French Country · Encyclopedia · The Cabinetmakers' Work
Breton armchair
A sturdy walnut armchair with a worked back and curved arms, called a chaise à bras in Brittany. It hides a storage space in its side, and one back leg was originally shorter so the chair could rest on the hearthstone.
French: chaise à bras · Côtes-d'Armor · walnut
At a glance
- Region: Côtes-d'Armor, Brittany
- Material: walnut
- Features: worked back, curved arms, side storage
- Clever detail: a shorter back leg for sitting on the hearth
What it is
In Brittany, the armchair is simply called a chair with arms. This solid walnut example from the Côtes-d'Armor has an ornamented back, curved arms and a concealed storage compartment in its side.
Built for the fire
The book points out an ingenious detail. One of the back legs was originally shorter, so it could rest on the raised hearthstone while the others stood on the floor. The sitter could therefore sit very close to the fire to keep warm.
The chair limped on a level floor and had to be adjusted for modern homes.
Collecting and using one today
Check whether legs have been lengthened or shortened and whether the storage compartment keeps its original lid. Walnut should show a mellow, not stripped, surface.
A Breton armchair makes an excellent fireside or desk chair, adding regional character to a sitting room.
Source: Les Trésors de France: vieux métiers et objets d'autrefois (Éditions Rustica, Détours en France collection, 1995), pp. 124–129, with general background on the object. The book was published in 1995, so workshops, people and figures are described as they were then. Regional names and dates are given as the book records them; a style or a region of origin does not by itself date an individual piece.