Relax in Superior Comfort and Classic Style With Our Guide to Club Chairs

What is a Club Chair?

With its classic good looks and beautiful styling, contemporary club chairs are not dissimilar to the original – a 19th-century French leather, tufted back arm chair. It’s often assumed that the name refers to the salubrious gentlemen’s clubs of the era, but it actually originates from fauteuil confortable – French for ‘comfortable chair’, differentiating it from the other popular chair of the time, the fauteuil de style, which had a much more formal, less curvaceous form.

In style, the club chair was designed to be a supremely comfortable low chair, with a deep seat, and a high, curved back. Often made from leather, and including tufting and brass studs for decoration, it was the favored chair of elite gentlemen’s clubs – hence the confusion over the name. The leather used was traditionally sheep leather, which due to its high lanolin content and fine grain, gave the chairs a unique burnished patina, that developed over time.

The generously curved back allowed for more secretive conversations to take place, and to give the impression of cliques, with a ‘them and us’ attitude, so prevalent in prestigious clubs of the time. It also offered secluded comfort for gentlemen to relax, enjoy a brandy and cigar, whilst reading the newspaper.

In modern homes, the gorgeously comfy contemporary club chair is often used as a stylish accent, or occasional, chair – two placed, as a design-conscious pair, either side of a roaring fireplace, or as a companion next to a plush luxurious sofa. In a cozy guest bedroom, a club chair in velvet can lend an exquisite touch of decadence, or maybe in a large bathroom, the surprise element of a beautiful club chair enhances the feeling of pampered relaxation. In fact, there really are very few places where a stylish club chair cannot bring a little je ne sais quoi.

Scroll To Top