A wingback chair is constructed with two edges that come around the sides at a 90 degree angle near the head. The wing chair style was designed in the 18th century to reduce cold drafts in older homes and also to prevent a lady from getting too hot when sitting near a fire. Most wing chairs are upholstered but may also be slipcovered. When choosing wing chair slipcovers, budget, fit, style, fabric, and color should be considered.
Wing chair slipcovers are made to fit over either an upholstered wingback chair or wooden wing chair. To choose the best wing chair slipcovers for your chairs, you must first consider the budget you have available. If money is not a huge consideration, you may want to opt for tailor-made slipcovers. Take your chairs to a professional upholsterer and have them measured. The end result will be slipcovers that fit your chairs precisely and may even look like the chairs have been upholstered instead of simply covered with a slipcover.
For those with a smaller budget, you can measure the chairs yourself and shop for pre-made slipcovers that most closely match your chair size. Unless your wing chair is an antique, most chairs are manufactured to a small number of standard sizes. This should make it relatively easy to find a pre-made slipcover to fit.
Another consideration when choosing the best wing chair slipcovers is style. Though there are not any hard rules regarding interior decorating, since wing chairs were designed to coordinate with a traditional formal home decor, the style of slipcover you choose should match the theme of the chair's surroundings. If your home is traditional, choose fabrics in prints and colors that reflect traditional styling. If your home is more contemporary, this does not preclude you from using wing chairs but opt for muted color schemes to blend the furniture styles.
Fabric and color are areas where choosing wing chair slipcovers can be fun as well as daunting. The style of the chair is very structured, so sturdy fabrics work well. If your home is casual, you may even choose to go with cotton canvas or denim as opposed to the more traditional tweeds. For more formal homes, consider a heavy damask or taffeta in solid colors so the weave of the fabric is evident.
Once you have decided on a type of fabric, shop for colors that coordinate with the wall coverings and other surroundings. Everything does not have to match exactly but should be in the same color family. If the wing chair is going to be a focal point in the room, such as when a pair is placed in front of a fireplace, you may want to choose a bold statement color or pattern.
If the chairs are not the focal point of the room and instead are being used as accents, they should complement the focal pieces but not carry the same color weight. Too many pieces upholstered in strong colors may overwhelm the room. The wonderful thing about wing chair slipcovers, however, is they can be changed out whenever you want to update the look of the room without expending a lot of effort.