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Dark wood chairs
Today the dark wooden chair is usually chosen to match other items of furniture, such as a dark wood dining table or dark wood sideboard but originally chairs were such prestige items that almost all other furniture was secondary in importance.  Ordinary people sat on the floor or on benches; chairs were for the important people, the head of the table, the chairman and so on.   

Dark wood furniture and therefore dark wood chairs, came about virtually by accident.  All furniture made in Britain during the Dark Ages and Middle Ages would have been made of light coloured wood, such as oak.  However, over time, this would have gradually darkened due in part to a natural reaction to the atmosphere and partly because of an accumulation of dirt, soot and grease, possibly even polish.    

A case of mistaken identity
By the time the Victorians came along, any examples of early British furniture would have looked very dark indeed.  But because the Victorians were such big fans of the Medieval period, they wanted furniture that looked similar to what they saw in old houses and in museums, so dark wood furniture – including dark wood chairs – became very fashionable.  Chair makers would make a chair out of traditional timbers such as oak or beech and then deliberately stain it to achieve a dark wood chair.   

These Gothic Revival pieces were usually in dark oak colours and the colour remained the inspiration for dark wood furniture and dark wood chairs right through to the 1930s.  But a different tone of dark wood, with a much redder tinge, had also become popular in advance of the Victorian period.  This was mahogany furniture, and it first appeared in the Georgian era.  Originally this tropical hardwood was thought too hard to be used in cabinet making, but developments in the steels used for woodworking tools meant it could be worked – and the finished results were highly attractive.   

This red brown wood was used by such famous cabinet makers as Chippendale and Sheraton and made into all kinds of cabinets, tables and even dark wood chairs.   

Decline and resurgence in popularity for dark wood
Dark wood was the most desirable furniture finish during the latter part of the 19th Century and remained so right up until the end of the Second World War.  By this time, after six years of struggle and drab colours, people wanted to be surrounded by light, bright colours.  Dark wood furniture was out of fashion and was replaced by light coloured pine furniture.   

It might be thought that dark wood was set to be consigned to obscurity for many years but this was not the case.  Along with a passion for lighter colours came a change in architectural styles.  Rooms with large windows and buildings with lots of natural light were in fashion and it was realised that a well lit interior would show off the beauty of dark wood furniture without the furniture being too overpowering.  

As mahogany became more difficult to obtain, other woods such as teak were used and even the use of dark stained elm was pioneered by the Ercol furniture company.   Today the fashion for furniture styles is far more dispersed than ever and whereas some will choose, for example painted furniture or pine furniture, there is also a strong following for dark wood styles, including dark wood chairs.

Rightpricefurniture provides alternative options to wooden rocking chairs.