Green Velvet Chair with Tall Carved Teak Back and Crystal Buttons

The gap between the arm pad and the back on this chair is not what is left over after the arm was made. It is a measurement, and the measurement is a hand.

On a chair with arms that run the full depth to the back, the only way to push yourself up is to press down on the top of the arm with a flat palm. That works well enough while you are quick on your feet. On a chair with stub arms, there is a clear space behind the pad, and the hand can close right around the arm rail and grip it. Gripping gives far more purchase than pressing, and it is steadier.

So the arm length is set from the back of the pad forward, leaving a gap wide enough for a hand to pass through comfortably rather than just wide enough to look open. On the standard chair we work to a generous adult hand; where a client tells us the chair is for someone who needs more help rising, we widen it and lower the arm rail slightly so the grip falls where the hand naturally lands.

It reads as a style decision - the open-armed shape is a period one. It is also the reason people find this chair easy to get out of without thinking about why.

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

Back: tall and shaped, deep-buttoned in a diamond grid with crystal buttons.

Uprights: carved scrolled uprights framing both sides of the back, cut from the solid.

Crest: carved shell and scrollwork above the back.

Arms: short upholstered pads on carved scroll supports, with the gap to the back set to a full hand's width for an easy grip when rising.

Upholstery: olive green velvet as photographed; any velvet, linen, brocade or leather available.

Apron: carved and pierced across the front with a centred motif.

Legs: carved front legs finishing in scrolled feet.

Finish: hand-laid gold; silver, ebonised, walnut and natural teak also available.

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

Crystal buttons are faceted and they are proud of the surface, so each one is protected before the general wrapping goes on. A soft sheet is laid over the buttoned face first, loose rather than pulled tight, so no button is pressed into the velvet behind it.

The scrolled uprights framing the back and the shell crest are then padded individually with foam formed to each shape, and the pierced apron has its openings filled rather than bridged so strapping bears on solid timber.

Over that go bubble wrap, a corrugated shell and an outer crate cut to the chair, with corner protection at every load-bearing point. The arm pads are wrapped separately from the supports beneath them so nothing presses on the join.

Unpack from the top down after cutting the strapping. If the velvet looks flattened where it was wrapped, brushing along the pile lifts it back - that is the nature of velvet rather than a fault.

Delivery is free anywhere in India and the chair is guaranteed to arrive dent-free. If anything is wrong when the crate is opened, correcting it is our cost, and we commit to that before you order.

Production starts once the velvet, the button type, the finish and the measurements are confirmed in writing. We share the schedule then and update you as carving, gilding and upholstery complete.

Dispatch follows full curing of the hand-laid gold. Tracking is shared as soon as the crate leaves us, and our team fixes the delivery slot with you directly.

Open the crate with the delivery team present and check the chair while they are there. A tall back needs door and stair clearance - send us your access measurements at the order stage and we build a height that clears them.

The solid teak frame and its joinery carry a 20-year warranty. The arm supports on a stub-armed chair take a concentrated downward load every time someone rises, so the joints there are corner-blocked and they are covered like every other part of the structure.

A lifetime warranty against termite damage runs alongside it, resting on teak's own oils rather than on any applied treatment, and issued in writing with the chair.

Both documents are tied to your order and handed over at delivery, so the record is in your hands. If a covered fault appears, photographs come first and we then arrange repair or replacement of the affected part.

Velvet, buttons and the hand-laid gold are wearing surfaces and are handled separately from the structure, but we re-cover and re-gild our own chairs at any age. Your specification is kept on file, including the arm gap you chose, so a later re-cover reproduces the chair exactly as it was built.