History of Chairs
Chairs are an ancient invention and for a large part of human history were symbols of state and dignity (thrones) rather than objects of ordinary use. Whereas a table acted as an altar and made objects special by raising them from the dirt (uplift), a chair did much the same for its occupant.
Even today "the chair" is still extensively used as the emblem of authority in the House of Commons and other settings. Committees, boards of directors, and academic departments all have a 'chairperson' and endowed professorships are referred to as chairs. It was not until the 16th century that chairs became common anywhere. The chest, the bench and the stool were the ordinary seats of everyday life and the numbers of chairs surviving from earlier dates are very limited. Our knowledge of the chairs of remote antiquity is derived almost entirely from monuments, sculpture and paintings. To be seated in a fine chair is to be honoured and our fine oak chairs confer the mark of distinction.
The earliest known Greek chair dates back to 5-6th Centuries BCE and in ancient Egypt chairs were handmade items of richness and splendour. Fashioned of finely carved wood, chairs were covered with costly materials, magnificent designs and supported upon carvings of the legs of beasts. During 7-10th Centuries AD, seating was used by the Chinese elite and by the 12th Century had spread to many levels of society.
In Europe, it was largely due the Renaissance that the chair ceased to be a privilege of state and became an available item of furniture whomever could afford to buy it. Once the exclusive domain of the elite, our handmade oak chairs are designed to make everyone feel comfortable and privileged.