is old. Chairs were fumed with Ammonia during the 19th Century to artificially darken them and we have used spray stain since the 1920s onwards.
Are Vintage Chairs valuable?
The simple answer is yes and no! While all usable old chairs will have some value, age is rarely a core reason. Condition will naturally play an important part, but rarity and desirability are the most important variables. A very plain chair that was made in large quantities will naturally have less value than one designed by a leading industrial designer or company and limited to only a few examples. Because all chairs basically do the same job, the overall style and look of each vintage chair matters. Chairs say a lot about a room, so people really like examples which are somehow sculptural or stand out visually. When it comes to exact values, then it is best to research other similar examples via the internet to help you understand its financial desirability and then adjust that price depending on the condition. Re-upholstering or re-caning a chair can be quite expensive but also add real value.
Are antique Rocking Chairs valuable?
Love them or hate them, antique rocking chairs can be great fun to own and use. Because they have a very specialist role, most rocking chairs tend to be worth only a few tens of pounds to a few hundred pounds depending on the look. There are some more valuable examples but these are usually by key designers or are historically important. You can usually do a bit of research online to find the value of other similar chairs, but mostly rocking chairs are loved and purchased for practical use and are far less desirable if damaged.
Where can I buy Antique dining chairs from?
Dining chairs are always one of the most sought out chairs but need to be strong enough for daily use. Although the construction is simple, old dining chairs often require quite a lot of TLC to ensure they are in great usable condition. For this reason, when shopping for antique dining chairs online it is always best to purchase them from a reputable antique dealer such as those on LoveAntiques who will usually do that hard work for you. Although auctions may seem like a good way to source cheap chairs, the subsequent restoration costs can make it an expensive decision. Overall large groups of matching chairs are always more desirable than single or odd examples, but today we are happier to mix and match different chairs so buying odd examples can be a great way to save money and create a unique look.