Carved Wooden Chair in Teak - Pearl Grey with Buttoned Back

Every upholstered chair has a weak line, and it is always the same one: the edge of the seat.

That edge is at exactly the height of a shin, a table leg, a suitcase and a vacuum cleaner head. It is where people push a chair in from and where they knock it moving past. And on most chairs it is nothing but fabric stretched over a rail - so it scuffs, then it thins, then it goes, while the rest of the covering is still perfectly good.

The old answer was to bring the timber out to that line. A band of the frame is left exposed all the way round the seat, standing slightly proud of the upholstery, so contact lands on wood rather than cloth.

That changes the economics of the chair over its life. A marked timber band is polished back in an afternoon. A frayed fabric edge means recovering the seat.

Making it work takes precision, because the band has to stand proud by a consistent amount all the way round or it looks like a mistake, and the upholstery has to finish exactly on its inner edge with no gap and no overhang. Our upholsterers set the seat into the frame rather than over it, working to the timber line rather than to the rail beneath.

Left dark and polished against a pale frame, it also happens to look deliberate - which is why the detail survived long after anyone remembered what it was for.

Frame: Solid teak throughout - back frame, seat rails, arms, arm supports and legs. No veneer over engineered board.

Construction: Exposed polished teak band around the full seat edge standing proud of the upholstery, shaped buttoned back frame with gold-picked carving and carved crest, open arms on carved scroll supports with gilt terminals, carved rail with rosettes, cabriole legs with carved toes.

Upholstery: Buttoned back and sprung seat set into the frame, in fabric of your choice, with a cushion. We can source fabric on your behalf.

Finish: Pearl grey body with gold-picked carving and a dark polished seat band, as photographed. Any tone or gilding level can be specified.

Dimensions: Custom sizes made to order - confirmed in writing before production.

Available: Singly, in pairs or as a matched set.

Made: Handcrafted Indian luxury, produced to order by master Indian artisans.

The polished seat band stands proud of the upholstery all the way round, which makes it the first surface any contact reaches - so it is protected first, with foam shaped to run along its full perimeter and bear on the carved rail beneath rather than on the polished face.

The gold-picked carving on the back frame and the rail is bridged so nothing presses into the gilded detail, and the carved crest above the back is guarded with a rigid cover shaped over it.

Upholstered surfaces are covered in breathable protective layers that will not compress the filling or mark a pale fabric, and the buttoned back is covered so no pressure falls on the button points.

Both arms project beyond the seat and are sleeved along their length with additional protection at the gilt terminals.

Each cabriole leg is padded with a rigid guard over the carved toe. The chair then goes into a rigid outer carton braced internally. Ordered as a set, each chair is crated separately rather than stacked. Dent-free arrival is guaranteed.

Free delivery is included anywhere in India, with no distance surcharge and nothing added at the end. Metros, tier-two cities and smaller towns are served on the same terms, and a set ships on the same free terms as a single chair.

Production begins once your dimensions, fabric, carving depth and finish are confirmed in writing. The seat band is polished before the seat is set into the frame, and buttoning is slow hand work, so the sequence is fixed - we give you an honest timeline and keep you updated as the chair progresses.

We dispatch through carriers experienced with carved and upholstered furniture, and send tracking details as soon as the chair leaves us.

On arrival our team brings the chair in, positions it, checks it sits firm and level on your floor and removes all packaging. Dent-free arrival is guaranteed - if anything is not right, tell us and we will resolve it.

The solid teak frame and joinery carry a 20-year warranty - the back frame, the seat rails, the arms and their supports, and every leg joint.

The exposed seat band is part of the frame rather than an applied moulding, which is why it is covered on the same terms as everything else. It is worked from the seat rail itself, so there is no separate piece to loosen and nothing that can be knocked off.

The open arm supports are jointed into deep seat rails - that joint takes the load every time someone pushes up to stand, and it has no leg directly beneath it.

The teak carries a lifetime warranty against termite damage for as long as you own the chair, from the oils in the timber rather than the finish over them.

If anything covered needs attention, send us your order details and photographs and our artisans will handle the repair or replacement.