Plantation Chair
Buy the best plantation chair selected and recommended by interior designers. By Chloe Hughes.
For all of you decorating experts that trend towards the southern style, these plantation armchairs are the right tool for you to encapsulate the idea of a opulent manor home in the dixie lands. Sit back, watching lightning bugs on your front porch while you sip a nice, cold sweet tea, and relax. These chairs are comfortable and classic, befitting the needs of a hardworking southerner.
Plantation Chair
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.
Plantation arm chairs or Campeche chairs were manufactured in the Campeche region of the Yucatan Peninsula in the 18th and 19th century. They were highly favored in Latin America, the Caribbean, American South and even in the New England states. Thomas Jefferson had two “Campeachy” chairs at Monticello, and asked John Hemmings, one of his slaves, to make copies of them. James Madison owned a Mexican-made Campeche or plantation chair, which was described as “his favorite seat.” It is easy to see why the style is favored even today.
The scrolled wooden arms on some of the chairs, the use of wicker weave for seats and backs, and the relaxed shape of the chairs all point toward comfort. Not every “plantation” chair, however, is a Campeche chair or even an imitation. But most plantation chairs do focus on comfort.
- British plantation chair
A classic example of the Campeche or plantation chair, the British plantation chair has scrolled arms, an arched wood base, and lathe turned connecting braces. The seat and back are dense wickerwork, in an over and under pattern across reeds that run from the top of the back to the front of the seat. The result is elegance combined with exceptional comfort.
- Plantation Rocking Chair
No self-respecting veranda would be without at least one, and perhaps a pair of wicker rocking chairs. The plantation design rockers feature woven arms, back and seat with a cushion and perhaps a throw added for comfort. Although they can come in different colors, bright white was often the preferred color. The wicker weave over the wooden or bamboo framework has resilience. The motion of rocking would stir the air through the weave helping the seated person stay just a little bit cooler – a huge boon in the days before air conditioning, and not unappreciated in modern times.
- British Colonial Plantation Chair
This chair is a bit more British and a little less plantation. It has an upright shape, rather than a lounging one, and the seat is fabric rather than wicker. The back is still openwork to allow airflow, and – in this case – is worked with a central carving of a cluster of three palm trees. The body of the chair is a mahogany replica of antique colonial plantation chairs. The effect is entirely beautiful, and you can easily envision Scarlett O’Hara seating herself in one of these.
- Kubu Rattan Plantation Chair
The Kubu rattan plantation chair is a sort of meeting of styles. It is as if a parson’s chair and a Campeche chair were blended. The result is an upright chair that encourages good posture (no lounging here, folks) while utilizing the properties of Kubu rattan for the airy comfort of those seated in them. They are popular as dining room chairs, just as are parson’s chairs. The natural soft gray of the Kubu rattan creates an excellent backdrop for colorful cushions or throws. As with all the plantation chairs, style is combined with comfort for seating that is both lovely and practical.