The Limewashed Louis Chair

A French chair with the formality sanded down to something you can live with. The cartouche back and cabriole legs are pure Louis XV, but the frame is finished pale and dry, so the whole thing feels sun-bleached rather than gilded.

The wood is limed oak: a weathered driftwood tone with the white worked down into the open grain, so the carving reads in soft contrast rather than polish. The seat and back wear a taupe-grey linen, warm and a little dusty, piped along the edges. Cabriole front legs curve down to small scroll feet, and the serpentine seat rail keeps the line moving.

The limed finish goes back to the 15th century, first a practical way to seal oak against rot and insects, later kept purely for its beauty. It came back into fashion through Art Deco interiors, where designers like Jean-Michel Frank made cerused oak a signature, and it has cycled in and out ever since. On a Louis XV frame it pulls the chair out of the palace and into a calmer, lived-in present. Beautiful at a dining table, a writing desk, or pulled into a corner on its own.


Special Features

• Louis XV–style side chair with a cartouche back and cabriole legs
• Limed (cerused) oak frame in a weathered driftwood tone
• Upholstered seat and back in taupe-grey linen with piped edges
• Scroll feet and a serpentine seat rail
• One of a pair available

Dimensions

• Width: 20"
• Height: 38"
• Depth: 18"
• Seat height: 20"

PLEASE NOTE: Shipping costs for furniture items are calculated after purchase. Once your order is confirmed, a shipping invoice will be sent to the email address on file.

• Furniture is available for pick-up at our New York Gallery Store.
• Furniture delivery is available within a 2-hour driving distance of New York City.
• $150 delivery fee for locations within 20 miles
• $250 delivery fee for locations beyond 20 miles (up to a 2-hour drive)