Parson Chairs have recently become very popular, particularly amongst young American Families and so I thought I just take the time to explain exactly what a Parson Chair is and give a few thoughts about why they’ve become so popular again. Put simply a Parson chair is a traditional dining chair with an upright back and no arm supports. Many people think the name Parson Chair comes from something to do with the church but this isn’t true, rather the name comes from a French design school, The Parsons School of Design.
Parson Chairs are generally considered to be a part of dining room furniture, with a solid wood table, often a Parson Table, usually paired with a pair or a set of four chairs. They are usually padded on the seat and have a solid wooden back which may or may not be padded. Because of their sleek and simple lines Parson Chairs and tables are very versatile and can be used in many different styles of room. And because there are great contemporary styles available too you can even a set in a modern dining room.
But the real reason that Captain Chairs have become really popular, in my opinion, is that folks have realised how versatile they are and that they can be used not just in the dining room but in almost any room in the home. Often Dad’s favourite chair is a captain and you’ll frequently see them in sunny conservatories or even in front of computers.
Another reason for Captain Chairs resurgence in popularity is that they come in all sorts of different designs and colours nowadays. With woods from pine to mahogany to oak oak, a wide range of fabrics from cotton to chintz and every colour you could imagine (though I’ve yet to see a pink one!). What this means is that from being though of in the past a little staid or even boring modern captain chairs have an upbeat contemporary image and they occupy places of pride in many modern households.
Hopefully I’ve given you an introduction to captain chairs and at the very least a little curiosity and the urge to go and at least have a look. I hesitate to say this but I think there’s a captain chair to suit almost anyone’s taste, young or old, traditional or modern and funky, there’s a chair out there for you somewhere. So I’d recommend that you check these chairs out, as they say, you never know and you might be pleasantly surprised.