Protecting Antique Chairs (Windor and Chippendale)- 1Earth Antiques and Appraisals Magazine

Antique chairs typically sell at auction for thousands of dollars — Sotheby's recently sold an 18th-century Chippendale easy chair for $1,900. So it's no wonder that some antique chair owners would rather display their chairs than sit on them. But if you do want to sit in your antique chair, here's how: Why should people be careful with their antique chairs? One of the reasons why a lot of people collect furniture is that they can use it while it appreciates in value. For instance, they can store things in a chest of drawers, without damaging the piece.
Chippendale Mahogany side chair, c.1760	With chairs, it often depends on the style. Chippendale chairs tend to be sturdy. They're more formal chairs, so they were made with mahogany, a durable wood, and they were constructed better. Windsors are more delicate. Their spindles are quite vulnerable, and the legs can break if you lean back. That's a scary thought for a collector who spent thousands on the chair at auction.
Is it possible to keep chairs safe, and still enjoy them? If you don't want people to sit in the chairs, you can make them look like a display by putting them up against a wall, between two windows, or maybe next to a candle stand. That way they're more decorative than useful. It's a personal preference how careful you want to be with your chairs. If you normally collect expensive chairs, friends will understand if you ask them not to sit on them.