Savannah Velvet Dining Chair | Charcoal Grey

Check the seat height against your table before ordering. It is the figure that matters most.

The seat sits at 50cm, which is at the upper end of the dining range. Most dining chairs are 45cm to 47cm. Aim for 28cm to 30cm of clearance between the seat and the underside of the tabletop, so this suits a table of around 78cm to 80cm.

Check for an apron or a rail under your tabletop. A deep apron eats into that clearance, and with a taller seat it is the thing most likely to catch your thighs.

Allow 60cm of table edge per chair so nobody is knocking elbows, and 90cm of clear space behind for pulling the chair out.

The 61cm depth is more than a plain chair. Padded upholstery adds bulk, so measure the run of your table and count how many actually fit rather than assuming.

The studding is the whole reason to choose it.

Individual antique brass studs are set along the edge of the upholstery at the back and the seat, forming a traditional studded border. It references classic club chair and Chesterfield craftsmanship, and it is what gives a dining chair a sense of permanence that plain-edged upholstery never has. It rewards close inspection, which is exactly what a dining chair gets.

In charcoal, the brass does more work than it would against a warmer colour. Warm metal on a cool dark ground is a high-contrast pairing, so the studs read as a defined line rather than blending into the fabric.

Velvet at the dining table is a considered choice, richer and warmer than linen or cotton, with a depth of colour that shifts as light moves across it through the day. Charcoal velvet in particular reads almost black in shadow and distinctly grey in daylight.

The curved backrest and padded seat are what make long meals bearable. A flat back on a hard seat is fine for twenty minutes and unpleasant for two hours. Solid oak legs ground the piece and stop a dark chair reading as heavy.

• Antique brass stud border, high contrast against a dark ground
• Velvet upholstery, richer and warmer than linen or cotton
• Curved backrest and padded seat, comfortable through a long meal
• Solid oak legs rather than stained softwood or metal
• Charcoal grey, neutral enough to suit oak, walnut, dark metal and pale stone
• Colour shifts with the light, near black in shadow, grey in daylight
• Hides everyday marks better than a pale upholstery would
• Also in burnt sienna and forest green, same chair, same detailing

A full set of six identical chairs reads as a suite. Four of these with a bench along one side, or two as carvers at the ends of a mixed run, looks considered rather than bought as a package. Charcoal also mixes well with the other two colourways if you want an eclectic table.

Brass detailing needs something to reflect, and on a dark chair that matters more. A pendant above the table at 75cm to 85cm from the top, with warm bulbs at 2400K to 2700K.

Charcoal against a pale timber table and a light floor reads as deliberate contrast. Against dark wood on a dark floor, six of these can make a dining area feel heavy. A pale rug underneath solves it.

One repeat is enough. A brass lamp base on a sideboard, or brass handles on cabinetry. More than that and the room tips towards a theme.

A patterned runner competes with a studded velvet chair. Bare timber, linen and a low arrangement in stoneware lets the chairs be the interesting part.

Vacuum the velvet with an upholstery attachment every couple of weeks. Velvet holds crumbs and dust in the pile more than a flat weave does, and this is a chair that sits at a table.

Blot spills immediately with a clean dry cloth, working inward from the edge. Never rub velvet, which crushes the pile and leaves a mark worse than the spill.

Brush the pile back with a soft clothes brush, always in one direction. Velvet develops pressure marks where people sit, and brushing lifts them out. On a dark velvet these show more than on a mid tone, so it is worth doing regularly.

Keep it out of strong direct sun, which fades any dyed textile over years, and away from a radiator.

The oak legs take a dry cloth. Nothing wet, nothing abrasive.

What to expect. Velvet shades and marks as the pile moves. That shifting depth of colour is what you are buying, not a fault, and on charcoal it is particularly pronounced.

Current timescales and charges are set out on our delivery page. If you are ordering several, they will arrive together.

Send us the height of your table and whether it has an apron underneath, and we will tell you honestly whether the seat height suits. Reach us via our contact page or live chat.

If they are not right once they are round the table, our returns process is straightforward, and everything is covered by our guarantees and warranties.

0% interest-free finance is available at checkout, and our price match promise stands if you find the same piece for less elsewhere. Furnishing a restaurant or a holiday let? Ask about trade accounts.