1980s Pennsylvania House Criterion 60 Wingback Chairs - A Pair

Details

Description

Quick Hits
- Brand/Maker: Pennsylvania House
- Piece Name: Criterion 60 Wingback Chairs (pair)
- Style: Traditional / Queen Anne-influenced
… Read more Quick Hits
- Brand/Maker: Pennsylvania House
- Piece Name: Criterion 60 Wingback Chairs (pair)
- Style: Traditional / Queen Anne-influenced
- Materials: Peach/salmon geometric diamond pattern fabric; dark wood cabriole legs with turned cross bars; removable seat cushions and protective arm covers
- Era: 1980s
- Includes: Original tags for one chair
- Why We Love It: Dark wood cabriole legs with turned crossbars, geometric diamond fabric, and original tagsstill intact — a proper pair of 1980s American wingbacks with the bones to outlast almost anything.

More About This Item
Peach and salmon are colors that have come back around — the warm, terracotta-adjacent palette that designers spent the early 2000s avoiding has returned with genuine sophistication, and these Pennsylvania House Criterion wingbacks are well-positioned for it. The geometric diamond pattern on the upholstery reads as quietly traditional without being stiff, the kind of fabric choice that feels considered rather than arbitrary.

The dark wood cabriole legs with turned crossbars are the structural element worth pausing on. Cabriole legs on a wingback chair are a Queen Anne reference — a formal gesture that elevates the piece from an ordinary upholstered chair into something with genuine architectural intention. The turned crossbar stretchers between the legs add visual interest while reinforcing the structure, a detail that marks careful furniture design rather than shortcut production.

Removable seat cushions and protective arm covers suggest these were well-kept. Original tags for one chair confirm the Pennsylvania House provenance. A pair of wingbacks in this condition, with this level of structural quality, at secondary market pricing, is the kind of find that a room waits for.

Design Style
Traditional American wingback in the Queen Anne-influenced idiom that Pennsylvania House made their signature. The Criterion line represented one of their more refined expressions of this tradition — furniture with genuine period references, solid wood legs, and upholstery scaled correctly for the chair form. In a traditional living room, den, or library, a pair of wingbacks flanking a fireplace or anchoring a reading corner creates the kind of composed symmetry that makes a room feel designed rather than assembled.

The peach/salmon colorway can be worked with as-is in an earthy, warm interior, or serve as a reupholstery foundation for a buyer who sees the structural quality and wants to bring their own fabric.

Brand Legacy
Pennsylvania House, based in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, produced traditional American furniture through much of the 20th century, with their cherry and mahogany pieces and their upholstered traditional seating developing a loyal following among buyers who valued American craftsmanship at accessible price points. Their Criterion line was among their more well-regarded production series, associated with solid construction and period-appropriate design details. Pennsylvania House wingbacks in good condition remain a practical and well-priced entry into quality traditional seating on the resale market. See less