- Orkney Chairs -
- Fine Traditional Orkney Furniture With A Unique Touch -

                                            

       

 

 The most well known and probably the most traditional piece of Orcadian furniture is the Orkney Chair.  The Orkney Chair was first created hundreds of years ago when Orcadian farmers built them for their crofts.  The original chair design is much less elaborate than today's chairs.   The first ever Orkney Chairs had much shorter legs allowing the user to sit much lower to the ground - this was so as to avoid the sooty air from the peat fires which were common in all Orkney homes.  The high, straw back was designed to help protect from drafts and also for added comfort.  A hood or a drawer was often added to the design and the drawer was could be used for storage. Of course, in the earlier days,  high quality timbers such as oak or mahogany were scarce, particularly in Orkney. Due to the rugged, coarse weather and plentiful Orkney shores there was no shortage of driftwood washed up that they could use to construct their chairs and they could grow their own oat straw for the chair back.

 

	The design of the Orkney chair has hardly changed over the years but The Orkney Furniture Maker uses only the highest quality timbers including oak and mahogany and creates his chairs to the highest standard.  He uses Linseed Oil to finish the chair which brings out the beautiful grain in the wood.   The original chairs generally had solid wood seats but The Orkney Furniture Maker creates chairs with a hand woven seagrass seat for added comfort and appearance.  He also creates them in different sizes and designs including a Childs Chair, Ladies Chair and a Gents Chair. To create his own personal touch to his Orkney chairs, The Orkney Furniture Maker grows his own oat straw on the neighbouring farm belonging to his family.  During April, the process of growing the straw begins when the oats are sewn.  During the early summer months, the young oats benefit from Orkneys long summer days bringing near constant daylight to grow and ripen.  When October arrives, the crop is ready to be specially cut.  In order to keep the straw in peak condition, a binder is used which cuts the crop and ties it into individual sheaves ready to be stooked so the straw can be dried and ripen further.  It is during this time that the straw will develop its beautiful, distinctive golden colour which will eventually be the perfect back for your Orkney chair.  Before this can happen, each individual piece of straw is hand cleaned ready to be stitched into the Orkney Chair frame.

      

Gents Chair	Gents Chair with Drawer	Gents Chair with Hood and Drawer
£730.00	£815.00	£1025.00

  

Ladies Chair with Two Drawers	Rocking Chair
£735.00	£820.00

     

Childs Chair	Childs Chair with Drawer	Childs Chair with Hood
£460.00	£510.00	£550.00

Orkney chairs are also available with traditional solid wooden seats

Orkney Chairs can be shipped throughout the UK for as little as £35 - £40 and it is possible to ship them worldwide.*

 For further information or if you have any queries regarding The Orkney Chair, please do not hesitate to contact The Orkney Furniture Maker using the Contact Us link.

If you would like to order an Orkney Chair, you can do so via this website by contacting Kevin at enquires@orkneyfurniture.co.uk.  For all orders, a 20% deposit is required to secure the order prior to the order being made.  As all Chairs are hand-made to order, The Orkney Furniture Maker does have a waiting list so customers are advised to place orders well in advance to avoid disappointment.

 * - Please contact me for further information on shipping costs for international destinations.