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Black is the only colour that makes a Chesterfield look modern, which is a strange thing to say about the oldest shade in furniture. Put the traditional silhouette in a deep black hide and the piece stops reading as heritage entirely, becoming instead something closer to sculpture sitting in the corner of a room.
The reason for that comes down entirely to a question of contrast. A tan chair invites you to admire the buttoning in detail, while a black one hides that detail almost completely and shows you the outline instead, so the rolled arms and the curve of the back do all the work on their own.
Here is the part that surprises people, because black is far from a single flat colour.
If you are unsure where to begin, order up to six free swatches and they will reach you within a few working days.
A single black chair does something no other colour can manage, which is to anchor a room without needing anything else around it to agree. It works as the full stop at the end of a scheme, giving the eye somewhere firm to rest among softer furnishings.
The finish matters more here than with any other colour, since black in leather and black in velvet produce entirely different chairs. Every leather range we upholster in is set out in full on Our Leather.
SMOOTH BLACK LEATHER
The traditional choice, with an even surface and a quiet sheen that reads as formal and considered. It suits studies, libraries and any room where the furniture is meant to look deliberate rather than casual.
MATT AND ANTIQUE BLACK
A softer, less reflective finish that lets the buttoning show a little more clearly. Antiqued blacks carry subtle brown undertones where the hide has been worked, which stops the colour feeling severe.
BLACK VELVET
The most dramatic option of all, since the pile catches light across every button and turns a black chair into something genuinely luminous under lamplight. It is the finish to choose when the buttoning should still be visible.
CHARCOAL WOOL AND TWEED
Not quite black and considerably warmer for it, these suit rooms where a true black would feel too hard against softer furnishings and painted walls.
Shade changes the mood of a corner far more than the design of the chair does, so it is worth thinking about what the room around it is doing.
Black asks less of a room than any other colour, which is exactly why designers reach for it when nothing else quite works.
Walls that work. Soft white and pale neutrals let the silhouette read as a clean outline against the wall. Warm plaster and clay tones stop a black chair feeling cold in an otherwise soft room, while exposed brick and stone let the contrast between rough and smooth do most of the work.
Chairs to consider. The Conrad armchair in smooth black is the sharpest pairing of shape and shade we build. The Woodstock wing chair becomes a genuine silhouette against a pale wall, and a Chesterfield footstool in the same finish completes the position without adding weight.
Brass, warm wood and plenty of texture all soften a black chair considerably, which keeps a room feeling layered rather than stark. If the corner starts feeling too severe, a woven rug or a warm throw is usually all it takes to bring it back into balance.
Every chair is handmade in Manchester using time honoured techniques, so each seam reflects the care that goes into a piece built to last generations, with the frame beneath carrying our ten year guarantee.
A single chair rarely does, though it draws the eye strongly wherever you put it. Give it a little breathing space rather than crowding it into a tight corner.
More than mid tones do, particularly in velvet, and this is the honest trade for the drama. A soft brush attachment on the vacuum genuinely earns its keep with this shade.
Not at all, since it is the most forgiving shade we offer where marks are concerned. A warmer wool or tweed in charcoal softens it considerably if leather feels too hard.
Velvet by a distance, since the pile creates highlight and shadow that a smooth hide simply cannot produce. Matt and antiqued leathers come next, with smooth black showing it least.
Every piece is made to order in Manchester and arrives within six to eight weeks, delivered free across mainland Britain. Our in stock chairs leave a good deal sooner if timing matters.
Yes, and most designs exist as both, so the two can be ordered in the same hide. Ordering together lets the leather be cut from one batch for an exact match.
