What’s new in furniture? The search for the perfect wing back chair
A little while back, as I was shopping at August Haven, I fell for this traditional wing back chair upholstered in a very laid back comfy-casual plaid.
It wasn’t long after that when I noticed some wing back inspiration over at Urban Evolutions. Both these dining and side chairs were designed with an additional flared side profile that felt like a modernized and stylized nod to an original wing back’s purpose.
But what surprised me the most was my recent wanderings at Penny Mustard in Appleton, where the average upholstered chair was anything but average. After years of painfully drab options, and bulky recliners with nothing but plush comfort in mind (and zero design), I was surprised and excited to find chairs that were both good looking and extremely comfy. Here’s my Penny Mustard picks for what’s new in wing back chairs!
The Diamondback
The chair that drew me and started me down this line of thinking was this simple leather design. It has the outline of the wing back chair but what sets it apart for me is the great quilted upholstery that reminds me of a car interior. No buttons, no nail heads, just simple clean lines and uniform colored piping. Good for a transitional space, a modern industrial interior or a traditional room that needs an unexpected texture.
The Softer Side
Here’s perhaps the least masculine of the bunch for a leather chair. This buyer friendly colored leather that would fit with most aesthetics. Nail head trimmings, a flair to the legs and an unusual head rest give this chair a little bit of look that can go a long way in standing out among a more traditional living room set.
The Classic
When most people picture an ornate office chair or a fireside piece of furniture in a grande lodge they might imagine this chair. It does reflect all those traditional wing back qualities. Curved arms with nail heads and the bun feet make this option a little too predictable. I would shake it up by throwing it into a super casual room and draping it with a punchy hounds tooth pattern throw.
The Statement Piece
This wing back chair is similar to the plaid one at the beginning of this post. There isn’t too much about the style lines and profile that are pushing boundaries but the bold fabric choice is making this a statement piece. Mixed with neutral leathers it steals the show. The navy and gold colors could have leaned coastal except that the diamond pattern feels more formal, like classic menswear. It reminds me of a high end department store tie- in a good way. I love menswear fashion and ties, actually.
This additional pillow (below)- in a bedroom display opposite this living room set (above)- also gives me the feeling that we are referencing department store chic. This feels like a line of buckles and straps popularized on women’s purses and sheath dresses in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. While impractical on a comfy pillow- I love the accessory as a statement piece (And take note of the multi-colored piping, the gold leather beneath the chain and the fact that the ribbon is velvet. So many nice touches!).
The Seashell
The Penny Mustard associate referred to this as the seashell chair due to the vertical stuffed leather panels that create the curved back. I sat down and was sold! Most comfortable leather chair I have ever sat in. Those leather panels actually hug you. I wouldn’t hesitate to throw this in my main room to watch tv and would probably order an ottoman in the previous navy blue chair fabric to go with it.
And while that concludes my sampling of the wing back variety, I want to touch on a few other observations I had as long as we’re here.
Not a Wing Back Chair
Before I left the store I had to stop at this adorable little canary yellow side chair. I think the lines are very mid century modern, which seems to be trending right now, and the back mirrors the previous seashell chair. But my favorite part of this piece is the way they accessorized it with this pillow and placed it in a bedroom with a black and white dotted duvet. The combination of the medium scale and small scale prints in the same color scheme set against this pop of color was a perfect example of how to mix fabrics.
I can also say I really liked the combination of pillow fabrics shown here on a neutral sofa. You have a solid chenille pillow as the base with a tweed “menswear” looking middle pillow topped off with a more exotic focal point print. The interesting part of this blue printed pillow is the continuation of a trend I highlighted last fall from a showroom in Door County.
Here we see the stylized lion in the blue pillow on the far right (above) similar to the one at Penny Marshall. I can appreciate mixing these fabrics, that have a more detailed design, with larger scale and traditional prints, like Ikats, stripes and plaids.
As bold color and maximalist design continues to grow I predict we will see more of these Chinoiserie fabrics, more florals, a return of toiles that coincide with my pastoral art trend prediction and heavy woven tapestries in muted tones to usher in a more vintage European look.
Most of these trends are already in circulation but you rarely notice them until you start to really look. It’s pretty common to default to ordering the pillows that “match” the sofa and pretty much look like this-
Which is still the tried-and-true-safe-way to go but as I alluded to in an earlier post this year- now they’re just pillows, it’s not design. So I’m always excited when something comes along to shake things up!
Thanks for touring Penny Mustard in Appleton with me in search of the perfect wing back chair. I plan to go into depth more on patterns with examples of unexpected fabric combinations in the future. It will give me an excuse to re-examine my hoard of decorative pillows and pillow covers! Until then be sure to check out all these posts from earlier this year!
In Case you Missed It!
Five Colors to consider for your next sofa!
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