A Brief History of the Armchair: From Wingbacks to the Mid-Century Lounge Chair
Every major armchair design in British homes answered a heating problem, a posture problem or a space problem. Our history reads the form in that order: the wingback enclosed a sitter against draughts and held the radiant heat of an open fire, the club chair lowered and raked the seat for lingering rather than upright attention, and the mid century lounge chair stripped away mass because post war rooms were smaller and needed to feel lighter. The report traces seat height falling steadily across the period as sitting posture reclined, explains why raising a frame on legs makes a modest room read as larger, and notes why mid century proportions remain the easiest to carry up a narrow British staircase. It compares wingback, club, mid century, tub and reclining forms by footprint, seat character and the room conditions each suits, with walkway clearances for each. Choose by the job the chair must do, not by period style....
