FRENCH CHAIRS » Uncategorized

Louis XV French Chair

Admin — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 15:45:18 +0000

Polly McArthur in Seattle features a delicate looking small Louis XV Style side chair with canned back upholstered in “Melograno” fabric from Colony in Rome. If you look closely the chair is painted in a light green and is finished with gold accents. The fabric reminds me of a pastel English garden, with a brightly colored set of fushia roses based in the center of the garden. The choice of the eding is very bold but works fantastic with the overall appeal! This chair sells for $1,638.

Louis XV Style Side Chair Featured at Polly McArthur In SeattleLouis XV Style Side Chair Featured at Polly McArthur In Seattle

How To Upholster A French Bergere Chair

Admin — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 04:36:45 +0000

Here is a quick video from start to finish, demonstrating how to upholster a French bergere chair. From the start of removing the old fabric to adding the new fabric and finishing touches, see first hand how to upholster a french chair, so you can do it yourself in your own home.

Brocade French Chairs

Admin — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 18:33:01 +0000

Brocade (brōkād') fabric was perfected in the 16th and 17th century in France, Italy, and Spain. The name Brocade comes from the Italian broccatomeaning "embossed cloth". Brocade has a rich raised floral design, often styled after flowers which was introduced during the weaving process. In China the weaving of silk dates from the Shang dynasty which developed complex patterns such as moiré, damask, and brocade. Brocade often uses gold or silver in embossed or embroidered effects in the raised patterns that appear on the fabric face. Motifs often seen in Brocade fabric are of scroll work, flowers, foliage or other designs. The rich, fairly heavy fabric is frequently used for evening gowns, but can be used for upholstery, and has been used for drapery, hangings, throw pillows, and very high end evening wear. Traditionally brocade material was made of silk, but today we see it both in silk and cotton blends. Brocade is one of the most authentic choices for french furniture as it was a typical fabric used in home furnishing in the sixteenth century. Some of the most beautiful brocade fabric comes in bold colors making it a perfect statement for a french gold gilded chair. Brocade also comes in many velvet blends which also are perfect upholstery choices for french chairs. Brocade is great to use as upholstery as some patterns are quite heavy weight material but may require backing before being used as upholstery.

Cape, second half of 16th century From the Metropolitan Museum Of Art in New York

Velvet brocade with gold ground and small set pattern of geometric motifs woven in tan velvet of cut pile

From the Metropolitan Museum Of Art in New York

French Yellow Silk Taffeta Brocade. Circa 1735

A Painted Louis XV Bergere From Miguel Meirelles French Furniture & Antiques Melbourne Australia

Mans Coat - Yellow Brocade with Elaborate floral and Leaf Patterns From Museum of Welsh Life

From Museum of Welsh Life

French Brocade Chair - Suzanne by The Rothschild Collection

This stunning Brocade Chair was Found on Style Hive

French Robe 18th Century - Blue ribbed silk, brocaded in polychrome silks with metallic gold, and silver

Metropolitan Museum Of Art in New York

17th century Brocade Shoes

These 17th Century Shoes are from 17th century shoes Retro Vintage Shoes

Mrs. Kennedy had this dress made from Mrs. Kennedy had this dress made from brocade fabric given to her by King Saud of Saudi Arabia

Taken From The JFK Library

Brocade French Bergere Chair By Cote France

This stunning French Bergere Chair was found on Decorati through Style Hive

French Wing Chair in Brocade Baroque Pattern

This Brocade chair is from Lorna Auerbach

White silk brocade with polychrome birds and polychrome striped silk From Metropolitan Museum Of Art in New York

Evening coat, 1935
Madame Grès (Alix Barton) (French, 1903–1993)

Metropolitan Museum Of Art in New York

White silk brocade with polychrome birds and polychrome striped silk From Metropolitan Museum Of Art in New York

Common Mistakes With French Chair Upholstery Fabric Selections

Admin — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 02:42:32 +0000

Over the years of upholstering french chairs, I have tried every trick of the trade to use some of my favorite light weight fabrics as upholstery material and have learned over and over again that light weight fabrics just don't work on chairs. When shopping for textiles for your french chairs ONLY consider recovering your chairs in upholstery weight material. I have learned over the years of upholstering dozens of french chairs the expensive and time consuming lessons of picking the wrong material just because it was in the bargain bin at my local fabric store or happened to be on sale. Living in several cities through out the years I know how hard it is to find material that you love. I do think it is worth the time and effort in finding a pattern that you adore, because you will end up looking at it every day. Living in a small town, the selection of nice fabrics were quite limited. I didn't bother looking through the custom ordered fabrics because they were out of my price range in my 20's, so I opted for what I could afford. The same goes for today, as I tend to pick up project chairs, but never consider the cost of upholstery. My upholstery skills were not the greatest in my 20's, so in retrospect, I am glad I didn't spend the majority of my paycheck on fabric that would have been butchered because of my lack of skills. As I have gotten older and after dozens of chairs under my belt I am learning from the days that I bought fabric because I loved it, and it was on sale. I tend to look around for my french chairs on craigslist, or at flea markets, and I don't pay a lot for my chairs unless a statement piece comes along. Getting older I learning that less is more and often times a great chair can really make the room. After exchanging out some of my pieces for better ones through the years, the french furniture is what has stayed, as other pieces moved on and out the door. Who can go wrong with a gold leaf french accent chair? Ebay is reaching out to those people in smaller towns that are looking for something unique. Ebay has been my source for fabric as well. I love the convenience of staying home flipping through the pages of my targeted product, and as a bonus I get it at a discount and support a local home business. French chairs for the most part can be found at a bargain and so can fabric. You don't need to pay top dollar for either, but you do need to have time and patience for that one perfect chair or fabric to come along. With layers of paint and distressing, your chair frame can be improved to look like antique heirlooms passed through the family. What is left is fabric selection. Where do you go, and what do you avoid?

French chairs often are pieces of art on their own, and finding the just right fabric, and pattern can be a very hard to find. If you are anything like me, you are very selective when it comes to color, and pattern. Pattern can say a lot about the design of your home, so sometimes it is best to upholster in a simple material in your staple color. As you update your home through the years, your french chairs can be there through the changes, and your accent pillows can be switched out.

Some of MY costly mistakes: (AND I have a lot of them!!)

1. Mistake ONE- Using Silk Material:

When I couldn't find a fabric that I truly loved, I would go down to my local decorating store like Ross Dress For Less and buy drapes that would then serve as my upholstery material. I upholstered 4 slipper chairs in a orange and yellow modern stripe, which took me several weekends to finish. After they were fully STUFFED, upholstered and trimmed with upholstery tacks, the final product was done, and I was exhausted. About 2 weeks after the fact, we were sitting at the dinner table, and I spilled water on the seat. It wasn't grape juice or ketchup, but simple water. The next day after they dried, it looked as if someone had accidentally wet them selves in our chair. The water stained the material, and there was no way of getting rid of the water mark. Silk has a lot of restrictions. In addition to being stained easily, they are almost impossible to clean. Silk WILL bleach out when exposed to light, and in addition are bound to stretch. Today those project chairs STILL sit in the basement, because the material over time has stretched and loosened making them look very badly upholstered. I will never ever again use silk, and I have another couple weekends of work to fix my mistake.

French Settee - From Home and Garden Magazine

This settee has a silk upholstered cushion, which was not apart of the original settee. I love the stripes, but it would be very hard to clean if it got dirty. This French Settee is from Peacock Feather Events

2. Mistake 2- Using Fusible Backing.

Backing is a coating applied to the back of the fabric, which gives fabrics more strength and stability. Acrylic backing is used for both upholstery and wall applications. Knit backing is most commonly used for upholstery and draperies.

Heavier fabric is always the very best for upholstery, but if you are wanting a fabric that is lightweight, backing could add strength. Lightweight fabrics could be used for draperies, and fusible backing often times is the perfect solution for drapery or clothing. Intefacing can be sewn into the fabric and the more popular of the two is iron-on, which one side has glue which molds to the fabric.

French Chair Toile Gold Chairs In Progress

A good way to test whether or not the backing is needed is to take the fabric swatch in your hand and try stretching it diagonally. If the fabric stretches considerably then go with the backing. If it only pulls a little then you should be fine. Again, I would recommend you toss the light weight fabric aside and go with upholstery weight, and here is why:

I painted a set of Louis XVI chairs in gold and I used red toile fabric I found at my local Calico Corners fabric store for the upholstery material. I wanted something punchy in our home that consists of beige furniture and the red was the perfect solution. Fusible interfacing I thought was my solution to buying lightweight material, but after I ironed on the interfacing, it became almost too stiff to upholster with. I found pulling the fabric around the corners next to impossible that with all my might, the upholstery job still turned out very shotty at best. Today I either have to exchange out the fabric, or look for seat cushions, because guaranteed over time, the pattern will become pulled. So again, I am looking at another weekend project, if only I selected the right fabric in the first place.

Although Iron on interfacing seems to be a perfect solution, in the long run you will pay the price. Sitting on a piece of fabric over and over is much different than closing drapes at night.

Associates at your local fabric store are going to suggest that if a chair isn't going to be used frequently then you don't have to worry too much about the fabric wearing down. With the amount of effort it takes to upholster a chair, it is better to invest in a fabric is strong enough, than simply guessing the chairs aren't going to be used. Fabrics should be strong enough to take a staple without visually seeing that a staple has punctured the material. That should be a measure to look for when considering fabric for upholstery.

Another reason why Iron-on Interfacing falls short is that the pattern will get distorted as you move the fabric around to iron on the interfacing. Even if you are careful, such as I was with my red toile chairs, today, the interfacing I used is separating from the fabric which is causing little bubbles in the fabric. For some reason I thought that the glue would stay put forever, but that simply is not the case. I have only sat on them once, so consider what would happen if you used them for every day use. It is not fair to tell family that certain furniture is only for display only. Chairs are meant to be used.

Consider just backing your fabric. When you sew two layers together the process is called "flatlining". If you are needing fabric backing, consider backing the piece of fabric with a layer of fabric that has the correct body and stability that the chair actually requires.

In summory go for the heaviest, sturdiest fabric you can find. If you go with a lightweight cotton, you will eventually pay the price . Upholstery weight fabrics look professionally done, where as lighter weight fabrics often have a texture or pattern that screams DIY, and often times signals that someone did not know better, or will be a dead giveaway of poorly done DIY. The right fabric can turn your OUTSTANDING French chairs into stunning statements for years of enjoyment!

French Barrel Chair Photography by Elizabeth Lavin

French Chair & French Decor - Frederic Fekkai's Home By Elle Decor

French Button Tucked Apple Green Vintage Victorian Chair

Inside Frederic Fekkai's Home

French Chair & French Decor - Frederic Fekkai's Home By Elle Decor

Inside Frederic Fekkai's Home Found on Elle Magazine

FRENCH Louis XVI Arm Accent Chair NEOCLASSICAL From Vintage Way Furniture on ebay

French Chair & French Decorating From Thibaut

Close Up on Thibaut's French Chair

French Chairs & French Decorating From Traditional Home Magazine

French Settee From House and Leisure Magazine From House of Turquoise Blog

Close Up of the French Settee

French Chairs - Liz Williams From House of Turquoise

These beautiul pictures were from Erins House of Turquoise

French Settee- Brocantegirl's Photostream Flickr.

French Chairs - House Beautiful Magazine/ French Pink Chairs Decor Pad

French Chairs - Homes and Gardens Magazine

French Chair & French Decorating - Stunning Lilac French Settees From Decor Pad

Antique French Chairs ~ The Pride of Owning French Furniture

Admin — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 20:43:46 +0000

Pride 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.

Nowadays, Regency chairs are more fashionable than ever. They look fabulous in living-rooms and bedrooms. They are comfortable, yet elegant.

Regarded by many as the Golden Age of French furniture, Louis XV’s reign was a time of peace and prosperity, and soon became one of the greatest periods in French furniture design: Rococo style.

It was frivolous, frothy and decadent, just like the King Louis XV and his official mistress Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, also known as Madame de Pompadour. The Parisian aristocracy embraced new furniture items, such as the chaise longue and the “bergere chair”. Frames were usually gilded or painted. The rococo style featured love, music and nature-inspired motifs and themes, including shells, waves, birds, foliage, vines, flowers, seaweed, rocks and serpents.

Anybody who is passionate about French furniture will have a Louis XV chair on top of their style list. Moreover, nowadays, there are fantastic Louis XV reproduction chairs. You will be able to find them in different finishes and colours. You could even break the rules and have yours re-upholstered with a vibrant and modern fabric: classic with a twist. Whether you go for a classic look or a contemporary one, a Louis XV chair is the must have piece in the living-room, a statement item with lasting appeal. Bergere chairs and chaises longues are also incredibly popular these days.

For the bedroom, a Rococo style bed is the dream of every girl. It’s beautiful and frivolous, exactly what you want in a bedroom! There is no doubt our homes wouldn’t look the same if Rococo style has never existed!

When Rococo began to be considered too frivolous, a classical revival was inspired by the discovery of Pompeii in 1748 – the resulting style became known as neo-classicism or the classical revival. Designers also looked back to the more architectural French furniture of the Louis XIV period.

Gilded wood became popular again, and was used for ceremonial chairs and mirrors.

In our modern homes, a gilded mirror is the perfect focal point for a living room, above a fireplace or a console table. There are so many manufacturers of Baroque, Rococo and Neo-classical style mirrors that you will be spoiled for choice. They are elegant and gorgeous, and a mirror is always a great way to add depth and light into a room.

So why are we crazy for French furniture? Furnishing our homes with French furniture brings us back to those times of royalty and beauty, decadence and glamour. Our lives are complicated; we have stressful jobs and hardly any time for ourselves. That’s why a beautiful and elegant home, full of stylish French furniture can bring a bit of joy and glamour to our existence!

About the Author:
Ivory Pearl Interiors is an online shop that sells French furniture and home accessories. Explore this adorable yet affordable range of painted furniture, delightful chandeliers and mirrors, shabby chic furniture and mirrored furniture. You will fall in love with this fabulous range. For More Information Visit: - http://www.ivorypearlinteriors.com/

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Pride of Owning French Furniture

French Chair ~ Thibaut Wallpaper & Fabrics

Pair of Louis XV Armchairs Seller Les Pierre

French Chair ~ Designer Stacey Brandford, French Sofa and accompaning french chair Designer Miki Duisterhof, Louis XV Period Walnut Fauteuil Seller Tradesmen

Sexy French Chairs Computer Wallpaper From WallCoo

French Chairs

Louis XV Desk and French Chairs....

French Settees~ Know Your Sofas

Admin — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 17:19:27 +0000

Know 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.

The S-shaped love seat remains a stylishly old-school choice, though its use has diminished due to its large space requirements. The small couch-style love seat is more common, though, and is now a standard feature in modern living room sets. Casanova would be proud.

A davenport originally referred only to a series of sofas produced by the A.H. Davenport Company of Boston in the mid-1800's. Due to that company’s success in America, the term has become synonymous with sofas in a large part of the modern United States, especially in the Midwest. Original Davenport Company sofas are only found at antique auctions, but if you call any couch by that name, it’s okay.

A settee has recently come to mean any kind of couch, but the name originally applied only to double-seater benches with wooden backs and arms, such as those you might find on a porch or in a hallway. On settees, upholstery can vary; most modern settees are as cushioned as any couch, but unlike a couch, some styles of settees feature minimal or absent upholstery.

The word settee is thought to be a variation on settle, though they are two different things. A settle is a large, heavy wooden-backed bench of a style used in European castle halls since medieval times. A settle is typically made entirely of wood, devoid of upholstery, and thick and heavy thanks to its development history (they were originally made from wooden chests). Ah, the luxurious castle life.

A chaise lounge is an upholstered couch designed like a very long-seated chair which you can stretch your legs on. It comes from the phrase ‘chaise longue’, which simply means ‘long couch’ in French. This style of sofa has a long history in Europe and was a standard feature in the manor houses of the aristocracy. A chaise lounge is typically thought of as a ritzy Rococo-style design, but these days they are available in a huge variety of styles, from historical to ultra-modern.

In Victorian England, a chaise lounge was often called a fainting couch. These items were installed in wealthy houses for aristocratic women to collapse on, thanks to the stress put on their bodies by the too-tight corsets of the time. No kidding.

This bizarre trend has not survived into modern times, thank goodness, but the name lives on. Originally, fainting couches were simply chaise lounges, though some featured a non-upholstered foot section which made them more similar to daybeds. As time has passed, the phrase ‘fainting couch’ has expanded to encompass a variety of chaise lounges and beds with raised headspace. It’s more a colloquial term now, since not many chaise lounge manufacturers include “great for collapsing unconscious upon” in their ad copy.

There are many more furniture terms out there that we haven’t covered -- look for a Know Your Sofas, Part 2 soon. In the meantime, for more information and a great variety of sofas, davenports, settees and lounges, check out Every Sofa.Com, a proud part of the Cymax Stores Inc. network of online furniture retailers.

Ron Jordan is a marketing associate for Cymax Stores Inc, a premiere online furniture distribution company.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ron_Jordan
http://EzineArticles.com/?Know-Your-Sofas&id=775868

(Pictures Brunschwig Filsgreen Wallpaper)

JaysonHomeandGarden French Settee

French Louis Settee Francois Halard

French Provincial Sofa Recovered Upholstered - John Gould Bessler This Scan didn't come in too well, but you can get an idea how beautiful a french provincial sofa can look once it is professionally upholstered.

French Settees ~Ankasa ~ Aren't these pillows lovely? It looks as if it is 3 D Embrodery

I this Antique French Settee didn't come in that well when I scanned it, but isn't it stunning? The pale green and white stripe is outstanding~ Very Shabby but quite french looking.

French Settee ~ Very Beautiful Antique Paint Finish ~Picture Credit Bliss Living

Merida Meridian

Louis Sofa Settee Keith Scott Morton

French Bed Jean-Paul Beaujard

Again another french provincial sofa recovered. Just stunning.

Louis XVI Style Settee Antique Seller Ceylon et Cie

Louis Settee Dana Oatley Ortego

19thC Italian Settee ~ Antique Dealer Parc Monceau

Brunschwig&Filsgreen Wallpaper~ I just love all the colors!

Animal Print French Settee. Lovely Settee, but too large for the end of the bed,.......still lovely~

Antique French Louis Settee ~ Gray or Beige Paint over natural wood which has been distressed. Just Lovely~

French Wing Chairs

Admin — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 22:17:31 +0000

Wing 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.

Beautiful Traditional Wing Chairs ~Country Living Magazine

Country Living, and Ralph Lauren Home Decor Wing Chairs~

Traditional Home White Armchairs ~Photo Credit Tim Clarke Medricks Photo Stream

Beautiful Wing Chairs French Styled ~ Designer Fiona Newell Weeks

Country Living Wing Chair

Beautiful Traditional Home ~ Arm Chair Wing Chairs

Lice Blue French Armchairs ~ Designer Palmer Weiss

Charles Faudree's French Country Living ~ Crewel Fabric Wing Chairs

Antique Gilt Arm Chair & Empire Furniture Veranda Magazine

Stunning Pink Interior White Arm Chair~ Country Living Magazine

French Louis XVI Chairs

Admin — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 20:47:51 +0000

The Louis XVI style was all about simplicity, which replaced the exotic and ornate exuberance of the Louis XV style. Between 1760-1789 most furniture lost its extra ornamentation and lines became more architectural and straight. Oak wood was used for solid-wood pieces during this time period. Walnut, ash and burled walnut were used for seating and chairs. Mahogany and Satinwood became very fashionable both as veneer and it was used in solid pieces. Ebony also came fashionable as it was not used during the Louis XV period. Painted chairs and tables were trimmed in gold or another contrasting color. Gilded wood was used for chairs, console tables and mirror frames.

Picture from Ann Getty House Collection)

Legs and vertical supports appeared turned resembling spindles, quivers, columns and balusters. Bronze fittings were applied to almost all Louis XVI furniture but they were more ornamental than protective. Lines were vertical and horizontal in the Louis XVI style. Flat surfaces and right angles were the popular style with Moldings that appeared thinner and more elegant. Decorative elements are situated toward the top and bottom of furniture panels and include floral sprays hanging from knotted ribbons, or vases and urns containing flowers and greenery, strings of olive and oak leaves, short garlands of flowers and foliage, wreaths of laurel, ivy, and flowers, pinecones and pomegranates. Architectural motifs were used both as supports and as decorative elements. These include fluting, cabled fluting, leaf bud motifs, pilasters, fluted balusters and columns.

This Portrait of Louis XVI shows a great template of colors from the Dark green background to the use of pastels, such as the pale blue, orange, and cream and silver. By analyzing the portraits of the past they can serve as inspiration of gathering together your color palate when deciding on the scheme of your rooms.

Juan Pablo Molyneux Neoclassical Looks Which feature classic french louis XVI Chairs. The marble pattern on the flooring and the empire furniture is outstanding. Combine both styles for a luxurious look. The faux finish on the walls is outstanding.... or then again, it might be real marble.

Designer Juan Pablo Molyneux, featuring an antique empire desk, with animal print french Louis XVI chairs. What an outstanding room~

Designer Suzanne Kasler featuring a swedish inspired room, with gray toned walls, combined with a natural linen Louis XVI side chair.

Louis XVI Settee Room By Matthew Mead, and Louis XVI Settee by Pamela Skaist,

French Louis XVI Chair in a Traditional Setting Home Decor

Beautiful Traditional Home Decor, With Louis XVI Arm Chair and Louis XVI Rounded Back Side Chairs

Louis XVI Chair Photo Credit Howard, House Beautiful Louis XVI Chair

Ann Getty House Collection Georgian Library Chair Louis XVI

Designer Alessandra Branca With An Asian Folding Screen and Antique French Chairs

Country Living Louis XVI Chair, Chinoiserie-Phoebe-Howard

Louis XVI Chair From Empire Antiques & Louis XVI Chair from Veranda Magazine

French Chair Louis XVI From Domino Magazine

Flessas Design Louis XVI Chair & Louis XVI Settee