This Irish armchair is one of the most comfortable chairs I make, and I built this particular example in elm and sycamore for an upcoming revised edition of “The Stick Chair Book.”
This chair is an original design of mine, but it borrows heavily from the Irish chairs I studied in person during 2019 and countless other examples from auctions and antique dealers. It is ideal for relaxing or reading, with its broad backrest cradling your back just below your shoulder blades.
The seat is tilted 7.4°, with the back tilted another 25°. Yet the chair doesn’t try to put you in a horizontal position like a chaise-lounge. The seat is 16-3/4” off the floor, which makes it comfortable for a wider range of sitters than most modern chairs.
The backrest and seat come from a single board of American sycamore from Tennessee. The rest of the chair is elm. These two woods are ideal for chairmaking because they resist splitting. So the joints on this chair are hammered and wedged particularly tight. All the joints are assembled with hide glue, which we make here, and are wedged for durability.
The chair is finished with a soft wax (also made here). It offers a low lustre and looks better the more you use the chair. The finish isn’t terribly durable, but it is easily repaired (just add more soft wax). The legs have painted green “socks” on the feet. This is a traditional touch that protects the feet from scuffs (and looks good).
How to Buy the Chair
The chair is $1,800. That price includes shipping and crating to anywhere in the lower 48. If you wish to buy the chair, send an email to lapdrawing@lostartpress.com before 3 p.m. (Eastern) on Friday, May 30. Please use the subject line: “Irish chair.” In the email please include your:
- U.S. shipping address
- Daytime phone number (this is for the trucking quote only)
If you are the “winner,” the chair will be shipped to your door. The price includes the crate and all shipping charges. Alternatively, the chair can be picked up at our storefront. (I’m sorry but the chair cannot be shipped outside the U.S.)
— Christopher Schwarz
are the green socks just paint?