Chairs & Armchairs

6 pieces in this section

This section is about chairs and armchairs, from French salon seats to Victorian parlor chairs. Bergère and fauteuil shows how to tell the two French armchairs apart, and Six chairs worth restoring asks what decides whether an old chair is worth the time. Victorian chairs, reupholstering a club chair and marble tops and cane backs are covered in their own articles.

Antique Victorian chair of walnut with a balloon-shaped open back, carved top rail, curved cabriole legs and a seat covered in striped gold brocadeObject study

Victorian Chairs: Balloon-Backs, Revival Styles and What to Check Before You Buy

Victorian chairs from the V&A balloon-back parlor chair and the Smithsonian chairs from Robert Smalls's home to Gothic Revival and patent chairs, with what to ask about upholstery, springs and…

English · Victorian6 October 2026 · 6 min read
The catalogue
Gilded beechwood bergère with closed, upholstered sides and a loose seat cushion, covered in pale silk with a Chinese-style scene, in front of painted wall panelling

Bergère Chair and Fauteuil: How to Tell the Two French Armchairs Apart

French · Louis XVLeather chair in soft maple and ash

Reupholstering a 1930s Club Chair

Square-back armchair in mahogany and cane

Marble Tops, Cane Backs: Pieces Worth Keeping

Revolving chair in maple, white oak, pine and birch

Six Chairs Worth Restoring

Banister-back chair in poplar and ash

Repairing a Loose Chair Joint

High chest of drawers in sweet gum, yellow poplar, yellow pine and white oakComplete Guide

Buying Vintage Furniture: A Complete Guide

What to inspect, which repairs are worth paying for, how to read the economics of a saleroom, and when to walk away.

Read the guide
Elsewhere in the journal
French Art Deco furniture and decoration in Ruhlmann's small salon, 1925 colour plate: pale panelled walls edged in gilt, a tiered crystal chandelier, a gilded relief above a mirror, a dark desk with a slatted lid, a cream armchair and a round painted panel of birds before the fireplace

French Art Deco Furniture: Ruhlmann’s Pavilion at the 1925 Paris Exposition

Art Nouveau & Art DecoBaroque furniture: a tall state bed hung with blue silk damask, with a deep fringed canopy and curtains, shown in a dark museum gallery beside an upholstered armchair

Baroque Furniture: The Roman Baroque Bed

Baroque & RococoDark wooden cabinet with asymmetrical stepped shelves and small open compartments above, gold and red carved panels in the lower doors and a pierced brass grille at the centre

Japonisme: How Japanese Art and Design Reshaped Western Interiors

Asian · Japanese