Chairs

Dining room sets were an important component of Eldred Wheeler’s early product offerings. Ironically, crafting a Queen Anne balloon-seat chair appears fairly straight-forward, however its was one of the most challenging for our craftsmen. Chippendale chairs were somewhat easier, especially the simpler versions. However, in both cases the costs, and hence ultimate price, was high. This affected sales and we were constantly working at ways to make them more affordable. That was a primary reason for replacing the balloon-seat with a straight seat and also promoting the solid splat Chippendale chairs. As noted above, Eldred Wheeler also made a limited number of Spanish foot chairs, and a variety of stools and benches. At one point, Eldred Wheeler experimented with upholstered pieces, but it was quickly decided it would be better to offer externally sourced products. Windsor Chairs also proved popular and the company sold Warren Chair Works chairs, which were initially finished inhouse.

• Upholstered Pieces: During its first year in business, Eldred Wheeler considered making some upholstered pieces to complement its other product offerings. A dealer friend of Emmett’s brought in an antique lolling chair and suggested it might be a great addition because of its small size and great form. Bill Wheeler and Emmett agreed, and a lolling chair was the company’s first experimental upholstery offering. More

• Warren Chair Works Windsor Chairs: Bob Barrow started his business in a small workshop near the water in Bristol, RI. He made many of his initial chairs on order for Eldred Wheeler. In some instance he only made one or two examples before refining, changing, or opting out of a particular design. Bob decided to expand his business and brought in his brother-in-law, Dave Westcott, as his partner. They formed Warren Chair Works (WCW) and set up operations in an old warehouse in Warren, RI. Over the years, WCW became one of the predominate Windsor chair makers in New England. Eldred Wheeler sold WCW Windsor chairs but only pictured a limited selection in its catalog. We thought I might be helpful to include a copy of WCW’s early catalog as a helpful reference. More

Beds

As noted above, Eldred Wheeler made a number of period-style beds. Actually, beds turned out to be one of the company’s most popular products. Actually, beds are one of the few antiques that most collectors feel is OK to modify somewhat to accommodate today’s lifestyles. Leonard’s Antiques (www.leonardsnewengland.com) in Seekonk, Massachusetts was, and still is, a great source for antique and reproduction beds. Emmett knew the owner, Jeff Jenkins, and he unselfishly was an advisor as Eldred Wheeler made its initial foray into crafting reproduction beds. The following PDFs relate stories behind some of Eldred Wheeler’s early offerings.

• Pencil Post Bed: Many of the company’s early product offerings were based on something Bill or Emmett needed. Back then, the Eldreds were definitely “needy” because they were trying to furnish their first home. Of course, a nice bed was a high priority. The pencil post was their favorite style of bed, and it just happened, an antique dealer friend od Emmet’s gave him a single post from a pencil post bed. Emmett used the post as the model for the company’s first prototype. Of course, the prototype was going to be destined for the Eldred’s bedroom, so they chose to make it queen size to accommodate their existing mattress and in tiger maple. More

• 2010 Eldred Wheeler Bed Offerings: There was an excellent description of the entire Eldred Wheeler bed line in several of the company’s later catalogs. Beds had always been a popular product and the company significantly expanded its offerings over the years. This PDF provides a description the Eldred Wheeler Bed Collection in 2010. More