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.
£ 1,795
Pair of Antique Glastonbury Chairs, English, Decorative Armchair, Gothic Revival
£ 1,795
London Fine Ltd
Penderyn Antiques
Antique Pine Kitchen Table with Set of Four Similar Kitchen Chairs
£ 895
Stalham Antique Gallery
Easy Chair with Very Attractive Quality Leather Covering c.1900
£ 825
Harmony Antiques
Antique French Crapaud Napoleon III Tub Armchair
£ 295
London City Antiques
Quality Set of Four Antique Victorian Mahogany Dining Chairs
£ 1,345
Lascombe Interiors
Pair of Leather Library Chairs
£ 1,675
Kernow Furniture
Antique Upholstered Armchair
£ 695
Newark Antiques and Interiors Ltd
Upholstered 19th Century Chair
£ 410
Kernow Furniture
Antique Gothic Prayer Chair
£ 295
Newark Antiques and Interiors Ltd
Pair of Victorian Mahogany Hall Chairs
£ 310
Kernow Furniture
Red Upholstered Nursing Chair
£ 295
Harmony Antiques
Large Antique French Napoleon III Armchair
£ 325
£ 2,450
19th Century Scottish Northern Isles Orkney Vernacular Pine Panel-back Armchair
£ 2,450
W&W Antiques
Harmony Antiques
Antique French Crapaud Napoleon III Tub Chair
£ 295
Mercia Interiors
Very Nice Victorian Easy Chair
£ 495
Andros Antiques
19th Century Pair of French Walnut Fauteuils/armchairs
£ 965
Marylebone Antiques
Pair of Antique Trafalgar Back Mahogany Armchairs
£ 775
Graham Smith Antiques Ltd
George II Style Irish Mahogany Armchair
£ 1,550
Carse Antiques
Set of 6 Gillows Rosewood Dining Chairs
£ 1,500
Georgian Antiques
Quality Late Victorian Walnut Office / Library Chair
£ 770
£ 665
£ 1,150
Marylebone Antiques
Pair of French Giltwood Armchairs
£ 1,525
Kernow Furniture
Edwardian Occasional Chairs
£ 185
Georgian Antiques
Set of 8 Victorian Dining Chairs
£ 2,250
In a Nutshell Antiques & Interiors Ltd
Antique Windsor Chair with Elm Seat
£ 375
Millers Antiques
Regency Hook Back Windsor Chair
£ 675
Penderyn Antiques
Victorian Antique Upholstered Button Back Armchair
£ 495
In a Nutshell Antiques & Interiors Ltd
Trio of Early Stick Back Country Chairs
£ 350
Hutton-Clarke Antiques
Upholstered Armchair
£ 695
Loveday Antiques
19th Century Oak Gothic Armchair by G Tilley of Birmingham
£ 1,475
Abbeydale Antiques
19th Century Lathe Back Chair
£ 195
Kernow Furniture
Georgian Revival Armchair
£ 645
Tony Youll Antiques
Pair of Louis XVI Style Armchairs in Original Paint
£ 795
Antique and Unique
17th Century Style Oak Wainscot Chair
£ 475
Philip Hunt Antiques
Victorian Mahogany & Leather Desk Chair
£ 950
Worboys Antiques
Elm & Ash Swivel Office Chair
£ 445
£ 375
Sunnyside Antiques
Vintage Rush Seat Chair
£ 140
Athey Antiques
Unusual Child's Chair
£ 295
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.