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French Chair

Antique French Chairs ~ The Pride of Owning French Furniture

Michelle PfeifferPride of Owning French Furniture, Author: Ian Perryment -The Regency style is very much a transitory period in which pieces from the Louis XIV period were transformed by the use of bronze fittings rather than reinvented. This period refined Louis XIV designs to be more practical and comfortable for everyday use. The Duke of Orleans introduced an era of lighter, more graceful French furniture. The beginnings of the Louis XV style start here, with the flowing curves, scallop shell and acanthus leaf we associate with the Louis XV Rococo style becoming prominent. (Read More.....)

French Settees~ Know Your Sofas

 BrunschwigFilsgreen-wallpaperKnow Your Sofas, By Ron Jordan - A sofa is a word adapted into English from Arabic, by way of Aramaic. These days it refers to any couch, though originally it referred only to the luxuriously cushioned seats of esteemed guests in the royal palaces of Arabia. Sofas are always upholstered and designed for reclining and relaxation.  A love seat or loveseat is a small, compact couch that seats two. Small couches have existed at least as long as large ones, but the love seat, as we know it, was designed in the 1700's to seat one woman wearing a wide bustle. As time passed, the little couches became known as intimate rendezvous spots for lovers (these were the days of Casanova, remember). Scandalous! Responding to this, furniture designers crafted love seats as two connected chairs in an S-shape, with the two sitters facing in opposite directions. This separated the couple’s bodies, though they were still able to steal kisses if they wished. (Read More.....)

French Wing Chairs

Arm-Chair-VerandaWing chairs first appeared in the late 17th Century. Designed to trap the heat from a fireplace in historic times, these chairs were beautiful but not always functional. Wing chairs were built tall to provide a comfortable protection from cold drafts, especially on chilly nights during the winter. Wing chairs are now very much back in style, and hopefully this article will give you some great ideas for how you can use them. (Read More.....)

French Louis XV Chair

Charles-Faudrees-French-Country-Living0005Antique Reproductions are very hard to find, but it seems like Ebay has pulled together stock from around the world, so that particular chair that you are looking for is within reach.  The Louis XV chairs without the cushions are relitivly easy to upholster yourself.  All you need is a T50 Staple Gun from Home Depot and upholstery nails.  The trick to upholstery is to pull your fabric tight.  With these chairs, you have access to all the areas you need to tack down, which makes it a very easy fix. The Louis XV Chair is quite a extravagent chair, with a refined style that would work with any fabric, abstract, bold colors, or traditional fabrics.  With the carved looks and the rounded features, it surely can stand alone and be the feature of the room in an understated way.  These XV chairs are the perfect accent chair for your hallway..... or that small wall that needs filling.  With low shipping costs, or free shipping with some sellers, it saves time than checking out every garage sale for the summer.  (Read More.....)

Baroque French Louis XV Chairs

Baroque Tony-DuquetteThe Baroque style developed in the 1620s which appeared very ornate, with heavy carving, and extended into the 17th century. Toward the end of the 17th century, baroque furniture tended to become simpler and the use of ornament was somewhat refined and simpler. There are varied styles of baroque as the elements of the french styles gradually work their way down from excessively ornate to simpler looks. Common Baroque chairs were found highly ornate, with velvet, silks, and needlework were the common fabrics, held together with leather and nails. They often were bulky and richly ornate with detail in the wood carving. I couldn't even imagine how long one chair would take in hours to produce.  (Read More.....)

French Louis XV Dining Chair

19th-Early-20th-C_-Louis-XV-Style-Armchairs-Seller-1st-Dibs-ParisThese open back provincial chairs are very easy to find. In fact, in the 1950's they produced quite a bit of french provincial dining room tables with the Louis XV chair as inspiration. The french designs became popular with several companies around the 1900's where many small businesses manufacturered the look, shipping their pieces around the United States, growing in size and popularity. Again in 1950, the style took off, with provincial dining sets, bedroom sets, and living room sets.   A number of companies made the bedroom provincial sets, ranging from higher end quality wood, to pressed wood with melamine tops.  Thomasville, Drexel are the recommended sets, as they did use higher quality wood, as well as Union Company (on the higher end), as well as John Widdicomb being one of the first to manufacture the look.   Today, if you are hoping to come across one of these chairs, or are looking for a provincial set, they are fairly easy to locate.  The very best thing to come from these 1950's sets is that they are  reproductions of the Louis Styled furniture.  They are quite affordable to pick up, and upholster or paint to subsitute for the antique Louis styles that can be a bit expensive. (Read More.....)

Louis XVI Rounded Back

Outstanding BeautyLouis XVI chairs are often oval, rectangular or shield form. The cabriole legs of the Louis XV had been replaced with straight legs and are fluted legs imitating the columns of ancient Rome. Most of the furniture and chests were retangular, or square than the obvious curves such as the Bombe chests of Louis XV. (Picture to the left- House Beautiful, Style Court Blog) (Read More.....)

Louis XVI Bergeres Tub Barrel Chairs

Pierre DeuxThe popular "barrel chair" or well known as the tub chair, took off in the 1940s and proved to be especially popular in the 1960s and 1970s and is still popular today with many variations.  The barrel chair that was made in the 50's and 60's has been a remake of the fench Louis XVI Bergeres.  With many of the reproductions in the 50's the classic french looks are so much more affordable than the antiques.  A barrel chair is a chair with has a round back like half a barrel. Barrel chairs are currently produced in a wide variety of styles, so there is a very good chance that you will be able to find a look that fits in with your unique decor.  From Modern, to French, and then to traditional looks, no matter your style, the barrel chair has been produced in a number of styles that will fit into your decor.   (Read More.....)