Antique Parlor Chairs
Buy the best antique parlor chairs selected and recommended by interior designers. By Chloe Hughes.
The parlor might be a dated concept, but that doesn't mean your home decor won't profit from the addition of some antique parlor chairs. Get one to sit on, or to attach a classic touch to the room, but whatever your motivation, you will not be disappointed. Take a look at all the antique parlor chairs we have in this collection for your home.
Sophisticated Antique Parlor Chair
$279.99 $449
With a total height of just over 38 inches, this throne-like parlor chair can add elegance to your living room. Covered in a light colored patterned upholstery on top of genuine birch wood, this durable chair can support up to 250 pounds in its 24 by 26 inch seat. The cabriole legs help add sophistication and class to your existing decor.
Sophisticated Antique Parlor Chair
Kelly Clarkson Home
$279.99 $449
Description
With a total height of just over 38 inches, this throne-like parlor chair can add elegance to your living room. Covered in a light colored patterned upholstery on top of genuine birch wood, this durable chair can support up to 250 pounds in its 24 by 26 inch seat. The cabriole legs help add sophistication and class to your existing decor.
Extremely Grand Antique Parlor Chair
A seat fit for royalty, or anyone who wants to enjoy the fares fit for a king and queen. This 44-inch high chair offers an abundance of carved flowers, leaves, branches, and other elements in the solid mahogany wood. Covered in a jacquard upholstery, this hand-tacked burgundy floral motif helps this lovely chair create a statement in any room you place it in.
Extremely Grand Antique Parlor Chair
Design Toscano
Description
A seat fit for royalty, or anyone who wants to enjoy the fares fit for a king and queen. This 44-inch high chair offers an abundance of carved flowers, leaves, branches, and other elements in the solid mahogany wood. Covered in a jacquard upholstery, this hand-tacked burgundy floral motif helps this lovely chair create a statement in any room you place it in.
Designer Advice
This beautiful chair is not only a practical piece of furniture but also a conversation piece. Anyone that walks into your parlor, living room, den, or library will instantly be drawn to this stunning chair. The 23 by 23 inch seat is very comfortable, allowing you to sink deeply into the thick padding and quality upholstery.
Tudor Style Victorian Ladies Parlor Chair
Designed to bring a true baroque feel to your home, this hand-carved exquisite piece of furniture is created with genuine Mahogany wood and covered in a Tudor-style tapestry upholstery. The 20 by 20 inch seat is well padded, and the chair can support up to 286 pounds easily.
Tudor Style Victorian Ladies Parlor Chair
Design Toscano
Description
Designed to bring a true baroque feel to your home, this hand-carved exquisite piece of furniture is created with genuine Mahogany wood and covered in a Tudor-style tapestry upholstery. The 20 by 20 inch seat is well padded, and the chair can support up to 286 pounds easily.
Designer Advice
The rich gold and burgundy shades on the upholstery help tie this chair into any room of your home, whether it’s a living room, den, library, office, or sitting room. The hand-carved accents include reliefs of shells, flowers, and leaves to bring out an eye-catching and elegant feel.
Elegant Red Victorian Parlor Chair
Crafted from solid hardwoods with elegant carving, this beautiful Victorian style parlor chair imitates antiques by delivering a baroque feel to the room. Measuring 42 inches tall overall with a 19 by 23 inch seat, this lovely upholstered parlor chair can support up to 286 pounds.
Elegant Red Victorian Parlor Chair
Design Toscano
Description
Crafted from solid hardwoods with elegant carving, this beautiful Victorian style parlor chair imitates antiques by delivering a baroque feel to the room. Measuring 42 inches tall overall with a 19 by 23 inch seat, this lovely upholstered parlor chair can support up to 286 pounds.
Designer Advice
The rich burgundy upholstery helps elevate the overall aesthetics in any room of your home. The elegant handcrafted hardwood carvings are difficult to distinguish from genuine and much more expensive Victorian antiques making this chair an outstanding choice for any den, living room, or reading area of your home.
Warm and Welcoming Victorian Parlor Chair
With an overall height of 39 inches, this parlor chair brings a warm and welcoming feel to the room. The rich brown birch wood frame contrasts well with the beige polyester upholstery covering the 24 by 21 inch seat. Able to support up to 300 pounds, this chair is not just durable but stylish as well.
Warm and Welcoming Victorian Parlor Chair
Astoria Grand
Description
With an overall height of 39 inches, this parlor chair brings a warm and welcoming feel to the room. The rich brown birch wood frame contrasts well with the beige polyester upholstery covering the 24 by 21 inch seat. Able to support up to 300 pounds, this chair is not just durable but stylish as well.
Antique Parlor Chairs
Buying Guide
Chloe Hughes
Interior Design Expert
Chloe is a highly-regarded expert in all things vintage and antique. She’s excited to share her vast knowledge with readers and clients wishing to infuse their homes with a mixture of old-time warmth and modern comfort. In addition to her design work, Chloe regularly volunteers at her local community center, teaching DIY projects to adults and kids.
Antique parlor chairs were a combination of comfort and ornate beauty. They were usually the best chairs in the house, reserved for company, sitting quietly on Sunday afternoons or for extremely special occasions. The seats and backs were frequently upholstered with embroidered fabric, the wood was carved, and ornately ornamented. The designs were varied, as one might expect.
-
Victorian Parlor Chairs
One characteristic of Victorian parlors was the extreme ornamentation. The Victorian parlor chair is no exception. The wide seats are constructed to allow ladies to manage their skirts, which might include bustles or crinolines, while the straight backs encouraged excellent posture. the back styles might vary, but many were ornamented with elaborate carving above the oval backrest. The arms were curved and delicate, as were the legs.
-
Louis XVIII French Parlor Chairs
The French parlor chairs were no less elaborate than the English but were more squarely built. The arms were wide rather than delicate, and the legs uncompromisingly upright and uniform in size from the foot to the seat. They, too, had wide seats to accommodate elaborate dress, and the seats and backs were frequently embroidered.
- Wing-Back Parlor Chairs
Not all of the chairs were delicate occasional chairs. Wing-back chairs were often found grouped on either side of a fireplace, or toward the ends of a sofa or love seat. Compared to today’s buildings, many homes were drafty places. A winged back helped to block drafts and was ideal for capturing heat. Even today, a wing-back chair makes a cozy place to relax. Add a nice footstool, a heated throw and pillow and a nap could definitely happen.
-
Sofas and Loveseats
Sofas and loveseats often had structures similar to the occasional chairs, with the curved legs for the Victorian parlor, or the uncompromising stance of the French furniture. The seats were deep, although perhaps not as long as the modern couch, and the back upholstery was tufted. The upholstery might vary, ranging from woven tapestry to stiff horsehair.
- Chippendale and Neoclassical
As might be expected, in Thirteen Colonies in North America, the wealthier colonists imitated their British counterparts. Neoclassical styles that drew heavily upon the classical Greek and Roman styles were highly favored, as were designs by Thomas Chippendale. Upholstery might be leather or a heavy damask.
-
Empire Style
Empire style parlor chairs traded heavily upon the neoclassical. But instead of the more delicate arms, they might have armrests that resembled the paws of a lion, or they might look like the long, delicate neck of a swan. Silk damasks were highly favored for upholstery. Some of the carved arms might even have been gilded.
-
Edwardian Era Parlor Chairs
By the Edwardian era, 1900-1950, parlors were being phased out in favor of dining rooms and living rooms, both of which were more geared toward family life than formal entertaining. The dining room chairs drew heavily on the heritage of the occasional chairs, with their upholstered seats and backs, delicate legs and arms.