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.
Courtyard Antiques
Stickback Windsor Armchair
£ 285
Harry Raine Antiques
Set of Four Oak Antique Barley Twist Dining Chairs
£ 200
Antique and Unique
Victorian Button Back Nursing Chair
£ 255
Harmony Antiques
Antique French Boudior Napoleon III Nursing Chair
£ 225
Harry Raine Antiques
Titchmarsh & Goodwin Set of Four Oak Chairs
£ 450
London City Antiques
Unusual Pair of Antique Victorian Quality Mahogany Armchairs
£ 2685
Harmony Antiques
Near Pair of French Antique Napoleon III Armchairs
£ 645
artsncraftsfurniture
Arts and Crafts Recliner Chair
£ 395
Harry Raine Antiques
Set of Six Georgian Revival Mahogany Ball and Claw Dining Chairs
£ 1380
Set of Six Georgian Revival Mahogany Ball and Claw Dining Chairs
£ 1380
Harry Raine Antiques
Harmony Antiques
Pair Of 1920's French Buttoned Armchairs
£ 445
Harry Raine Antiques
Chesterfield Captains Brown Leather Office Chair
£ 280
Harmony Antiques
Small Antique French Napoleon III Tub Chair
£ 225
Harmony Antiques
French Antique Scroll Top Napoleon III Slipper Chair
£ 265
Harmony Antiques
Large French Antique Napoleon III Tub Armchair for re-upholstery
£ 295
Hingstons Antiques
George VI Leather Button Back Wingchair
£ 2650
Harmony Antiques
Antique French Nursing Boudior Tub Chair
£ 225
Hingstons Antiques
George VI Leather Button Back Wingchair
£ 2650
artsncraftsfurniture
A Set of Six Oak Arts and Crafts Chairs
£ 450
Paul Watson Antiques & Interiors Norfolk
19th Century Ash & Elm Childs Windsor Stick Back Chair
£ 395
19th Century Ash & Elm Childs Windsor Stick Back Chair
£ 395
Paul Watson Antiques & Interiors Norfolk
Paul Watson Antiques & Interiors Norfolk
Rare 19th Century Yew & Elm Childs Hoop Back Chair
£ 675
Rare 19th Century Yew & Elm Childs Hoop Back Chair
£ 675
Paul Watson Antiques & Interiors Norfolk
Paul Watson Antiques & Interiors Norfolk
Pair William IV Mahogany & Carved Hall Chairs
£ 750
Courtyard Antiques
Matched Set of 6 Farmhouse Kitchen Chairs
£ 820
Courtyard Antiques
Large Farmhouse Windsor Armchair
£ 295
Courtyard Antiques
Matched Set of 6 Windsor Lathback Farmhouse Kitchen Chairs
£ 820
Harry Raine Antiques
Beech Windsor Rocking Chair
£ 160
Georgian Antiques
Set of 16 Carved Oak Dining Chairs
£ 30000
£ 1150
Harmony Antiques
Pair Of French Antique Napoleon III Tub Chairs For Upholstery
£ 595
Harmony Antiques
1930s-1940s French Leather Club Chair
£ 495
Harmony Antiques
French Antique Napoleon III Armchair
£ 265
Marlborough Antiques & Interiors
Harlequin Set of Twelve Ladder Back Armchairs
£ 3850
Salisbury Antiques Centre
Pair of Inlaid Mahogany Salon Chairs
£ 780
£ 395
Two Rare & Beautiful 110 Year Old Edwardian Antique Inlaid Small Chairs c.1910
£ 395
Antiques Co
Marylebone Antiques
Set of 4 Antique Mahogany Chippendale Dining Chairs
£ 1150
Wickersley Antiques
Rare Set of 6 Yew Wood Windsor Chairs Retford Maker William Wheatland
£ 4650
Rare Set of 6 Yew Wood Windsor Chairs Retford Maker William Wheatland
£ 4650
Wickersley Antiques
Barnaby's of Battle
Antique Little Hardwood Rocking Chair with Cane Work Seat & Back
£ 120
Antique & Decorative
Chinese Horseshoe Chair
£ 320
Wickersley Antiques
Near Pair of Yew Wood Kitchen Windsor Chairs
£ 300
Penderyn Antiques
19th Century Antique Windsor Armchair
£ 450
Wickersley Antiques
Set of 8 Mahogany Dining Chairs in the Chippendale Style c.1900
£ 1200
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.