Find a variety of wingback barrel chairs available on 1stDibs. Frequently made of
wood,
fabric and
animal skin, all wingback barrel chairs available were constructed with great care. Wingback barrel chairs have been produced for many years, with earlier versions available from the 18th Century and newer variations made as recently as the 21st Century.
Georgian,
Regency and
Modern wingback barrel chairs are consistently popular styles. Wingback barrel chairs have been a part of the life’s work for many furniture makers, but those produced by
Bjork Studio,
Baker Furniture Company and
Chesterfield are consistently popular.
They may not offer structural support, but the wings on antique and vintage wingback chairs certainly do have a purpose or did, when the design was first conceived in England in the 1600s.
Back then, the armchair protrusions were meant to protect the sitter from drafts and from the strong heat radiating from the large fireplaces that were popular at the time. This explains why the wingback is so strongly associated with cozying up by the fireplace.
Although the functional aspect of a wingback may be obsolete in the 21st century, the chairs have maintained their popularity over the years and have seen waves of revivals, from mid-century modern spinoffs to playful contemporary adaptations (like the Bear chair by Pierre Yovanovitch, wherein the place of wings are furry ears — a cheeky send-up of Hans Wegner’s iconic mid-century Papa Bear chair).
Shop the most innovative versions of wingback chairs today on 1stDibs.
