Buy the wooden chair you actually like
Imagine the same frame in a plain fabric. Do you like the curve of the arms, the height of the back and how much timber remains visible? Those are reasons to choose an older Ercol easy chair. A fashionable cushion colour is easier to change than an uncomfortable arm position.
Ask for one complete side view with cushions fitted, then the same view with the loose cushions removed. The pair shows whether the present upholstery follows the frame or conceals much of it. Keep the old cushions and covers with the purchase, even if you expect to replace them: their outlines and fastenings are useful evidence for the supplier. They are not automatically the correct originals.
A model number is worth more than “Windsor style”
Ercol’s reCover brochure identifies the models its service supports and warns that several options can exist within a chair’s production history. It supplies new interiors with its covers, rather than covers alone. Use the identification drawings as a starting point and send the supplier photographs of your actual frame before ordering.[1]
| Chair family | Detail the order needs |
|---|---|
| Jubilee 766 | Whether each arm has four or five sticks: cushion-fixing tape positions differ. |
| Evergreen 1913 / 7913 | Show the seat platform. The brochure distinguishes brown rubber and black material webbing. |
| Saville 930 | Show the sprung platform and fastening studs; their position affects the order. |
The lesson is not to date a chair by counting sticks. It is that a feature which looks decorative in an advert can affect replacement fit. A label, the complete outline and these physical details should point to the same candidate. If they do not, keep the order open until the difference is explained.
New foam cannot rescue failed webbing
Lift only cushions that are intended to lift off. Look at what actually carries the seat: straps, a slatted or solid base, or a sprung platform. Ask whether it has already been replaced and whether the attachment method changed. A dark patch in a photograph does not tell you which material or fitting is present.
Have the frame and suspension assessed before finalising new cushions if there is movement, a torn strap or a seat that sinks unevenly. Ask the upholsterer to itemise support work, cushion interiors, covers and any platform cover separately. That makes a bare-frame price comparable with a chair whose necessary work has already been done.
Do not solve a low seat by casually specifying a thicker cushion. Raising the sitting surface brings the wooden arms lower beside your body. Adding a plump back cushion also moves you forwards, reducing usable seat depth. You can end up buying a generous-looking chair which leaves you perched near its front.
Compare two complete seats, not two frame prices
Here is an illustrative comparison, not a market-price guide. Chair A costs £180, collection £70, and your written cushion-and-support quote is £620: £870 altogether. Chair B is £720 delivered with usable cushions and sound support. A is the more expensive route unless its frame, fabric choice or other advantages are worth the difference to you.
The quoted work must describe the same result. A covers-only price, a foam-only price and a complete tailored set are different offers. For a pair, confirm whether the frames and fixing positions actually match before doubling one quote.
One useful enquiry
I am considering this Ercol chair. Attached are front, side, bare-seat and fixing photographs, with the label and dimensions. Which model and support version do you believe it is? Please separate any frame or suspension work from the complete seat-and-back cushion specification, include required platform covers or tapes, and confirm how fit is approved before the order is made.
Give the new seat a proper sitting trial
Try the seat with its intended back cushion, in the posture you will use for reading or conversation. Notice foot support, contact behind the knees, whether the arms are comfortable and how easily you get up. A softer cushion held in your hands tells you very little about that combination.
A sound frame with tired cushions is often a promising project. Buy it when the replacement route is clear and you want the finished chair enough to pay for it. If its comfort depends on an improvised stack of pads, the answer may be a different Ercol model.
For the actual cushion order, continue with measuring covers and approving a finished cushion.