By using this site you agree to the use of cookies.Remember a few months back I won the home blogger awards and said I'd use the money for something special? Well here it is! We've been on the hunt for the perfect vintage armchair for our living room for months now. You wouldn't believe the back and forth my husband and I had over choosing the chair! Would we have one, or two? Could we find one that looked great but suited our budget? We had some very specific requirements.Mine- It had to be old- It had to look awesome- It had to be a statement pieceJason- Had to have a high back- Had to be comfortableBudget = up to £500, only at the top end of that if it was AMAZING (Jason wanted to spend more like £250 but obviously I pushed it up!)As you can see I fall into the more aesthetic appreciation and Jason is more about comfort and practicality. Probably quite a good mix! This way we end up with pieces that look great but also suit our home and family too (with an 18 month old daughter who likes to climb on things and drop food everywhere things need to be practical).
We ended up finding this little beauty on eBay from a dealer called House of Twenty, based in Hackney. I actually found a dream chair from them a few months back and wasn't fast enough to buy it so it went to another home, but I stayed watching House of Twenty to see if they would have anything else come along and as I though, they did!Here's the one I originally wanted that sadly got away which I was gutted about... I'm still sad that i didn't get this one. But I suppose it wasn't meant to be... We also saw some other pretty fine contenders, like these beautiful Bauhaus-esque art deco chairs from Germany that were a bargain at just £245 for the pair, also on eBay.We ultimately decided against them as they would have needed reupholstering and as much as that's something I'd like to try, it would have taken a while for them to be shipped over and then reupholstered, and we just needed something that could be delivered and in use straight away. Jason also found these from the same dealer and same price, which very nearly made the cut but they weren't quite right for me as we already have a grey sofa, and something about the studs was turning me off.
I'd also come across this brilliant pair of Art Deco style chrome chairs from Mar-Den, reupholstered in Nina Campbell Herringbone fabric when I visited the Midcentury Modern show a few weeks back. As much as I love them, each chair was £550 which was the very top end of our budget, and as beautiful as they were I knew that the cream fabric wouldn't last long with Marley's little fingers about! But when I came across these final armchairs I knew we had hit on the jackpot. They were close enough to the original ones I'd wanted, but with a more 50s edge which I quite liked. I loved that they were green velvet, as I knew it would go so well in our living room and add a nice little touch of colour. They had a high back and looked comfortable, so I knew Jason would be happy. When we both agreed that we liked them I knew we were on to a winner!At £365 each, they were in the mid range of our budget and I thought that was a fair price. With a bit of haggling, we actually walked away with one chair for £300 which I was happy with, plus delivery was affordable at £35 and the dealer arranged all of that for me too.
Want to know haggling tips from myself and antiques dealers themselves? I love the olive Green against the silvery Grey carpet, and the dusky Pink 60s cushions really suit the chair. Here's how it looks styled in our home. House of Twenty were brilliant to deal with and I'd totally buy from them again. Check out their stock to see if there's anything you like. We very nearly went for the pair armchairs but soon realised there's no way they would fit, so this one's sister is out there somewhere if you fancy it for yourself!Have you been on the hunt for a vintage item for your home? Perhaps I can help you source the perfect piece!We featured on the most recent showing (17th November 2016) of Salvage Hunters where Drew visited our warehouse and left a happy man! If you would like to view the show it can be viewed on channel QUEST, or copy & paste the below link into your internet browser bar, Welcome to our Warehouse site, Vintage Retro.co.uk, full of great Mid century, vintage and retro furniture.
Please also visit our partner website www.pureimaginations.co.uk for many iconic Mid century designs and an eclectic mix of furniture. We have in stock Mid Century pieces mainly from Denmark, Sweden and the UK. We keep stock of many classic designs by famous designers as well as stylish pieces by others who are lesser known. We have a good knowledge of many designers, manufactures and designs due to experience in this field for many years. Private, commercial and export customers. We can buy to order, so if there is a particular item you are looking for, we can try and find it or we may even have it in stock already! Not everything makes it to the website. Good Vintage British teak furniture by G Plan, McIntosh, Youngers, Greaves & Thomas, White & Newton, Austinsuite stocked for export. Please enquire if you require a container for export. Please contact us today for your Vintage Furniture and Retro Furniture needs at info@pureimaginations.co.uk In house we have workshops that provide a professional furniture restoration and Upholstery service.
We are happy to sell our vintage furniture unrestored or you have the option to get a price for full restoration. We can get courier quotes for deliveries to most areas across the UK. Contact us at info@pureimaginations.co.uk LIKE us on Facebook - VintageRetro.co.uk FOLLOW us on Twitter - @UKVintageretro FINE UPHOLSTERY & INTERIOR DESIGNThe Original Chair Company is located in Perth, Scotland. The company specialises in new build, quality seated furniture based mainly on classic styles. In addition we carry a range of antique chairs and sofas for refurbishment and re-upholstery.Since 2006 we have sold hundreds of antique armchairs and sofas in a variety of styles. From our base in the countryside of Perthshire our upholsterers are experts in taking old pieces of antique furniture and giving them new life, creating a family heirloom which can be passed down through the generations. Christmas OrdersPlease note to guarantee our new build furniture for Christmas read more...