> Seating

Dining chairs

The designer Mies van der Rohe said it was almost easier to design a skyscraper than a chair. That’s why Chippendale is famous, he added. Browse the collection of dining chairs here from classic to contemporary.

French Style Wicker Chair Rockett St George

This is one of those really useful bits of furniture. If you have enough space at the kitchen table it will look great (and be comfortable)there. Wtih a small cushion for the back it will withstand some WFH and it will also work well in the bedroom as a chair-drobe. But if you have a corner of a landing or hall where you like to sit and take five it's perfect for that and, finally, in a few weeks' time when the spring has sprung you can take it outside for a cup of coffee and spot of Vitamin D.
Kartell Piuma Chair Heal's

Kartell have come up with a new technique to create this injection-moulded thermoplastic chair which means it's just 2mm thick but incredibly strong and weighs little more than 2kg, making it easy to move around from dining table to desk or vice-versa. Its curved arms will support yours and you can add a lumbar cushion if needed. I like this soft yellow to bring the sunshine into your office but there are six other shades to choose from.
Curved Back Velvet Dining Chair Rockett St George

Not everyone's floors can cope with a desk chair on wheels, so you need to look to dining chairs for inspiration. I have this one, and the curved back is very supportive while the velvet makes it soft enough for hours of sitting. Comes in ochre as well as green and when the day comes when an unexpected guest turns up for dinner, you'll be ready.
Pill Stool WOODMANCOTE RETRO

This small Gloucestershire-based company makes furniture from tubular steel and uses local sustainable hardwood - often salvaged. There is a huge range of tall and low stools as well as trestle tables with brightly coloured legs which make great desks.
Nord Stool/Side Table M&S

You can’t ever go wrong with a classic wooden stool – and it’s nice to see a design that isn’t basically a copy of the Alvar Aalto. This is made from sustainable wood and is probably a family heirloom in the making. You will use it as a stool or a bedside table and then a teenager will steal it for the university room and on it goes. The classic oak will gather a lovely patina over time.
Wood H17 Windsor Royal Design

Ever since visiting Skye McAlpine’s home for our podcast (The Great Indoors) I have been slightly obsessing over the thought of dark green chairs round the dining room table. You can either paint some vintage ones or you can buy these, which are classic in style but the colour will mix things up a bit. Dark green loves all the other colours on the spectrum and is, in case you were wondering, the colour of creativity. So if the last couple of years has seen you sitting working at the kitchen table, why not make the chairs start working for you? There are lots of other colours available, too.
Wycombe Folding Dining Chair Neptune

There are folding chairs and then there are folding chairs. This, by Neptune, is classic in style, solid in form and folds tidily away when not needed. You can leave the deckchairs in the garden this extra chair won’t cause a fight at the table. It owes its style to the Arts & Crafts period but the paper and rush seat is all modern and very strong. The back spindles are minimal in design so this will fit in both traditional and modern rustic homes.
HAY Elementaire Chair Nest

There’s something about a green chair at a kitchen table that just looks right. This pared back modern one by danish brand Hay comes in olive green or a rather lovely pale shade of, well hay, which would bring a bit of sunshine to the table. Let’s move away from sensible grey and bring some warmth into our interiors. By the way, as minimal and pretty as this is it’s not one for spending several hours at the kitchen table, at least buy a matching seat pad.
Ercol Lara Dining Chair Barker and Stonehouse

A classic kitchen chair with a curved back for a little more comfort. Buy them in a natural colour and let them darken with age or paint to refresh the space when you are bored.
How to get a feature wall right ON THE BLOG...

Feature walls have been controversial for a long time as interior designers try to persuade, often to no avail, homeowners why they shouldn’t have them. I have, however, worked out the problem and if you adopt this technique a feature wall will always look brilliant.
The Bum Stool deVOL Kitchens

It’s a lot of money for a stool but when it was precisely moulded to the shape of a bum you know it will be comfortable. A classic that will last forever - you’ll never go back to a flat seat again.