English fireplace chair with ears - types and features of models

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Comfortable upholstered furniture brings comfort and warmth to your home environment. It will help you rest, relax, and be in silence. A favorite piece of furniture can be a fireplace chair, which is popular all over the world. These are soft, pleasant to the touch products with wings that smoothly turn into armrests. Such models have many names: grandfather, winged, Voltaire.

Appearance and features

Armchairs with high backs have become widespread in modern interiors. A feature of the Voltaire model is the size of the supporting surface. It often depends on the depth of the seat. You can recognize a traditional English-style chair by the following characteristics:

• low curved wooden legs;
• massive deep seat;
• a narrow high back on which you can rest your head;
• wings (ears, cheeks) on the sides of the back.

Ears can be compact or large, curly or standard rectangular. In some models they resemble the wings of a bat or moth. Today, a stylish fireplace chair comes in various variations: with a quilted or smooth surface, with a rounded or straight back. Armrests can be made of wood or decorated with textile upholstery.

Modern fireplace chairs can be very different from classic models. There are low, straight, rounded products. A variety of options are allowed, but the Voltaire version can always be recognized by the presence of 4 wooden legs and specific armrests.

Design and rules for choosing English fireplace chairs with ears

Frame

The frame is most often made from wood blocks, as well as furniture plywood. This solution is the most reliable and effective. Some budget models use MDF or chipboard instead of plywood.

In general, the frame design is quite complex. In fact, the sidewall combined with the ear consists of bars covered with plywood or particle board. An important point is the use of bars not only along the contour, but also diagonally. As a result, the structure can withstand all types of loads perfectly.

Gaming chairs, as well as those made according to modern design projects, can use plastic or metal in the frame.

Back and seat

To choose the right Voltaire chair, you need to take into account the size of the seats. A special feature of this furniture is the presence of two sizes that each model has. There is a useful size, which is the seat itself, usually 60 centimeters in width and depth. They also indicate the overall dimensions of the seat along with the armrests; the most common size is 90 centimeters.

Height is calculated in the same way. First, they look at the seat height; 40–50 centimeters is considered optimal. But the total height, including the back, is approximately 110–120 centimeters. Although this parameter may be influenced by the style of furniture, as well as its type. For example, bergeres often do not exceed 70 centimeters in height.

Upholstery

Upholstery has a huge impact on the overall design of furniture. The correct choice largely determines how effectively the chair will fit into the interior. The main requirement is the use of durable and stain-resistant fabrics. Let's list the most common fabrics.

• Matting. Simple, almost classic material. Often used in Provence style.
• Shinilla. It is a fabric with the addition of fleecy fibers.
• Microfiber. It has good air permeability and absorbs moisture well. Cleans great.
• Jacquard. High quality tapestry fabric.
• Satin. In practice this is rare. Features easy cleaning.
• Tapestry. It is this material that has been used in such chairs for a long time. The most popular option among the British themselves.
• Thick velor. Provides soft and beautiful coverage.
• Flock. It is used only by the latest generations, where spraying with glue is not used.
• Corduroy or micro-corduroy. High quality fabric. Lasts a long time. But it gets dirty quickly, so you shouldn’t buy such a chair if you have animals.
• Nylon or fabrics with a significant content of it. Modern material. It is highly resistant to abrasion. It removes air well from the back when sitting in a chair for a long time.
• Acrylic mesh is used in fragments, for places where the back is closest to the back. Often used as a complement to artificial or natural leather.
• Eco leather. Using this material, fireplace chairs are often made in the living room.
• Good quality genuine leather. The material is resistant to most loads. The disadvantage is the high cost.
• Alcantara. It looks good and is practically not afraid of contamination. Relatively inexpensive option.
• Nubuck (hairy leather). A good option if your house is decorated in a classic style.

Often, all fabrics with a loose structure quickly lose their appearance. The reason is the tight fit in such a chair.

In order for the chair to fit optimally into the design, you also need to select the decor. The options are as follows.

• Carved frame. It is a figured overlay on the back, sometimes the overlay is placed on the bottom. High-quality carving blends harmoniously with the silhouette of the chair. The thread width is no more than 7–9 centimeters.
• Upholstery with stitching. Suitable if the room is made in English style. A diamond stitch looks best with round overlays placed at the center of the intersections.
• Carved or turned legs. May be bent. Depending on the design concept, all legs or only the front ones are decorated.
• Decorative rollers. They are hung with silk tassels, covered with folds, and equipped with special decorative overlays.

Base

The base of the chair must be the legs. They can be of the following types.

• Direct. The simplest option. All supports are undecorated.
• Inclined. Can be carved or straight. The main feature is the slope, which is why they are often called stops.
• Curved. Curly legs may have one or two bends.
• Combined. The front legs are curved, the hind legs are straight.
• Globular. These are found on bergeres. The leg is straight and small, ending in a small ball.
• Stand. There is only one leg in the center, resting on a wide circle. Typically used in designer models.

An armchair with ears is perfect for any living room, even if there is no fireplace. By choosing the right furniture, you are guaranteed to enjoy comfort while relaxing.

Varieties

There are several forms of winged chairs, but the differences between them are minimal. The exception to the rule will be designer models. Traditional varieties include:

1. Bergere. A French variation with a semicircular back, similar in appearance to a shell. The side panels are slightly beveled.
2. Bergere with a curl. The wings in such products are rolled up at the edges. The backrest is slightly shorter than that of traditional chairs, reaching the middle of the shoulder blades of the seated person.
3. Straight back. Classic furniture, made in compliance with the English style. Solid sidewalls with cheeks are located with a minimal bevel and almost at a right angle to the back. The armrests are the narrowest.
4. Provence. The design is no different from previous varieties. The differences include the wide comfort bolsters. The sides are produced independently of the ears.

There are models whose creators used the features of Voltaire’s chairs. Although they have their own unique features, they still remain recognizable:

1. Egg and swan. Based on English products, a couple of pieces of furniture with an interesting interpretation were developed. At the same time, the characteristic features were preserved, and therefore they are easy to recognize.
2. Gaming chairs. Fireplace chairs have gained immense popularity, so the side panels of gaming models have become a continuation of the classic wings. The lateral support expands downwards, turning into a second ear.

It is no coincidence that fireplace chairs are called that. Thanks to the design features, a seated person is completely protected from drafts, and the heat emanating from the fire will be retained. Many writers and artists who worked in the Victorian era invariably depicted idyllic episodes of family life with a burning fireplace and a cozy eared chair.

Bergère

Bergere with curl

Straight back

Provence

Egg chair

Dimensions

Dimensions of different models:

1. The seat width is about 60 cm, the depth is between 70–90 cm (if the chair is made independently, for convenience, the seat is often turned into a square with a side of 60–70 cm);
2. The height of the seat relative to the floor is about 50 cm, the height of the backrest is up to 1.1–1.2 m (these are the parameters for chairs in the classic English style). For regular Bergers, the dimensions are reduced to 40 cm and 70 cm, respectively; for Bergers with a curl, the height of the seat and back is almost the same - about 50 cm.

A variety of bean bags from IKEA, popular colors and shapes

These dimensions guarantee the fireplace chairs strength and stability, and as a result, durability. The dimensions have been tested over several centuries of their operation. The invariability of the design greatly simplifies the task for those who want to make fireplace chairs with their own hands - the drawings are easy to find in the public domain. Although the work itself is quite a difficult task. What appears to be a single piece of wood from the outside is, on the inside, a combination of timbers that provide the necessary strength and weight distribution.

Types of legs

The main support of the chairs are the legs, which are also the base of the furniture. Legs have always been given special importance, so each master made them in his own way. The most popular types of bases are:

1. Direct. All 4 legs will be smooth, without bends, with the same height.
2. Curved. They have a double bend and are decorated with carvings. The turned legs are thin; in the lower part you can see a slight thickening, reminiscent of an animal paw. This base gives the product elegance and unique charm.
3. Inclined. Mounted to the body at a slight angle. The legs themselves are teardrop-shaped or even. Compared to straight ones, they will be more massive; in some cases, they are made of chrome-plated steel.
4. Combined. The pair of hind legs are straight, the front legs are curved. An English fireplace chair with such a base looks unusual, but looks most impressive from the side.
5. Globular. Only used on bergeres. The elements are short and even, ending in a small hemisphere.
6. Stand. The basis is relevant for designer products (egg and some other models). The chair has only one leg, which ends in a semicircular base, located in the center.
7. Cross. Suitable for gaming chairs only. As in the previous case, there will be only one leg. The design rests on a five-pointed cross with several movable wheels.

Each Voltaire chair has legs. Modern models are equipped with casters for convenient movement.

For which interior is the chair in front of the fireplace best suited?

A piece of furniture such as a fireplace chair will fit perfectly into almost any style of room, you just need to play with it correctly. Classic is the most familiar and suitable option for creating an interior with such furniture; it is distinguished by the presence of predominantly expensive materials, where either pastel and brown colors predominate, or gold and burgundy are in the lead. The upholstery of such a chair should correspond to the overall style and be an elegant addition to it.

For the Provence style, you need to more carefully select the color scheme of the upholstery material - it should be light shades, with the presence of floral patterns.

The fireplace chair is ideal for almost any interior.

It is better for the wooden parts to be white, then harmony and comfort are ensured, even with such an unusual piece of furniture for the French style. For retro and modern style, a leather chair will be most suitable; the color of the material depends on the overall tone of the room - black leather is suitable for cool tones, and brown leather will look more harmonious for warm pastel colors. In order not to unbalance the oriental style with such furniture, you need to choose upholstery in a style such as patchwork; it will create the right mood and set you up for a relaxing pastime.

For this not quite widespread boho style, the most suitable option would be to purchase a chair with bat ears, with elements of fancy shapes and colors. Many people wonder whether to purchase such a dubious piece of furniture - will it clutter up the space or just gather dust in the corner? Experts recommend weighing the pros and cons, and then deciding on such a purchase - if the family often gathers in the living room, and there is a fireplace, or when there are elderly relatives in the family, then this piece of furniture will serve you with joy and bring incredible pleasure.

Decor

When creating an unusual room interior, decorative furniture elements are important. Voltaire's chairs don't have so many of them:

1. Carriage tie. This design looks luxurious and expensive. Initially, the method was used to uniformly distribute the filler. To apply this decorative effect, you will need a thick fabric without patterns. Suitable leather, satin, high quality leatherette. Only dense material will not tear when tightened. On a canvas with drawings, the carriage tie will be almost invisible.
2. Carved frame. It is fixed at the bottom of the product or frames the back. The carving looks harmonious in tandem with the elegant shape of the English chair. When decorating, it is important to adhere to the measure; the width of the decor should not exceed 8 cm.
3. Bent turned and carved legs. Great idea for decorating furniture. Curves may be present on all 4 legs or only on the two front legs, while the back legs remain straight.
4. Decorative rollers. The upholstery of the products can have folds and be complemented with interesting overlays with silk tassels.

The carriage screed appeared in the middle of the 19th century. This method was originally used to decorate the interior surfaces of royal carriages, hence the name. Since then, such decor has been associated with high status, luxury and wealth.

Application in the interior

Despite the features and aristocracy of the English chair, it is successfully used to create interiors of a wide variety of styles. We list the directions in which the furniture will look most organic:

1. Classic. An elegant fireplace chair will highlight all the advantages of a classic design and bring a solemn, luxurious atmosphere to palace halls.
2. Art Deco. The style, which emerged at the beginning of the last century, combines the features of expensive apartments and technological progress. Leather furniture with modern shapes will come in handy. The variety of upholstery materials and color combinations opens up enormous opportunities for implementing bold solutions.
3. Provence. The elegant simplicity of the French province with aged objects, sheer curtains and lavender shades is organically complemented by a Voltaire armchair upholstered in light fabric.
4. Retro or vintage. No matter what the fireplace chair with ears looks like, it will fit harmoniously into black and white vintage interiors. The furniture will look no less organic against the backdrop of rural retro notes. The colors are selected in accordance with the overall design of the room.
5. Shabby chic. Models with mesh upholstery will fit into an atmosphere of feminine patterns, calm tones and cracked surfaces.
6. Boho. The direction gravitates towards rich colors, oriental motifs, energy and a bohemian atmosphere. To highlight the features of your style, just choose a chair that matches the color. So, a bright red model will become one of the main accents in the room.

Comfortable fireplace chairs are an indispensable attribute of a cozy living room or relaxation room. It is convenient to do handicrafts, read books or simply relax in them, enjoying the peace. Today, furniture is installed in home libraries, hallways, and offices. To add variety to your usual relaxation routine, you can complement the chair with a suitable footrest.

Classic

Art Deco

Provence

Retro

Shabby chic

boho

Variety of rocking chairs

More recently, this furniture was the prerogative of only classic interiors. Usually, when talking about a rocking chair, my memory immediately comes to mind of a grandmother knitting socks, or a grandfather with a newspaper in his hands. But in the modern world, a rocking chair can be used by people of different ages. Based on this, manufacturers offer such furniture made in a variety of shapes and from any material. Now they can be placed in an apartment that is far from rustic style.

Models of rocking chairs made of wood, rattan or willow using the weaving method are very common. They are very comfortable to sit on and can easily support a lot of weight. Such furniture is suitable for calm living rooms, designed with a touch of classics and romance.

In addition, such rocking chairs are the most environmentally friendly and durable. This furniture will last for generations. The design of each product is unique, so it is simply impossible to find a similar one. But the cost of these furniture items is quite high.

For modern style trends, you can choose more interesting models, for example, made of metal or plastic. In addition to the material, there is a variety of designs and colors for the rocking chair.

Experts think through the design of rocking chairs down to the smallest detail. So now there are models equipped with a smooth swing mechanism or with special places for storing small items.

For simple interiors, you can suggest installing a rocking chair on a metal or wooden frame with leather upholstery by the fireplace. This product looks expensive, and the design is strong and durable.

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