Louis Chair

It's a Louis XVI-style fauteuil. Bergeres have enclosed sides (arms), fauteauils have open arms or no arms at all, like these.

Louis style medallion back chairs.

or simply gorgeous decadence. I love this style and bergeres, especially original ones. Mmmm.

Ditto Louis XVI.

Louis XVI shield back fauteauil

Also: a balloon-back (Louis XVI fauteuil).

http://www.bondandbowery.com/item/5072

OK, I have to ask ... How do you people know this stuff? Is there some sort of "Furniture Styles 101" book that I missed? A secret club? Or do you just pick it up from reading millions of decorating magazines?

I mean, I had a vague memory from a Domino article that these were Louis XVI, but otherwise I'd have been stumped; and where would your average person learn a word like "fauteauil"?

Not a criticism; I want to know how I'd go about it myself.

I agree with Cheryl! Any "one stop shop" in the book world about this stuff?

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=%22history of furniture%22&x=0&y=0

...or get an ID degree and take the classes.

I know I learned it at design school, but there are a ton of "textbooks" on amazon you could use for easy reference. The Fairchild Dictionary is pretty comprehensive, and has more than you'd ever need as an "average person" :) . I might actually still have mine if anyone is interested in buying it...barbie@level3dg.com

Oh, and Alana, if you can't find them used, try ballard designs.

Sorry, the link didn't work. Just search for "history of furniture" on Amazon. Lots and lots of information on different style periods and their respective influences.

The gray finish of the chairs makes me think Gustavian, which is Louis XVI filtered through Sweden.

Wow! Thanks everyone!

As a design manager (but graphically, not interior-ally) I'm embarrassed that I didn't know. But hey, it won't be the last time today that I look like an idiot. :)

This is why I read apartmenttherapy.com on a daily basis: there are so many informed, intelligent people out there that widen my understanding and expand my view. Thank you for the Louis XVI info and the word "fauteuil". I will add it to my nomenclature. (And, buy the book y'all recommended.)

Thanks for the posts & the 2 new additions to my summer reading list! I was a year into a law degree until I realized I love furniture & all things interior design.. and hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt is not a good place to hit the breaks haha I still devote the summers to my love for fine design as a welcomed break from case law =)

Thanks again for the amazing book suggestions!

The legs are straight, which makes it Gustavian. Louis XIV furniture has cabriolet legs; despite Philippe Starck calling his Ghost chair Louis, it actually isn't. Also per Ilima's comment, the grey finish is especially/characteristically Swedish.

Since we're talking about things Swedish, fåtölj is Swedish for arm-chair, which seems a lot like the word fauteuil.

Swedish has a lot of French borrowed words. Though I don't really associate distressed finishes with Gustavian, which would have more of a white or cream finish - or I could be wrong, judging from the search I just did...

https://www.auktionskompaniet.com/items/20853-soffa-med-karmstolar-1 2-gustaviansk-stil?locale=en-US

or

http://www.gudrunodmann.com/02chairs/3

Gustavian finishes are indeed distressed, since they were created by "restorers" stripping layers of oil paint off of old furniture until they reached the original lead white undercoat.

I would also say that this is more Gustavian. Which is the Scandinavian version of the Louis style. Less flourished, often white or gray.