Who Doesn't Love This Chair?
One of the most frequent requests from our design clients, particularly in The Catskills, is to develop a space to be more warm and cozy. Although each project is different, our go to item help fill this need is the vintage leather club chair. It works in most environments and instantly adds just the right element of warmth and sophistication. And it always looks like it’s been in the family for generations. Lately, we’ve really been loving layering the chair with a lush double-pelt sheepskin to really amp up the comfort. Once you’re in one of these set ups, you’ll never want to leave. Cue the crackling fire and well aged scotch.
Not only is the vintage leather club chair lovely to behold and comfortable, but it has an interesting history (if you’re design geeks like us). BTW, we swiped most of this from the website fauteuils-club-chairs.com
The leather club chair was originally made by French craftsmen and its inspiration goes back to England in the 19th century with the creation of the Chesterfield Sofa. Named as the ‘fauteuil confortable’, this piece didn’t take much time to become a design sensation. With a vegetable-tanned sheep's leather covering, the marks and defects in the skin are visible through the dye, making each chair unique. Furthermore, the incredibly fine grain gives the armchair a unique patina over time. French leather was renowned for its quality in the 19th century. Between six and eight skins are required to cover an armchair. They are applied wet, stretched as tightly as possible, and contract as they dry.
The description ‘club chair’ harkens back to the gentlemen's clubs in nineteenth century England where a man could go to get away from his household, and sink into a well-upholstered leather chair, relax with a drink and perhaps a cigar. It’s important to point out that before the the Club chair, chairs were not seen as an item of comfort but more as utilitarian. Beyond iconic, this vintage chair has become the most coveted chair in the world and has inspired many designers, from early 20th century masters Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, and Charlotte Perriand to Philippe Starck in the 1980’s and 1990’s with the creation of the Bubble Club.
Discover the best reproduction we’ve come across here: https://www.globalhomeny.com/products/vintage-leather-arnold-club-chair
and our favorite sheepskin layering piece here: https://www.globalhomeny.com/products/sheepskin-double-pelt-rugs