Vintage Leather Chairs September 16 2015
A lovely couple came to visit our showroom to view a leather armchair recently. They had warned me in advance that they never agreed on interior design so I didn’t expect that they would drive away with the chairs carefully squeezed into the boot of their car, rushing home in excitement to install their new purchase. I had expected them to walk away empty handed.
The wife loves vintage, and was excited to visit the Vintage French showroom whilst the husband is the lover of all things new. They strolled in happily, and her eyes lit up.. his didn’t. And much to my surprise these few, startling words fell from his lips: “But they are used.” I was gobsmacked for a few seconds. I regained composure.. they wouldn’t even have seen my eyelids flicker. Needless to say they didn't buy the chair !!
When I started my first company way back in the day, as a celebratory ‘well done me’ present, I bought myself a beautiful bag from an English bastion of leather-ware. This leather bag went to every one of my London business meetings containing pitch documents, project dossiers and occasionally the kitchen sink. To this day, decades later, the bag still accompanies me to business meetings and with a clutch of children now in tow. Sometimes the kitchen sink still finds its way in there too!
This bag is to me the fashion comparison to the vintage leather club chair, for two simple reasons. First, the design is a classic. There won’t be any outfit that it won’t go with nor any event where it’s not appropriate. Likewise, vintage leather chairs are design classics. The various shapes never fall out of fashion. Secondly the leather becomes better and better with age. Mellower, more comfortable, smoother, shinier, softer, more beautiful.
The club chair doesn’t lend itself to only one look of design scheme.. it will slip effortlessly into many roles.. from a bachelor flat with a crate as a coffee table.. to a newly weds flat with an ikea sofa or Grandma’s cast off.. to a Dad’s chair in a family house surrounded by velvet sofas.. to a ‘man cave’ with a second leather chair, a sterio, a tv. An altogether more masculine setting. The club chair will always be the family favorite.
The chairs we stock at vintagefrench.com are often over 100 years old and have wonderful stories to tell. Where the leather has become too damaged we reupholster them, taking advantage of the beautiful shaped frame and quality internal upholstery. We give them the new life expectancy of another 100+ years… these chairs are just such amazing value.
So I have had to readjust my mind frame. Vintage leather chairs aren’t everyone’s cup of tea perhaps initially, but given the chance to savor their warm embrace, their soft touch.. you may soon discover why we here at vintagefrench.com completely love them !! http://vintagefrench.com/collections/seating
Sophie Warren
