Kitchens by Riland

The range of Queen Anne chairs falls within the category of the English Period Furniture c. 1702 -1714. Influenced by the comfortable and gracious Dutch designs and techniques of furniture making, a distinct English style came into existence that suited the reduced room sizes that could no longer hold the bulky and massive pieces of furniture of previous centuries.

The Queen Anne Chair with the escalloped shell on the knee and its cabriole legs is the most typical of this period with its well proportioned shape and easy flowing lines. Stretcher rails were omitted from the design of this piece of furniture as it was not needed any more with the shape of the cabriole legs adding to its strength. Seats were comfortable and often in the horseshoe shaped design. The main features of this design were curved lines and the back top rail would flow gracefully down into the back legs without obvious joints.

The Queen Anne period furniture became very well known and is very popular even to this day. This is an elegant piece of furniture that adds to the overall ambiance and enhances its surrounds with much distinction.

Walnut was the type of wood that was popularly used because it was conducive to fine carving and was characterized by its simple, yet elegant curvilinear lines and splats with decorative carved shell and scroll motifs at its knees and crest. The design of its cabriole legs were thought to have been influenced by the designs of Mon. Andre-Charles Boulle the French cabinetmaker. The Queen Anne style of furniture design was thought to be a continuation of furniture design found during the William and Mary’s era. Yet its elegant and simple lines were also thought to have been an influence by Chinese furniture that was imported around that time.

The seats of the Queen Anne chairs were usually upholstered in a rich fabric covering. There’s yet a variation of the Queen Anne chair which is the fully upholstered Queen Anne winged back chair with its sides folded inwards, but with one exception of its hallmarked cabriole styled wood legs remaining exposed. It is more feminine looking with the shoulders drooping ever so slightly that contrasted to the more masculine lines of the King George chair. Another feature is that all four cabriole legs are with padded feet. Another important feature are the wings, by it being folded inwards heat is retained making it a comfortable chair to be used during the colder months of winter.