Get to Know Louis-Style Chairs

Louis-style chairs originated during the reigns of French kings Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI, and they have remained design classics ever since. You’ve surely spotted these gorgeous chairs all over Houzz and in your favorite design mags — but how do you tell them apart? Get ready to find out! We are going to start with the Louis XVI–style chair and work our way backward in time.

Louis XVI Style

Clean lines and delicate craftsmanship make these the most modern looking of the Louis chairs. The design came about during the reign of Louis XVI, the 19-year-old monarch, and his bride, Marie Antoinette. During this time there was a resurgence in interest in classical Greece and Rome, which you can see in the column-like legs and geometric carvings of Louis XVI chairs. There is more visible wood and less gilding than with earlier styles.


The legs are the most defining feature of Louis XVI chairs — they are straight and often have fluting or other column-like carved details. The chair backs are either rounded or rectangular, with an exposed wood frame.

Style cheat sheet:
Straight legs, often with column-inspired flutingClean linesOval or rectangular seat backGeometric details



Louis XV Style

The furniture in Versailles when Marie Antoinette moved in was mostly Louis XV style, left over from her father-in-law’s reign. The chairs typically have shorter armrests that end before the edge of the seat, and scroll-shaped, comfortably angled backs.


Romantic rococo style became popular around the time of Louis XV, and with it came gentle curves, plump cushions and plenty of gilding. More ornate than the later Louis XVI versions, Louis XV chairs feature scrolling and S-shaped cabriole legs.


Style cheat sheet:
Curvy legsOften gilded
Comfortably angled backAdorned with scrolls and medallions



Pop quiz: Identify this furniture. I’ll give you a hint: Look at the legs. Remember, Louis XV style is rococo, with curvy legs; Louis XVI style is neoclassical, with straight, column-like legs.

Drum roll, please… If you said that the chairs are Louis XV style and the settee is Louis XVI style, you are correct!


French Louis XIV Period Pair of Dark Oak and Upholstered FauteuilsLouis XIV Style

The earliest style we are looking at today, these chairs also look the least modern, with thick, sturdy frames and squat, rectilinear shapes. The monarch at the time, Louis XIV (aka the Sun King), was responsible for creating Versailles from what had been a simple hunting lodge. I like to remember what Louis XIV–style chairs look like by remembering the Sun King — the upright back and strong, chunky frames remind me of a throne.

Style cheat sheet:
Straight, upright backBig, hefty throne-like wood frame, often gildedStretchers between chair legs are usually H- or X-shapedUsually upholstered over entire backArmrests are long, with arm supports coming all the way to the front of the seat



This example might be a Louis XIV–XV transition piece. Notice how the back is straight, rectangular and upholstered (as in a Louis XIV chair), but the legs are more delicate, with curved feet, and the armrests are shorter (as in a Louis XV chair).

Tell us: Which Louis style is your favorite?

Photos: Browse more photos with Louis-style chair designs

URL: Get to Know Louis-Style Chairs http://www.decor-ideas.org/cases-view-id-24329.html