Get to Know Louis-Style Chairs
Louis-style chairs originated during the reigns of French kings Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI, and they have remained design classics ever since. You’ve surely spotted these gorgeous chairs all over Houzz and in your favorite design mags — but how do you tell them apart? Get ready to find out! We are going to start with the Louis XVI–style chair and work our way backward in time.
Clean lines and delicate craftsmanship make these the most modern looking of the Louis chairs. The design came about during the reign of Louis XVI, the 19-year-old monarch, and his bride, Marie Antoinette. During this time there was a resurgence in interest in classical Greece and Rome, which you can see in the column-like legs and geometric carvings of Louis XVI chairs. There is more visible wood and less gilding than with earlier styles.
Style cheat sheet:
- Straight legs, often with column-inspired fluting
- Clean lines
- Oval or rectangular seat back
- Geometric details
The furniture in Versailles when Marie Antoinette moved in was mostly Louis XV style, left over from her father-in-law’s reign. The chairs typically have shorter armrests that end before the edge of the seat, and scroll-shaped, comfortably angled backs.
More about Louis-Style Chairs
Get to Know Louis-Style Chairs
