ERCOL's history and the appeal of VINTAGE
What image comes to mind when you hear the term vintage furniture?
"Styling is difficult"
"It doesn't suit Japanese houses."
"It's hard to maintain"
It seems that many people feel that the hurdles are high. We offer our customers a selection of vintage furniture in styles that are easy to match with a variety of interiors.
In particular, ERCOL's vintage furniture is very popular with a wide range of customers, from vintage beginners to collectors.
"We also carry it at SCOUT VINTAGE, which opened last month, so this time I will talk about the charm of ERCOL."
ERCOL, a 100-year-old British furniture store
ERCOL is a leading British furniture manufacturer founded in 1920 by Lucien Arcolani. Lucien, who was 32 years old at the time of the company's founding, was not only developing the business as a businessman, but also supporting the company as a designer and craftsman.
As a designer, Lucien has always pursued modern design, and as a furniture maker, he has achieved many accomplishments, including the successful mass production of the Windsor Chair, a traditional British bentwood chair.
This year 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of ERCOL's founding. Today, it is still run by Lucien's family as a long-established British furniture manufacturer. It is carefully processed and assembled by skilled craftsmen at a factory in the UK. The appeal of ERCOL furniture is the perfect balance of comfort, functionality, and design.
ERCOL's beautiful products, both new and vintage, continue to be loved by people regardless of time or fashion. So, what is the difference between new and vintage ERCOL?
The joy of vintage furniture
The biggest difference is the material. Vintage ERCOL was mainly made of English elm wood, but new English elm wood does not exist.
The English elm tree, which is native to the UK, was wiped out by a tree disease that spread in the 1970s. Currently, North America is the main production area, so English elm furniture is extremely rare and difficult to obtain.
New wood is made of wood such as oak or ash, so it has a clean, whitish, and somewhat matte texture. On the other hand, vintage leather becomes shiny and deep in color due to sun exposure, oils and oils from human hands and maintenance. The flavor and warmth increase with age. The taste varies greatly depending on the age. I think the real pleasure of choosing vintage furniture is to search for and discover your own special piece.
The charm of Windsor chairs
Among ERCOL's vintage furniture, the "Windsor Chair" is particularly popular. There are currently 5 new types in production, but 11 vintage types. More than half of them are out of print. Among the 11 types, ERCOL's Windsor chairs are classified into fine categories, with differences in design and features depending on the year of manufacture, and there are not only new chairs, but also vintage chairs that are hard to find. Choosing an ERCOL Windsor chair means: 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 variety and individuality.
What is a Windsor chair?
This wooden armchair features sturdy legs and no seat frame, with thin spokes (backrest) inserted directly into the counterbore seat for easy sitting. Craftsmen in England began making it in the late 17th century, and it was introduced to America in the 18th century. It became the prototype of the Shaker chair and became popular in the lives of ordinary people.
Do you understand why ERCOL continues to be loved throughout the ages and the charm of vintage ERCOL?
Next time, we will introduce the ERCOL Windsor chairs available at our store and SCOUT VINTAGE by type. In fact, they are recommended for beginners and as a first vintage furniture piece! We will also share some handy trivia that you might find useful. Please look forward to it.
