Grey Velvet High Back Chair in Carved Teak with Ebonised Frame

Velvet has a direction. Run your hand one way along the pile and it goes dark; run it the other and it lifts and goes pale. On a tall back like this one, that single decision changes the colour of the whole chair, and it is made before a single button is pulled.

We set the pile running downward on the back. Light falling from above then travels along the lie of the fibres rather than against them, so the grey stays even from the crest to the seat instead of shading lighter at the top. On the seat we run the pile toward the front edge, for the same reason - it keeps the seat reading as one colour from where you stand.

The ebonised frame has its own order of work. Black shows every scuff, so the frame is polished to its final state and left to cure fully before the upholsterer is allowed near it. On a gilt chair we can touch in afterwards; on this one we would rather not have to.

Neither decision is visible as a decision. They are only visible as a chair that looks the same colour from every side of the room.

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

Finish: hand-applied ebonised black as photographed; gilt, silver, walnut and clear natural teak also available.

Back: tall and tapered, deep-buttoned in a diamond grid set out from the centre line.

Upholstery: plain grey velvet as shown, with the pile laid downward on the back and forward on the seat.

Arms: padded with carved scroll terminals, set at forearm height.

Crest: pierced and carved from the solid above the back.

Legs: cabriole front legs with carved knees, joined by a carved apron.

Joinery: mortise and tenon at the frame junctions, corner-blocked at the seat rail.

Fabric options: any velvet, linen, leather or brocade you send us, or ours from the studio range.

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

Velvet needs different handling from leather or a flat weave, because pressure marks the pile. The chair is wrapped first in a soft non-abrasive sheet laid on rather than pulled tight, so nothing crushes the nap under the layers above.

The carved crest, the arm scrolls and the leg knees are then padded individually with foam formed around each shape. The pierced sections of the apron are filled rather than bridged so strapping cannot press into the fretwork.

Over that go bubble wrap, a corrugated shell and an outer crate cut to the chair. Corner protection goes on at every load-bearing point, so handling force reaches the crate rather than the frame or the upholstery.

Unpack from the top down after cutting the strapping. If any part of the pile looks flattened after unwrapping, a light brush in the direction of the pile lifts it back - it is the nature of velvet, not a fault in it.

Delivery is free anywhere in India and the chair is guaranteed to arrive dent-free. If it does not, correcting it is our cost, and we say so before you order.

Because the chair is made to order, production begins when the velvet, the finish and the measurements are confirmed in writing. We share the schedule then and update you as the carving, the ebonising and the upholstery stages complete.

The ebonised finish is left to cure fully before the chair is crated, so dispatch follows curing rather than the last stroke of polish. Tracking is shared as soon as the crate leaves us, and our team agrees the delivery slot with you directly.

Open the crate with the delivery team present and check the chair while they are there. Tall backs need door and stair clearance, so send us your access measurements at the order stage and we build to a height that fits.

The solid teak frame and its joinery are warranted for 20 years. That is the structure - the timber and the joints that keep the chair square under years of use - and it is the part that decides whether a chair is worth re-covering later.

A lifetime warranty against termite damage runs with it. Teak's natural oils are the reason we can commit to that, and we issue it in writing rather than leaving it as a claim.

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

Velvet, buttoning and the hand-applied finish are wearing surfaces and sit outside the structural warranty, but we re-cover and re-finish our own chairs at any age. Your specification is held on file, so a new velvet years from now can be matched or deliberately changed.