A Brief History of the Chair

The chair: It seems so basic, so given, so simple…but it’s not! Though this may sound surprising, chairs were not always as commonplace as they are today. Throughout time chairs were thought of as exclusive symbols of royalty. Even today this vestige of the past remains: a person with a high position at a corporation is called a chairperson, revealing the chair’s long-time association with decision-making power. Historically, most people used the more simple stool or sat on whatever was readily available.

While they started becoming popular in Europe during the Renaissance in the 16th century, the industrial revolution sealed the deal and made chairs commonly available to all who wanted them. Mass production and a diversity of readily available materials brought the chair into the mainstream, where it has remained ever since. Today, if you live in the western world, and you hear the word chair you’ll most likely think “relaxation” or “getting home from work.” We associate chairs with comfort and respite. The massive increase in the availability of chairs has totally changed the way that we think about them! Interesting to wrap your brain around, isn’t it?

If anything, modern times have brought us a great diversity of chairs, both in form and function. At Everywhere Chair we have chairs for going to the beach, hunting, canoeing and of course, our classic director’s chairs. We are truly living in the age of the everywhere chair! Some of our favorites now are the ABC Chair (Amphitheatre, Beach and Camping) and the Wombat Folding Chair and Stool – both by Travelchair.

Talk about an everywhere chair, the ABC will take you out into the woods, to the Summer Theatre performance and then be right by your side by the time you make it out on that last beach trip in August. The Wombat is great for the backyard. When you’re having an event and need an extra chair for a family member or friend, this is the one to get. We offer our imprinting services on both of these chairs, even though we don’t personally manufacture them!

 

Now that you know a little bit about the history of the chair, we hope you’ll join us today for the future. We look forward to being a part of the future of the chair and are proud to the most trusted recreational chair web retailer. Maybe one day we’ll be in the history books for our great deals!! Treat yourself to a luxury that was once reserved only for royalty and shop with us this Summer, but first check out some of our fun chair facts below.

Fun Chair Facts:

Fun fact: Thomas Jefferson invented the swivel chair using an English-style Windsor chair.

Fun fact: The chair is not a universal phenomenon, many cultures opt to eat their meals on floor mats and consequently, do not wear shoes inside of their houses as much.

Fun fact: The word chair is derived from the word “cathedra” (think cathedral), which meant “to sit down.”

Fun fact: The oldest known chair is a 5,000 year old Egyptian ceremonial chair. Wow!

Thanks for reading our post!

– The Everywhere Chair Team