Black Dining Table Set in Carved Teak with Silver Detailing

Every finisher knows the rule about black: the colour is the last five percent of the work and the flatness is the other ninety-five.

On a pale or mid-toned finish, a slight hollow in a surface is invisible - the eye has nothing to measure it against. Under a dark gloss, that same hollow becomes a distortion in every reflection the surface carries, and a dining room is full of things to reflect: a window, a chandelier, the edge of a doorway. A wave you could not find with your fingertips is obvious in the reflection of a light fitting.

So the preparation on an ebonised piece is done under a raking light rather than an overhead one. A lamp is set almost parallel to the surface, and every imperfection throws a long shadow - a fill that has sunk, a sanding scratch, a ridge left by a scraper. What is invisible under a light directly above is unmissable under a light from the side.

The surface is then worked and re-checked under that same raking light until nothing shows, before any colour goes near it. Only after that does the black go on, and it goes on thin, because thickness cannot fix flatness - it only makes the wave glossier.

Nobody sees the preparation. They see a black table that reflects a window as a straight line.

Set: one dining table with chairs including tall host chairs, made together as one commission.

Frames: solid teak throughout, hand-carved by master Indian artisans.

Top: moulded edge over a silver-picked carved frieze.

Base: stepped plinth with panelled faces and carved detail.

Chairs: upholstered in a silvered damask, with tall host chairs carrying tasselled corner details.

Upholstery: silvered damask as photographed; any fabric or leather available.

Finish: ebonised black with silver-picked carving, prepared flat under raking light before any colour is applied and finished thin rather than built up.

Alternatives: the same carving in ivory, gold, walnut or natural teak.

Joinery: mortise and tenon throughout, corner-blocked at every seat rail.

Dimensions: custom sizes made to order - final measurements confirmed in writing before production.

A dark gloss shows every mark a packing material can leave, so the first layer on every piece is fresh, soft, non-abrasive sheeting that has not been used on another job, laid on rather than pulled tight.

The moulded top edge and the stepped edges of the plinth are padded continuously along their full runs, since a step presents an arris at every level.

Chairs are crated individually and never nested, with the silvered damask covered in soft sheeting and the tasselled corners on the host chairs bagged separately so nothing pulls on them.

Unpack the chairs first, then the base, then the top. Handle black surfaces with clean hands or gloves - fingerprints show on a dark gloss until it is wiped, which is cosmetic rather than damage.

Delivery is free anywhere in India for the whole set, and every piece is guaranteed to arrive dent-free. If anything is wrong when the crates are opened, correcting it is our cost, and we commit to that before you order.

Production begins once the table size, chair count, upholstery and finish are confirmed in writing. An ebonised finish spends longer in preparation than in colour, and that is built into the schedule we share with you at the start.

Dispatch waits for the finish to cure fully. We update you as each stage completes and send tracking as soon as the crates leave us.

Open the crates with the delivery team present and check every piece. Send us your doorway, lift and stair measurements at the order stage and we set the top size to a dimension that will reach the room.

Every frame in the set carries a 20-year warranty on solid teak frame and joinery - the table, its plinth base and each chair on identical terms.

A lifetime warranty against termite damage runs on every piece, resting on teak's own oils rather than on an applied treatment, and issued in writing with the set.

Both documents are tied to your order and handed over on delivery, so the record stays with you. If a covered fault appears on one piece, send photographs and we repair or replace that piece alone.

Upholstery and the ebonised finish are wearing surfaces and are handled separately. Black shows wear more readily than a pale finish, which is exactly why we re-finish our own furniture at any age and keep your specification on file so a repair or a full re-finish matches the original.