'Loop’ Armchairs by Andrew Allfree, After the Celebrated Buscot Park & Frances Elkins Designs

The “Loop Chair” by Andrew Allfree, retailed through Nicholas Wells, sits within a fascinating lineage of Anglo-American decorative arts and 20th century interior design revivalism. The design takes its inspiration from the celebrated hoop-back chairs associated with Frances Elkins and the famed Georgian interiors of Buscot Park.

Elkins, one of the great tastemakers of the early-to-mid 20th century, became known for blending English country house influences with a distinctly lighter, more sculptural Californian sensibility. The original 18th century chairs at Buscot Park — with their rhythmic pierced oval backs and animated silhouettes — captivated designers for decades. Elkins reinterpreted them in a more refined and modernised form during the 1930s and 1940s, helping transform the motif into an enduring design icon.

An article in Architectural Digest discussing the legacy of these chairs noted that the modern interpretations often fail to capture the delicacy and movement of the originals, highlighting Nicholas Wells’ versions as among the most elegant contemporary executions. The article references the remarkable proportions and fluidity achieved in the English-made examples retailed by Nicholas Wells.

Andrew Allfree’s interpretation is particularly notable for its ambitious craftsmanship. Rather than relying on applied ornament, the entire visual language of the chair emerges from continuous looping forms carved and constructed in solid ash. The result is highly sculptural yet surprisingly light in appearance. The exaggerated scale gives the chairs strong architectural presence while preserving the grace associated with the 18th century precedents.

The chairs are offered both as armchairs and side chairs:

Armchairs

• Height: 39 in (104 cm)

• Width: 28 in (67 cm)

• Depth: 28 in (70 cm)

• Seat Height: 18 in (46 cm)

• Seat Depth: 21 in

Side Chairs

• Height: 101 cm

• Width: 63 cm

• Depth: 66 cm

• Seat Height: 46 cm

The use of pale unfinished ash is also significant. Rather than imitating antique patination, the material choice allows the chairs to feel simultaneously historical and contemporary — equally suited to a classical interior, a restrained contemporary scheme, or the layered collector aesthetic associated with designers such as Miles Redd.

Loop Chairs by Andrew Allfree

Nicholas Wells offers a remarkable suite of sculptural “Loop” chairs by Andrew Allfree, inspired by the celebrated hoop-back chairs associated with Buscot Park and later reinterpreted by the legendary American decorator Frances Elkins. Executed in pale ash with woven cane seats, these chairs represent an extraordinary feat of craftsmanship, their flowing interlocking oval forms creating a sense of movement and remarkable lightness despite their generous scale.

The design pays homage to the elegance and theatricality of the great Anglo-American decorating tradition while remaining distinctly contemporary in execution. Architectural Digest noted Nicholas Wells’ examples as among the most successful modern interpretations of the form, praising their elegance and proportion.

England, contemporary.

Available as armchairs and side chairs. Twelve available.