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.
Harmony Antiques
Pair Of French Antique Napoleon III Slipper Chairs
£ 595
Bridport Antiques
Trouser Press Chair by A C Bond & Sons of Hackney Grove, London
£ 98
Bridport Antiques
Victorian Elm and Ash Windsor Childs Chair
£ 285
London City Antiques
Fine Quality Set of 8 Antique Regency Mahogany Dining Chairs
£ 5,650
Harmony Antiques
Antique Pair of French Napoleon III Armchairs for Upholstery
£ 595
London City Antiques
Outstanding Quality Set of 10 Antique Victorian Walnut Dining Chairs
£ 6,450
Outstanding Quality Set of 10 Antique Victorian Walnut Dining Chairs
£ 6,450
London City Antiques
London City Antiques
Unusual Set of 8 Quality Antique Decorated Faux Birds Eye Maple Dining Chairs
£ 3,150
Unusual Set of 8 Quality Antique Decorated Faux Birds Eye Maple Dining Chairs
£ 3,150
London City Antiques
The Club Chair Studio @ Matt Black Interiors
Very Handsome Original French Leather Club Chair c.1950
£ 895
Very Handsome Original French Leather Club Chair c.1950
£ 895
The Club Chair Studio @ Matt Black Interiors
Mersham Manor Antiques
Elegant Edwardian Inlaid Mahogany Armchair William Morris Fabric
£ 295
Camden Antiques
Set of 6 Victorian Walnut Dining Chairs c.1875
£ 750
Marylebone Antiques
Antique Chippendale Style Wing Back Armchair
£ 750
Town House Traders Ltd
Antique Beech Side Chair
£ 100
Driscolls Antiques Ltd
Stunning Set of 6 Antique Edwardian Dining Chairs
£ 1,450
Town House Traders Ltd
Antique English Upholstered Wing Armchair
£ 395
Carse Antiques
Regency Mahogany Sabre Leg Armchair
£ 300
Philip Hunt Antiques
Pair of Victorian Walnut Cabriole Leg Side Chairs
£ 395
Philip Hunt Antiques
Set of 10 Queen Anne Style Elm Dining Chairs
£ 3,950
Hingstons Antiques
Pair of Edwardian Leather Wing Chairs
£ 5,650
Marylebone Antiques
Pair of Antique Swedish Satin Birch Armchairs
£ 3,350
London City Antiques
Fine Quality Set of 8 Antique George III Mahogany Dining Chairs
£ 5,250
Fine Quality Set of 8 Antique George III Mahogany Dining Chairs
£ 5,250
London City Antiques
Canonbury Antiques
Pair of Empire Chairs French Accent Seats 1840
£ 850
The Old Yard
Early 20th Century Bobbin Chair
£ 125
Philip Hunt Antiques
Set of 10 (8 + 2) Mahogany Regency Style Dining Chairs
£ 1,795
Stalham Antique Gallery
Early 19th Century Mahogany Hall Chair
£ 110
Lascombe Interiors
Pair of Hepplewhite Style Mahogany Library Chairs
£ 1,275
C.S.Moreton (Antiques)
Antique Elm Yorkshire Windsor Elbow Chair
£ 235
C.S.Moreton (Antiques)
Important Regency Mahogany Library Chair
£ 525
Marylebone Antiques
1920's Swedish Art Deco Satin Birch Armchair
£ 1,650
Sussex Antiques and Interiors
Pair of French Walnut Bergere Armchairs
£ 850
JMR Antiques Ltd
English Victorian Armchair on Turned Legs
£ 495
Georgian Antiques
Exceptional George IV Mahogany Elbow or Desk Chair
£ 1,075
Camden Antiques
Leather Upholstered Victorian Ladies Chair
£ 475
London City Antiques
Fine Quality Antique Victorian Set of Six Walnut Dining Chairs
£ 3,150
LT Antiques
Victorian Mahogany & Leather Desk Chair
£ 895
Penderyn Antiques
Harlequin Set of Four Antique Oak Farmhouse Chairs
£ 450
Prior & Willis Antiques
Antique Quality Set of 6 (5 Plus 1) Elm Kitchen Dining Chairs 19th Century
£ 1,895
Antique Quality Set of 6 (5 Plus 1) Elm Kitchen Dining Chairs 19th Century
£ 1,895
Prior & Willis Antiques
Antique & Decorative
Country Side Chair
£ 120
Sturmans Antiques Ltd
1930's Oxblood Red Leather Wing Armchair
£ 1,295
Antique & Decorative
Pair of Painted Sgabello Hall Chairs
£ 440
Marylebone Antiques
Pair of Swedish Art Deco Satin Birch Armchairs
£ 3,350
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.