About Wing Chairs
The “wing chair“, which is also known as a “wing back chair” or just “wing back“, is a form of chair similar to the easy chair and club chair however it has added wings that wrap around from the back of the chair and sometimes reach all the way down the back of the chair and to the arm rest. Wing chairs have these added wings as they enclose the upper body of the person sitting and can therefore block drafts and trap heat from a fireplace, because of this they are often found close to fire places in peoples living rooms. The wing back chair is less common today than it was in Victorian times as we do not suffer from the same issues that its purpose was to reduce, such as drafts and heat loss. However nowadays they serve as either a vintage piece of eye catching furniture that is more for show than sitting or as a comfortable corner chair. Most examples of wing back chairs in todays stores feature an upholstered material finish with solid wood legs however an antique wing chair may have an open frame that includes cushions for the seat, arms, back and wings.
Wing back chairs come in many styles and designs however there are two typical styles of wing, these are the scroll wing and the flat wing. Some other variations are butterfly wings and bat wings. The name and type of wing back chair depends on the shape of wing, length, positioning and depth which can change chair to chair. Another popular style is the leather wing back chair which is often used in homes with a vintage or classical feel.
It is important to distinguish the difference between an ear chair and wing chair as they are often confused with one another. Wings chairs occasionaly have these ears at the top of their wings as this is where the wing fixes onto the back however ears are very often not found on the wing back chair.
Still not sure what a wing chair is? An iconic scene found in the popular Disney film ‘A Christmas Carol’ features Ebenezer Scrooge hiding behind his high backed wing chair by the fire from the approaching ghost of Jacob Marley.
To find out more about wing chairs and where to buy wing back chairs see our homepage. You can find more information about these great styled chairs at Wikipedia.