Everyone Had One After WWI, Now It's The Thrift Store Find We'd Be Thrilled To Snag

Everyone knows about the papasan chair that many folks owned in the '70s, but a comfier alternative that gained a lot of attention post-WWI could be a rare gem today. The club chair is a vintage treasure often featuring supple leather with a well-aged patina. Meant for lounging, this iconic chair reminds us of the gentlemen's clubs and bars it once rested in. The chair originated in the early 1900s in France as a comfortable seating option in places like a cigar lounge or men's club. After the travel of U.S. troops to France in WWI, folks began bringing these chairs to their homes, allowing the French leather club chair to become a staple for some high-class interiors. Today, this vintage find is a well-loved classic piece that could look stylish in many spaces.

A club chair can often be identified by its quality leather upholstery, hand-studded backrest, deep, wide seat, and often rounded shape. Club chairs exude comfort and were made for lounging and relaxation. While not all club chairs are made with leather upholstery, the leather seats are some of the most notable. In France, where the style originated, basane leather was used for its sturdy, thick, and supple texture. The full-grain leather also offered a unique ruggedness to each piece. 

Since then, the club chair has evolved over each decade, morphing into highly streamlined, angular versions, swivelling models, recliner variations, and more. But the classic club chair has a charm that many modern adaptions don't. If you can snag a vintage one at the thrift store, you'll be bringing home a storied (and probably high-quality) piece, that could also be worth more than what you paid for it. 

This is one vintage chair you shouldn't overlook if you happen to see it at the thrift store. However, there's no guarantee that your local shops will have one. To broaden your net, try searching on Facebook Marketplace. Once you do a search for "vintage club chair" or "leather club chair", the platform will suggest any new listings that match it next time you log on.

You can also source club chairs from some vintage resale sites like Chairish or 1stDibs, but expect to pay more on these platforms. The cost will vary depending on the seller, age, and quality of the piece. For example, you could source a club chair for as low as a few hundred dollars to upwards of a few grand.

If you're wondering how to choose a lounge chair that doesn't sacrifice style, a vintage club chair could be a good choice because they a) were inherently designed for comfort, and b) can deliver some serious style points. A popular silhouette is the "Moustache" chair, which features dramatically curved arms resembling a mustache. Or, you might prefer the "Barrel" style vintage club chair that has a notably rounded back. When it comes to styling, a vintage club chair could bring more character to your room, thanks to the aged patina. If you want to freshen up your furniture piece, however, you could also recondition it to make it a little less distressed. Conditioning the leather could help hydrate the piece, partially restoring small cracks and bringing suppleness back to the leather.