Well Stuffed — The Open Art Fair

1 July 2021

The Victorians knew a thing or two about comfortable chairs. It's little wonder they remain as sought after in the 21st century.

Giles Kime

Interiors Editor of Country Life and Former Editor of Decanter magazine, Giles has written three books: Decorating, Decorate To Speculate and Secrets Of Wine.

A 19th Century Howard & Sons armchair, standing on mahogany tapered front legs, H:90cm x W:79cm x D: 90cm.Image courtesy of Lorfords Antiques. — A 19th Century Howard & Sons armchair, standing on mahogany tapered front legs, H:90cm x W:79cm x D: 90cm.
Image courtesy of Lorfords Antiques.

What do we have to learn from the Victorians about comfort? Quite a lot, according to those with long experience of disemboweling 19th century armchairs and putting them back together, fit to fight another day.

The first lesson is that Victorian plutocrats liked their upholstery cosseting and carefully configured with geometry that offered succour after a long day. Compared to Georgian and Regency seating it was relatively slouchy. Not only had demands changed but so, too, had the engineering; upholstered furniture was transformed by advances in making springs that had originally been pioneered by coach builders to soften the blow of cobbled streets and bumpy tracks. The advent of an hourglass shaped coil spring for upholstery and mattresses was also a game changer for furniture makers. Patented in 1826 by Samuel Pratt, a manufacturer of camping furniture with premises in Bond Street, it transformed the possibilities of creating upholstered furniture.

The antique dealer and interior designer Max Rollitt believes that while horse hair had the capacity to offer great comfort, the winning combination of both springs and feathers was a major leap forward, particularly in the skilled hands of Howard & Sons, the legendary furniture maker based in Berners Street, the epicentre of the industry responsible for beautifying smarter Victorian homes. For the Gloucestershire antique dealer, Toby Lorford (who, like Max Rollitt, also makes new upholstered furniture informed by his knowledge of antique upholstery) believes that the new mood was also down to a relaxing of starchy Regency formality and dress codes, precipitated by those both enriched and enlightened by the industrial revolution. A more laid back way of living (well, relatively, at least) meant more laid back seating.

Dean - a Victorian drawing room sofa handmade using a solid beech frame, H:84 cm x W: 219 cm x D:94 cm.Image courtesy of Max Rollitt. — Dean - a Victorian drawing room sofa handmade using a solid beech frame, H:84 cm x W: 219 cm x D:94 cm.
Image courtesy of Max Rollitt.

The Victorian emphasis on upholstered comfort took many forms; as well as more elaborate construction, the emphasis was also on shapes and proportions that were configured to support the human frame wherever it was needed. It’s a focus that has been largely lost in modern upholstered furniture that, too often, is a triumph of style (and foam) over substance. Modernists, in particular, favoured low uncomfortable seating that flattered the proportions of a space. However, while modular L shaped sofas might exude a sense of relaxation, that’s because they are effectively beds, intended for sprawling in front of a marathon series on Netflix.

The Highgate Sofa, inspired by the Howard & Son's Leeds model, H:90cm x W:180cm x D:104cm.Image courtesy of Lorfords Contemporary. — The Highgate Sofa, inspired by the Howard & Son's Leeds model, H:90cm x W:180cm x D:104cm.
Image courtesy of Lorfords Contemporary.

As a source of comfort and relaxation, Victorian upholstery sits perfectly placed between the upright formality of the early 19th century and the downright laxity of the 21st and demonstrates that comfort and elegance are not mutually exclusive. Yet Toby Lorford highlights the fact that good upholstery also improves with age. Like an old pair of shoes, it yields to the demands imposed on it. In that respect, we have another lesson to learn from the Victorians; the combination of robust joints and natural materials creates an opportunity for furniture to be both incredibly robust, as well as flexible, a quality demonstrated by the scores of timber framed buildings constructed in the Middle Ages that have survived to tell the tale. That, perhaps, is where comfort lies, the strength to move as well as the strength to bounce back.

Howard Chair - ‘Based on a traditional Howard armchair, this is an exact copy of a Harley armchair’, H: 90.5 cm x W:80 cm x D:108 cm.Image courtesy of Max Rollitt. — Howard Chair - ‘Based on a traditional Howard armchair, this is an exact copy of a Harley armchair’, H: 90.5 cm x W:80 cm x D:108 cm.
Image courtesy of Max Rollitt.

Both Max Rollitt and Toby Lorford are quick to point out that comfort is about more than furniture; it’s also engendered by an environment that comprises good lighting, pleasing paintings and thick rugs. The agreeable challenge we face is not just bringing all these elements together in a coherent fashion but also finding pieces we love. As the late, great antiques dealer Christopher Gibbs describes it, ‘Following your nose. Finding out who the best merchant is. Sleuthing round sale rooms. Then only buy the things you're really turned on by.’

It's hard not to be turned on by a well made Victorian chair in good nick. Ever since Uncle Monty's drawing room in Withnail & I precipitated a renaissance in good Victorian upholstery, it has been a sound investment. Howard & Sons remains the gold standard and an unrestored example will set you back £3,000 - £4,000 at auction. One that has been brought back to life could set you back £7,000, not much more than a good quality contemporary homage to the style. Which is better value? Now that's a question to ponder.