The term “Classic chair” generally identifies a classic design chair with a wood structure upholstered in fabric or leather.
Any traditional original or replica chair linked to a particular style or period is a classic chair. As you can imagine there were chairs designed and produced in different times and in different geographical locations. Through time, chairs have been realized with different production techniques and materials. That”s why when we talk about a classic chair to be more precise we need to establish its specific “style”.
THE CLASSIC CHAIR IS AN EVERLASTING DESIGN
A classic chair design can be everything from a minimalistic Empire style to a more fancy and carved baroque or Louis XIV style. All these styles carry with them a historical look and the story of an era. This is what makes the design of a classic chair everlasting.
There are so many different styles of classic chairs, all of these are available in many different finishes and if upholstered they can be padded with fabric or leather in an endless selection of colours and patterns. This as a start makes the classic chair a very eclectic piece of furniture. Up to a few decades ago there was an accent on the style, a room and often the whole house/restaurant/hotel was furnished top to bottom in a single classic style.
Recently this trend has diminished, the general demand has gone more in the direction of modern and contemporary but, more and more often, we can see in these modern settings the introduction of accent pieces like a classic chair in contrast with the rest of the modern pieces.
The demand for classic chairs is always on the up and down, different part of the world follow different trends. From what we have seen a classic chair design is everlasting and will always meet the needs of some particular designer.
CLASSIC CHAIRS AND REPLICA CHAIRS
There’s much to learn on how to identify the style of a classic chair.
French style is one of the most famous styles not only in France and Europe but all over the world, most of our classic chairs are replica of these period furniture. The House of Bourbon ruled the courts of France and its world of fashion for nearly two centuries. The “Fabulous Four,” Louis styles: Louis XIII, Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI, had a huge influence on the arts and design of the chairs.
Distinguishing a style of a classic french chair is a matter of who was ruling France and when. The style of each king distinguished his reign from the others, and the periods in French classic furniture design follow the time periods associated directly with the reign of a particular king.
Talking about classic chairs styles implies talking about replica chairs: unless you are the like owner of an original French chair of the XVI century, the product you are sitting on is (hopefully) a good reproduction of the original style.
Here below we mention just a few of the most popular european classic styles of chairs and the country where they was borned:
Italy – Baroque style, Savonarola, Chiavari, Thonet.
United Kingdom – Queen Anne, Chippendale
France – Empire and Louis styles
Austria – Biedermeier
Want to know more about the classic chairs? Read our article “Discover the classic chair: an everlasting design in a variety of styles” (https://www.sevensedie.com/news/76/classic-chair-design-and-styles)