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.
London City Antiques
Antique Regency Quality Carved Mahogany Desk Chair
£ 895
London City Antiques
Outstanding Quality French Set of Six Antique Regency Dining Chairs
£ 4,950
Outstanding Quality French Set of Six Antique Regency Dining Chairs
£ 4,950
London City Antiques
London City Antiques
Set of 6 Antique Victorian Quality Mahogany Dining Chairs
£ 1,885
£ 700
Georgian Antiques
Pair of Huanghuali Mother of Pearl & Marble Armchairs
£ 3,500
London City Antiques
Superb Quality Set of 6 Antique Regency Mahogany Dining Chairs
£ 2,250
£ 345
The Antique Shop
Set of 8 Antique Jacobean Style Walnut Dining Chairs
£ 1,365
£ 495
Athey Antiques
Oak Swivel Desk Chair
£ 495
Millers Antiques
Pair of 19th Century Swedish Satin Birch Chairs
£ 195
London City Antiques
Set of 4 Antique Regency Quality Mahogany Dining Chairs
£ 1,785
Sussex Antiques and Interiors
Lovely French 19th Century Armchair
£ 550
Kernow Furniture
Early 20th Century Upholstered Carver Chair
£ 295
Kernow Furniture
Retro Greaves & Thomas Swivel Chair
£ 395
Debenham Antiques Ltd
Swedish Art Deco Mahogany 3 Piece Lounge Suite
£ 3,395
Marylebone Antiques
Antique Inlaid Mahogany Armchair
£ 775
Kernow Furniture
Vintage Occasional Chair
£ 175
Thakeham Furniture ltd
Wonderful Georgian Mahogany Gainsborough Armchair
£ 2,300
Marlborough Antiques & Interiors
Pair of French Walnut Framed Small Fauteuils
£ 625
LC Antiques
Pair of Victorian Mahogany Leather Armchairs
£ 3,250
Elmgarden
Edwardian Oak Office or Desk Chair
£ 800
Tony Youll Antiques
Pair of Side or Bedroom Chairs
£ 350
Kernow Furniture
Set of 6 Queen Anne Style Walnut Dining Chairs
£ 585
Claire Langley Antiques
Pair of French Fauteuil Armchairs
£ 2,200
Angilou Genuine French Furniture
Handsome 19th Century French Napoleon III Armchair
£ 695
Claire Langley Antiques
Late 19th Century Scroll Armchair
£ 1,300
Angilou Genuine French Furniture
Handsome Antique French Napoleon III Armchair
£ 650
Angilou Genuine French Furniture
19th Century French Napoleon III Fishtail Armchair
£ 815
Angilou Genuine French Furniture
French Square Back Armchair c.1920
£ 645
Millers Antiques
English 18th Century Armchair
£ 975
Angilou Genuine French Furniture
Rare Pair of Upholstered Antique French Louis XVI Armchairs
£ 1,500
Rare Pair of Upholstered Antique French Louis XVI Armchairs
£ 1,500
Angilou Genuine French Furniture
Angilou Genuine French Furniture
French Antique Tub Chair / Crapaud
£ 550
London City Antiques
Wonderful Quality Set of 16 Burr Walnut George I Style Dining Chairs
£ 11,500
Wonderful Quality Set of 16 Burr Walnut George I Style Dining Chairs
£ 11,500
London City Antiques
London City Antiques
Pair of Antique Victorian Quality Carved Mahogany Hall Chairs
£ 1,085
Stalham Antique Gallery
Late 19th Century Austrian Bentwood Rocking Chair
£ 225
Sussex Antiques and Interiors
Wonderful Set of 8 19th Century Mahogany Dining Chairs
£ 2,500
Wonderful Set of 8 19th Century Mahogany Dining Chairs
£ 2,500
Sussex Antiques and Interiors
Marylebone Antiques
Pair of Antique Chippendale Revival Mahogany Carver Armchairs
£ 975
Harmony Antiques
Pair of Antique Napoleon III Tub Armchairs for Re-upholstery
£ 565
Harmony Antiques
French Antique Napoleon III Slipper Chair for Re-upholstery
£ 265
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.