I know this probably won't help but it all depends on the fabric as far as I'm concerned. I've used them in both formal and informal seating and always felt they were used appropriately in both settings.

Rollback and skirted suggests more formal to me. The fabric would matter some, but I would still say that combination is more formal.

Formal.

I have seen it done casually very nicely. Think of an old pine farm table and the chairs were covered in a linen colored floral print. It was fabulous. I think skirted Parsons chairs can go formal or casual depending on the fabric, the table and the surroundings, it's definitely not a cut and dried answer.

I think even with a floral print, roll back & skirted parsons chairs will give an air of formality.

I agree with formal.

I think it can be either. Depending on details of the chair, fabric and the type table used with.

I'm thinking of replacing my end chairs with two parson's chairs myself.

tina

Casual would definitely not be applicable to parson style, but it could be more or less formal depending on the surrounding context, in varying degrees.

My neighbor has this look in her breakfast room. She has her round-top, beveled glass table with its pedestal of garden statuary sitting in a bay window with chairs in a Jacobean print and right now a very pretty (overly sized, however) arrangement which she will replace soon with a ceramic white pumpkin with fall flowers.

Well,I have short-flirty skirted (gold chennile fabric) parson's chairs in my DR & it probably leans more toward formal with the mahogany furniture & toile drapes. But, I think it can go either way too depending on what else is in the room. You could definitely make it much more casual with the type furniture & fabrics used in the room. I think mine is a mix of both, since I have a seagrass rug on the floor...that makes it a bit more casual than a traditional wool rug would be. I personally like to mix it up!

Formal

Formal.

As a rule high backed upholstered chairs are formal. Skirted or not. Rollback or not. One can place them in a casual setting with casual surroundings and make them work, but yes, they are definitely formal.

So now show us pictures and tell us that you were right, since I'm guessing you said formal. :P

snookums, are we even close ?

IMO, it definitely depends on the fabric. I would use them in the kitchen with a toile fabric, but in the DR using a more formal fabric, though not necessarily Damask or Jacquard.

They're casually formal ;)

Thank you everyone. Yes, I said formal. :) We have a beautiful birdseye maple set in our dining room - chairs, table, china cabinet, and server. I've never been happy with the chairs and have intended to have them reupholstered for a long time. They lack cushion and the fabric is not that attractive, and white, which matched nothing in the room.

A few weeks ago while the shutter salesman was here, he did his presentation in the dining room. As I sat down on one of the chairs I noticed it was wobbly and swayed a little bit. I told my dh and he said "don't worry about it, it's fine" (typical answer) and not wanting to make a big deal in front of the Sunburst guy, I said ok. Well, not more than 10 seconds later I found myself grabbing onto whatever I could to keep from slamming into the floor because the chair leg had just snapped. Not come loose, snapped. Not repairable. I wasn't hurt, but was very embarrassed and very shaken up.

Well, that was all I needed. I LOVE the set, but never having been happy with the chairs, and now having taken Mr. Toad's Wild Ride on one of them, I looked for a way to replace the chairs without replacing the whole set. Parsons was the answer.

I got a set of 6 beautiful skirted rollback chairs in almost the same fabric as the living room couches. They match perfectly. Dh thinks they are casual chairs, and I disagreed with him. I think they are gorgeous. Besides, we ate at a fancy, fancy french restaurant last weekend (courtesy of his boss!) and what did we sit in? Parsons chairs.

Dh comes from a small village in Greece where everyone has those Queen Anne-style victorian chairs, as does his mom. It's definitely a status symbol. That is what the old chairs were, and I was never in love with them (as I was the table and the rest of the set). Now I love the way it looks. I just think the whole Parsons chair concept is foreign to him.

I'm going to try and find a new table runner this weekend (as the old one clashes with the new chairs) and then I will take pictures. Shutters don't go in until the 15th so the windows are bare too. But if you want to see they are the Bellingham chairs from Bombay Company. They had a great online-only table and chair sale last weekend. :)

I like this picture versus the one that shows the chair alone. The chair is actually much darker than the picture shows. This one of them with the table is more accurate. (I didn't get the table though obviously)

Here is a link that might be useful: Bellingham chair

Snookums, those chairs are definitely formal...and beautiful! I had my eye on those too but my cat would have had too much fun with those tassels! Enjoy!

Those are lovely, and definitely on the formal side.

Men tend to think that whatever they grew up with (and Mom had) is the 'right' style for furniture. Must be a comfort issue or something.

I wonder, does he miss having arm chairs? Perhaps you might consider swapping out a couple of the parsons chairs for arm chairs in another fabric that are not skirted, to use as host/hostess chairs. Maybe a workable compromise?

Here would be one choice, tho it doesn't have the queen anne legs, it does have the rolled back:

I don't know that he misses having arm chairs as we haven't actually eaten on them yet. We use the dining room all of once a year (Christmas). It is visible from the front door though. I had suggested framing out the dining room/living room area into a couple of his and her offices but he absolutely wouldn't hear of it. The least he can do is let me have the chairs I like. :)

My cat is trying to have fun with the tassels but he's not tall enough. It's pretty funny to see him try though.

My #1 and #2 sons want Queen Anne DR set like we had when they were growing up for their formal dining rooms, respectively. The problem nowadays is that one cannot find that quality. Ours is old but not quite antique. It dates back to the late 60s when I struggled to pay for it back then. Look-alike furniture nowadays can be had for a comparable price as I paid back then but the quality is not there. Our kids struggle with that as they see me using the same BR furniture and same DR furniture from my purchases and from their grandmother,and they can find the look but not the quality. North Carolina is no longer "king" to good furniture as it was in the day and so much of the furniture we get nowadays is like fast food. I try to tell them to shop at antique stores and put for the elbow grease for the quality and beauty.

DD has bought almost all her furniture from a consignment store. I've seen MANY parsons chairs while shopping with her. If you have any such stores in your area, you might want to check them out.

Like Patricia, most of my wood furniture pieces i've had for years. I purchased the majority at antique stores, fleamarkets, estate sales, and even thrift stores. Most pieces are 15-50 years old, so very solidly built. I would definitely consider 'used' before buying new.

I think the skirted chairs are more formal, but defintely can depend on the fabric. Here is a pic of my parsons in the dinning room and I don't consider it formal. The skirted chairs do not have the roll back, but the one with legs showing is a rolled back.

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Cran, where did you purchase your chairs? TIA

I know it's been discussed on several other forums, but Carrington Court sure gets good reviews from fellow posters. I have ordered a skirted parsons chair for our bedroom's writing desk and can't wait to see it. They are very easy to work with, and have a large variety of samples and styles to choose from. I really like the look of the short-skirted chairs for a dining room. Good luck.

In my attempts to decipher man-language regarding upholstered furniture, I have discerned that in all settings, no arms equals BAD. The terrible state of furniture without arms can be conveyed through a number of terms, including: casual, dumpy, skimpy, and "not solid." Along with les917, I think that a coordinated armchair or two would ease your husband's mind. Especially since your DR is on display as you enter, he may be concerned that without a throne, your home no longer looks like His Castle.

Cran, from the two pix you posted, your home looks lovely. I must have missed photos if you've posted before.

Oh, I agree with Trying2grow - Cran's home looks gorgeous. Would love to see more pics!
Smiles:)

Wodka, when will your chair be arriving? Have you ever sat on one - I don't care for the ones that are too firm/cushy..seem to be taller in the middle than the sides. (Does that make sense?)

Without any context - definately formal.
In some over the top mansion - they may look casual.

I talked with them yesterday. It will be a few more weeks. It might be under the "furniture" forum, but quite a few pleased customers remarked on the comfort of Carrington Court's chairs. Several pictures were posted there, too. I'll let you know. Maybe by the time the chair arrives, I'll have figured out how to post some pictures!!

Thanks. Please let me know - although I'd like to order them sooner than later. I'll check out the furniture forum also.

The pics and messages are on page 2 of the Furniture Forum. To help you in your decision, you might want to order swatches of the different fabrics, at 50 cents a swatch. I picked the Star Mocha for mine. They also make leather parson chairs. Good luck!

Thanks, I found it searching.

Georgiagal, are your chairs comfortable - don't feel like they are pushing you off? Did you look at Southern Wicker before ordering yours? I know they have them but my mom's feel too thick/high in the center, not as comfortable as they should be imo. Not sure they would have the fabric choice I want either.

snookums -- just wanted to let you know that Bombay Company will be closing all it's stores (there's a post on this site called "Have You Heard?" regarding this). If there's any chance you'd like any more of your chairs, I'd act right away.