Beautiful Art Deco Cloud Dining Chairs

You know, sometimes you get a wild hair. Or a wild design idea I suppose. Something that is not your usual and looks quite different from what you would normally be drawn to put together. But the more you think on it, look at it and question your sanity- the more you decide why not give it a go and see how it all comes together. These Art Deco Cloud Chairs are a wild hair design for me.

Wild Hair

It happened when I logged onto Facebook marketplace one morning. A listing with a table and chairs popped up that instantly stopped my scroll. Not because I was instantly enamored- but because I appreciate a fabulous eye-catching design even if it isn’t my style.

I clicked on the listing and got a closer look- though unfortunately there was just one photo so it was hard to tell what was what. I was intrigued enough to message about them- especially at the price for 6 chairs and a table. The seller got back to me right away -they were available and had been in storage a long time. They needed some refinishing and cleaning but were sturdy and usable condition so we set a time to come take a look and hopped in the car.

Art Deco Cloud Chairs

The chairs are from the 1920-1930’s and are art deco style. They are a unique shape chair with curves on the top and are wrapped in wood on the back. I love a good barrel chair which is probably why they caught my eye in the first place- but this wood back barrel style with soft lines was so unique and I had a feeling would be beautiful in person- and they were.

Art Deco is not my usual style at all- as you all know. I am all about those carved French country and English cottage style beauties. But there was something about these chairs I liked even though I tried to convince myself otherwise. Obviously, that didn’t work, I brought the set home. There were 6 chairs paired with an art deco table that also had a beautiful wood veneer just like the chairs did.

Art Deco Cloud Chairs & Table

After a google image search (and a bit of a shock at what exactly they were) I discovered these chairs are called ‘cloud chairs’ because of their cloud like shape along the top and curved soft lines. The chairs have a wood veneer that wraps around the chair on the back – some more patterned and some more simple but mirrored in pattern on each half of the chairs if that makes sense? All of them create a beautiful clean, simple look- that at the same time, has so much modern classic vintage charm.

The nitty gritty

The wood has some veneer issues though most of the chairs are not that bad- there are 2 that have some lifting of the wood veneer that would need to be restored if I wanted to do that. I don’t mind it- I am pretty much almost always a big fan of the original patina and so I can look past it. The cording was unattached on almost every single chair-but that was already fixed fairly easily. The chairs were dirty from being stored and a couple had some cat footprints on them. They are a leather material so not difficult to clean.

The table has a rounded top and a very unique base that definitely says ‘great gatsby’ as my daughter put it. The table has some veneer fading and chipping on the top but overall is in pretty decent condition. the base which is curvy and covered in the same wood and has a very interesting art deco look is is near perfect condition. The asking price for this set was a couple hundred dollars and I felt that was well worth it. The lady who was selling the set actually sent one of her employees to meet us at a storage unit so I didn’t get a chance to ask much info on their history or anything else from her but her employee expressed that she was quite happy to get them out of her storage unit.

The What

If the set was in lovely perfect original or restored condition – do you have any guesses what the going price is?

I paid the sellers asking price for them – it has been a long time since I bargained with someone to be honest. I follow my antique dealer friend’s rule that says if you feel something is worth it -pay what the seller feels they would like rather than bargaining to get a ‘deal’ and maybe something they don’t feel as good about selling then. Many a pieces I have far overpaid for because the seller felt they were worth a huge amount- and so, if I love the piece and am buying it for me to enjoy rather than thinking of resale value – it usually involves overpaying. haha. On the same token, I have gotten what I consider a steal of a deal many times as well even when paying the price the seller asks for.

Since I am not all well versed on art deco furniture or that era of furniture in general – I was curious as to what the history was and more details so I did a google image search. Have you ever tired that? It is seriously so helpful when trying to find exact or very similar designs. And voila- chairs and tables that looked like these came up. I was pretty surprised at the recently sold at prices -it might surprise some of you as well.

A pair of 2 of the chairs by themselves- anywhere from $3000-$5000 USD. The table -that has the curvy lines and details on the base like this one with 6 chairs have recently sold from around $11,000- $18,000 USD.

I mean, WHAT? Holy guacamole. I knew they would have some value at first glance just because of their striking design but had absolutely no idea of how much- that really surprised me. The set is attributed to a coveted art deco English cabinet and furniture maker from the 1920’s – Harry & Lou Epstein. Of course, these are not in near perfect condition so wouldn’t fetch those perfect condition prices but even so.

Around the Table

I gathered the chairs up around the dining table out under the oak tree to work on fixing the cording and take a closer look at the veneer issues. And though I was certain they would be beautiful for a photo or wherever they land- when I stepped back to get a full view of them around the table- I absolutely loved how they looked with the wood and the soft lines – and that splash of sunlight on them was the cherry on top. Don’t worry- they have since moved inside so there is no more damage and I am contemplating tinkering with fixing the veneer or simply enjoying as is. To be honest, I don’t know that I will use the table-it is quite wide for our dining space and it is really does not fit my aesthetic- though I can appreciate the beautiful unique base it has. And I do like the mingle of different era’s and styles with the modern chairs and the farm table dancing together. But the seller wanted everything all moved on out, so the table came home with us too.

What do you think of these? Would you have been interested in bringing them home with you too?

Find more about shopping vintage in this post HERE