Lessons From 3 Chairs

During my last day in the U.K. last week, we crammed in as much as possible. It was like a hot dog eating contest. But instead of cased meats, we were consuming culture. And instead of a stomach ache, I became consumed by ennui (just kidding, I got Covid).

One of the last stops before Paddington Station was at Robert Young Antiques in London. I’ll make any excuse to stop here. Everything in the store is wonderful. Of course, we were on the lookout for stick chairs. And we found three winners.

In the front room was this Welsh comb-back with unusual arms. Look how far forward the hands are to the seat. That is unusual. The seat is shallow – 12” at most. But you would be surprised how comfortable these shallow chairs can be. 

Also of note: the oval side stretchers. These are a fairly Welsh characteristic as far as I can tell. And they are one that I have embraced with my chairs lately.

And, of course, the seat is not saddled. 

The second chair was also Welsh and what we call a root-back chair, likely an 18th-century example.

These chairs have a wildness to them that I always love. This chair is twisted to the right – almost like a corner chair. It’s difficult to see it in the photos. Definitely not symmetrical (symmetry can be boring, darling).

As always, I love to see three-leggers out in the wild. And the little “heart” on the arm indicates it’s sold. Awww. Someone else loves it, too.

The third chair is wild. Look at the negative space between the front post and the back sticks. That is nuts. Also, check out the back sticks themselves. They are fanned out dramatically. That’s a bit unusual for a folk chair. But what is even wilder is that the sticks are hexagonal/octagonal. And they carry their shape above the arm.

The whole chair is fascinating. The legs are so diminutive compared to the massive seat. Even after a few days of sitting with this chair, I don’t quite have it figured out.

— Christopher Schwarz