The history of ERCOL and the charm of VINTAGE
What kind of image do you have when you hear vintage furniture?
"Difficult to style"
"Not suitable for Japanese houses"
"Troublesome maintenance"
It seems that there are many people who feel that the hurdles are high. We have a variety of styles of vintage furniture that are easy to match with various interiors, and we propose them to our customers.
In particular, ERCOL's vintage furniture is very popular with a wide range of customers, from vintage beginners to collectors.
SCOUT VINTAGE, which opened last month, also handles ERCOL, so this time I will talk about the appeal of ERCOL.
ERCOL, a long-established British furniture store founded 100 years ago
ERCOL is a British furniture manufacturer founded in 1920 by Lucien Arcolani. Lucien, who was 32 years old at the time of the company's founding, supported the company as a designer and craftsman while developing his business as a businessman.
As a designer, he has always pursued modern design, and as a cabinet maker, Lucien's achievements, such as the success of the mass production of the traditional British bentwood chair "Windsor Chair", are many.
2020 marks the 100th anniversary of ERCOL. The company is still run by the Lucien family as a long-established British furniture manufacturer. Carefully processed and assembled by skilled craftsmen in the UK factory. The perfect balance of "comfort, functionality, and design" is the appeal of ERCOL furniture.
ERCOL's beautiful products, both new and vintage, continue to be loved by people beyond the times and trends. So what is the difference between new and vintage ERCOL?
The real pleasure of vintage furniture
The biggest difference is the material. Vintage ERCOL was mainly made of English elm wood, but English elm wood does not exist in new products.
In the 1970s, the elm tree "English elm" from England was destroyed by a tree disease that spread. Currently, North America is the main production area, so English Elm wood furniture is extremely rare and difficult to obtain.
The new product is made of wood such as oak and ash, so it has a clean, whitish, and somewhat matte texture. On the contrary, the vintage color changes to a glossy and deep color due to sunburn, oils and fats from human hands and maintenance. Taste and warmth increase as the season enters. The taste is really different depending on the age. I think that the real pleasure of choosing vintage furniture is to search for and meet your own special gem from among them.
Windsor chair charm
The "Windsor chair" is especially popular among ERCOL's vintage furniture. There are currently 5 new types being manufactured, but 11 vintage types. More than half have been discontinued. Among the 11 types, ERCOL Windsor chairs are classified finely, such as differences in design and features depending on the production year. It's like a treasure hunt.
Many masterpieces of the ERCOL chair, which has become synonymous with the Windsor chair, are popular all over the world due to their diversity of types and individuality.
The Windsor chair is a wooden armchair characterized by strong legs, no seat frame, and thin spokes (backrest) inserted directly into a comfortable countersunk seat. In the latter half of the 17th century, craftsmen in England began to produce it, and it was introduced to America in the 18th century. It became the prototype of the shaker chair and spread to the lives of ordinary people.
Did you understand why ERCOL continues to be loved over time, and what is the appeal of vintage ERCOL?
Next time, we will introduce ERCOL Windsor chairs by type, which are available at our shop and SCOUT VINTAGE . In fact, it is recommended as a beginner and the first vintage furniture! We also introduce some useful bits of knowledge. Please look forward to it.
