Windsor Chairs: 300 Years of History and Inspiration

Although their design may make them seem typically American, Windsor chairs originated in England in the 18th century and will go down in history as one of the first wooden chairs to be mass-produced from the outset, heralding the industrial revolution that was in the making.

The Windsor chairs have a very special feature: the backrest is independent of the legs, something unusual in the chairs of the time.

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This model of chair was composed of different pieces that were manufactured in a specialized way by different craftsmen and later assembled.

Different woods were used for its construction, as each piece required different treatments, such as bending or drilling. They were then painted in dark colors to hide the differences between the tones and grains of the woods used.

The Windsor chair was originally designed as garden furniture, in fact, it was known as the Forest chair and was intended mainly for the rural environment. But it gradually became popular and was placed in various places such as offices, living rooms, libraries and dining rooms.

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Although this chair had from its beginnings a great reception in England, it was in the United States where it reached its great apogee in terms of shapes and designs, becoming one of the iconic chairs of the Independence period. In fact, Benjamin Franklyn and Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence sitting on a Windsor chair.

Although the model underwent many modifications, its essential structure hardly changed: solid seat from which the inlaid legs emerged and wooden bars that formed a curved back in most cases, although straight-backed Windsor chairs were also found.

In addition to the chairs, a wide variety of furniture inspired by the same design was manufactured.

Over the years this model lost ground to the creations of new designers who began to use other shapes and materials for the manufacture of chairs. It was in the twentieth century, after World War II, when the Windsor chairs re-emerged with more strength.

Ercol Chair

Lucian Ercolani was an Italian furniture designer who opened his first furniture factory in England in 1920.

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During World War II, the government board asked him to manufacture 100,000 low-cost chairs. Ercolani chose the Windsor model, perfected the design for mass production and unified the type of wood used to make the chair, elm wood.

Ercol chairs achieved great popularity and have been in production ever since, being one of the best-selling chair models in history, both in terms of price and functionality.

Ercol chairs in today’s decoration

Ercol chairs are still very present in today’s decoration and it is easy to find them in homes, restaurants and commercial premises.

Ercol chairs combine comfort and durability. Their simple but elegant lines fit in with any decorative style: Nordic, vintage, rustic, shabby chic…

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And not only chairs, but also armchairs, armchairs, benches and rocking chairs are manufactured under the design of the Windsor series.

At MisterWils we wanted to rescue the decorative spirit of these chairs and we have our own models of Windsor chairs:

Don’t pass up a classic of English design—succumb to the charm of Ercol chairs!