This is my next quest. I've always been a huge fan of classic French Louis style chairs, whether they are XV or XVI (as seen above). Perhaps I lived in Paris a bit too long, or I'm simply obsessed with chairs in general. (I'm leaning towards the latter)
According to Artquid.com "The basic difference between a Louis XV and a Louis XVI chair is that the former has not a single straight line, while the latter always has at least straight legs. " The Louis XV chairs are said to be much more feminine and full of curves, while the XVI is a bit more masculine. Now you might be thinking there isn't much masculinity in the chairs pictured above, but true to form, they do at least have straight legs.
There are many modern recreations of these styles. The Louis Ghost Chair, seen below in white and black, also comes in clear (hence the ghost) and a variety or tinted lucite colors.
Paint and upholstery has also given new life to these classic chairs. Their time-honored style allows for a modern revival, mixing bright colors, wild patterns and fresh metallics.
Now I'm sure I could check Craig's list a million times and never find myself one of these, but it sure is fun to try. This challenge, to find one great armchair, or a lovely pair of side chairs, may take a while. But as we all know, I've got plenty to do in the meantime. True I could probably go to BallardDesigns.com and find a selection of new ones there, in a variety of fabrics, but where is the fun in that? Plus I'd probably feel really badly spray painting a brand new chair black or gold, or a pale robin's egg blue.
Don't give up on Craigslist! I found one on there for free, and thought I'd never find a second one to be it's buddy. It took about 4 months of constantly checking CL, but I finally found one back in March!
ReplyDeleteI'm using your guide to figure out if I have Louis XV or Louis XVI!