Beautiful collection of statement chairs

Statement Chairs 

Building a home interior is a process that for some people can take a lifetime. The cathartic nature of creating an interior that reflects ourselves and family is something that takes personal consideration for everyone involved.  Obviously, we can’t have existential musings on all our household appliances and furniture, however there is one little piece of furniture that seems to hold a special place in our hearts – a statement chair.  Sometimes handed down through generations as a family heirloom or found in dusty antique shop when you weren’t really looking for it, they carry real memories that make up the spiritual fabric of our homes.

Statement chairs not only carry a sentimental story but they can evoke the essence of the type of environment you are aiming to create using their unique design to punctuate an interior.

Beautiful vintage chair in our recycled Endure Chrome fabric

How to find the perfect statement chair for your home

If you are in the market for a statement chair, before instinctively thinking about buying new have a think about purchasing an older chair and having it reupholstered. A general rule of thumb is that older chairs can have a good solid construction. Plus, there are some seriously beautiful classic chairs out there you can pick up second hand – Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona, Hans Wegner’s Papa Bear, Le Corbusier’s Grand Confort, Eileen Gray’s Transat and of course no list of classic chairs could be complete without Arne Jacobsen’s iconic Egg Chair.

If these are a little out of your price range but you are interested in this type of style, search for mid-century modern chairs or 20th century Danish chairs to find something similar. 

The iconic Ercol number 427 chair covered here in our Beatnik Bask fabric

If you are considering buying a used chair to renovate, see our blog here on the benefits of reupholstery, of which there are many…

How you use your chair

Yes, the look of the chair is important but before you do anything else take a few moments to consider how you want to use it. Some people want to curl up and have a quiet space to take time out of a busy day to read or watch tv, as opposed to someone who requires more functionality wanting back support and needing to be able to get in and out of the chair many times a day. Getting this right will dramatically improve your enjoyment of the chair as the years pass.

A beautiful French vintage chair in our Botanical Midnight fabric

Durability and picking the right fabric 

If you’ve found the love of your life in chair form, and are now ready to renovate it, there are a few things to consider. Consider the chairs location – a bedroom chair will be used far less than a living room chair, so durability must be considered before you even start to look at the design of the fabric. All good fabric retailers should be able to advise on this. In the UK the test for wear on fabric is a Martindale rub test. To use the example of a bedroom chair which would normally get occasional use, you can afford to look at fabrics with a test as low as 14,000 rubs. However, if the chair is in a front room or busy area of the house and used for hours every day, the performance needs to be at least double and probably 30,000 rubs and upwards. Also, if the chair is likely to be susceptible to spills having the ability to wipe and clean the fabric must be a factor.

Something popular at the moment is mixing more than one fabric on a piece of furniture. This can be used to great impact by not only contrasting colours, textures and patterns, but is also a little trick to use to put more delicate fabrics on parts of furniture that are not sat on i.e. lower Martindale test fabrics, whilst using more durable fabrics on the higher impact parts of the furniture. 

For more helpful information on choosing colours, see our article on choosing colour here.

Custom made armchair in our Plush Milk fabric

Using design and colour to create the look you want 

This is the exciting bit we all want to do first but must wait until all else is considered. Statement chairs come into their own at this point because they are the opportunity to add that splash of intrigue to an interior. Ask yourself what impact you want to create. For example, if your chair is in a hallway and is the first thing you see when the front door is opened, here is your chance to put a large bold fabric design that’s creates an immediate impression as you walk in – see our Rufus collection here. However, if the chair is in the living room next to the fireplace maybe you want to create a calming environment so consider a cozier, warmer fabric to denote a calming theme like our Coorie collection here.

A beautiful statement chair in our Coorie Loch fabric

Acquiring the right statement chair will provide a lifetime of happiness. Even if you move house and downsize, its likely you’ll always be able to find space for that chair you love. A statement chair gives a real opportunity to create something special and unique to you and so it is well worth spending some time on producing yourself a really beautiful piece of furniture. Check out our beautiful collections of fabrics, we’re sure you’ll find something just perfect for your chair – See all Weave Collections.